Joe McQuillen has been married for 27 years and is a father of three children, one on the other side. Joe was the youngest of 10 children from an Irish Catholic family. Although Joe has had two successful careers he is at heart a blue-collar kid from Buffalo NY. Joe spent 25 years in the automobile business. Starting as a salesman Joe worked his way up to Executive Manager and partner in a number of different successful Chicagoland dealerships. After selling out in 2009, Joe began a second successful career as a mortgage broker. Something he does to this day.
Joe sits on the board of In Balance Ranch Academy, a boarding school dedicated to helping troubled teens with addiction. After the loss of his son Christopher in a canoe accident in January 2016, Joe began running a Charity Golf outing to benefit both In Balance Ranch & Penguin Players, a theatre troupe of young adults with disabilities. NIU has set up a Chris McQuillen spirit award and scholarship to honor Chris. Joe is himself 33 years sober and a member of AA. A fact that has helped him get close to God and help carry him through the dark times after his boys crossing. Joe’s journey has led him to speak to teens with addiction, and write a book "My Search for Christopher on the Other Side."