Joel was born and raised in Manhattan, and earned a degree in Business Administration & Economics from NYU. He worked for a year as a buyer for Bloomingdale's before working for The Charles S. Nathan Office Furniture Company. It was at this moment that Joel realized his passion. Duty called, and Joel served in the US Army as a small weapons instructor, spending the majority of his time in Germany in support of NATO. Upon his completion of military service, he worked in sales with a few manufacturer's representative groups, including Anthenson & Kimmel, before starting his own company: Norman Contract, Inc., where he owned showrooms in New York City before moving to Miami, FL.
Joel is an active musician, playing 1st chair bassoon with The Royal Palm Beach Symphonic Band & The Gold Coast Symphonic Band, and 2nd chair with The New Gardens Concert Band.