5 Things To Know About Oz

Oz comes back to Illinois after working in the Black Hills of South Dakota for the last six years. He's excited to join the Q98.5 team to help you wrap up your work day and get you home.

Who is Oz? Here's your chance to get to know the man behind the mic.

1. Who is your favorite country artist?

It's like picking a favorite child, there's always more than one. I really enjoy listening to Chris Stapleton, Zac Brown Band, Eric Church, Garth Brooks, Carrie Underwood and Brantley Gilbert.

2. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

My wife and I are foodies. We love finding new places and trying new foods. We also enjoy checking out wineries and breweries and sampling some adult beverages. We started a record collection a few years ago and always love searching for those hard to find albums. We also have two dogs (Theo, the white one, and Sloan) who are the two most spoiled dogs in the world. They have also made us big advocates for pitbulls though. They unfortunately sometimes get a bad rap.

3. Which teams do you root for?

Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago, I generally root for Chicago teams. I'm a huge Cubs, Blackhawks and Bulls fan, however, I'm a 49ers fan. I'm a big time Notre Dame football fan so I've always rooted for Joe Montana.

4. Have any fears?

Snakes! Like Indiana Jones, I hate snakes! There's a funny story about finding a harmless garter snake in our house one night. Long story short, BBQ tongs and a Walmart bag were used to get rid of it. And when the neighbors asked, I may have blamed the high-pitched screams on my wife.

5. What's your favorite thing about your job?

I have been so fortunate to work with some amazing people and learn so much. I've seen some awesome concerts and gotten to meet a few of my favorite artists. I love meeting listeners and finding out about them. It's a job where you can be creative and have a lot of fun doing it.

Like Mark Twain said, "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you'll never work a day in your life." I haven't been "working" for the last 9 years because it's impossible not to have fun doing this.