Richard is a Vietnam Veteran, honorably discharged in 1973 and has been married for thirty years to his wife Cheryl, and is the father of three children, Rich, Shelly and Gary.

Richard worked as a Mechanical Engineer for IBM and retired after 25 years with the company. Richard holds two Patents, twelve inventions, and is the author of ten published technical papers on high technology electronic packaging. After leaving IBM he dedicated much of his time and energy to his hobby, mycology, and studied to become a certified mold inspector and mold contractor doing business as "Fungi by Progy" in New York State since 1995. May 2004 he co-founded Ash & Progovitz Antimicrobials, LLC. Fungi by Progy was named as one of a very few New York State Small Business Development Center Success Stories for 2003 and he was recently featured in the Healthy Life Magazine - Summer 2004 issue.

In October 2003, his first book, Black Mold – Your Health and Your Home was published by The Forager Press, LLC. A second book, Mold Horror Stories, a non-fiction account of one family's nightmares caused by molds that led to their home's demolition, is in the works.

Richard's other notable work in the field of mycology includes:

· Serving as President of the Susquehanna Valley Mycological Society (SVMS) for the past eleven years.

· Vice President and General Foray Chairman of the Northeast Mycological Federation for 2003.

· On-call mycologist with the Lourdes Hospital Poison Control Center to aid in identification of wild mushrooms in instances of mushroom poisoning.

· Lecturer on Fungi at- Broome County's Finch Hollow Nature Center, the Southern New York State Forestry Association, the Lion's Club, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Tioga Co. Master Gardeners, Roberson Museum for "Earth Days", Northeast Mycological Federation Conference, Syracuse U. Environmental Science of Forestry, and more.

· He Published two sets of edible and poisonous wild mushroom identification cards, which are similar to Baseball Cards to assist in the identification of a variety of wild mushroom species. The cards have been written about in such magazines as Sports Afield, Vegetarian Times, and have appeared in numerous newspaper articles and newsletters.

Richard is a member of NACHI, the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors, and is a a Registered Environmental Expert Witness.

Author Richard F. Progovitz, pictured here with his first copy of Black Mold - Your Health and Your Home

For more about Richard F. Progovitz visit his personal web site: www.fungibyprogy.com.