Born in Victoria, Russ attended degree programs at Uvic and UBC and studied professional programs at Cornell and UNLV. He has a master’s degree in Business Administration and nine professional designations (four international) in real estate appraisal and urban land economics. Over the years Russ has volunteered on land use committees, neighbourhood community associations and professional panels. He is a collector of art, patron to artists and hobby artist primarily with respect to paintings on canvas.  Russ has endless passion about all aspects of the art world from the prepping of a canvas to the tax mechanisms of art foundations. When he isn’t thinking about art or trying to assist a starving artist, he is appraising hotels and casinos and has done so for the last 38 years.