ST. ALBANS, Vt. -
It's a relationship founded -- quite literally -- in honesty and security.
"Randy and I met at a polygraph convention," said Brock's wife, Andrea.
The two met after Brock spoke to an audience about the company he founded, Champlain Security Systems. Andrea was working as a private investigator in New York City. "He was giving a lecture. I was in the audience. I went up to him after, and the rest is history," she said.
The majority of their time together has been spent in an ornate home, once a working farm, in St. Albans. Touring their property is like being in a museum. Artifacts from around the world are found in every nook and cranny, like a collection of teapots, some of which belonged to Andrea's mother.
The Brocks are far from your typical family -- they're world travelers, well educated and both hold resumes longer than this story will read. Andrea grew up in New York City. It was Randy that brought her to the Green Mountain State she now calls home.
"I like to say about him -- he is the smartest guy in the room. He also has a deep, deep love for Vermont. He fell in love with the state when he went to Middlebury College," she said.
It's easy to see Andrea is the spice in Randy's life. At age 58 she set her sites on an unconventional goal, becoming a body builder as a senior citizen.
"After going to the grocery store to buy a sack of flour to make Xmas cookies, I pick up the sack of flour -- it's five pounds and it's heavy. I said to myself, if it's heavy at 58, what's it going to be like at 68," she said.
Randy Brock was born in Philadelphia. He excelled in school and went to Middlebury College, after which he served in the Vietnam War as a captain. When he returned to the United States he tried to start a business in Fort Knox, Kentucky, but at that time racism was rampant. No one allowed Brock to rent space in their buildings, so he bought a trailer and moved his business to Vermont.
"He opened a business in the second bedroom of a trailer, in a trailer park in Middlebury. From there, he grew a business of over 100 employees here in Vermont and over 1-thousand employees all told," she said.
Brock then began consulting for Fidelity Investments, which eventually led to a 13-year career as the Vice President for risk oversight. From 2005 to 2007 Brock entered the political scene, serving as Vermont's 28th Auditor. He ran for re-election against Tom Salmon in 2007 and lost. Two years later he made another run for a Franklin County Senate seat and won -- a position he was re-elected to in 2010 and still holds today.
"There are two kinds of people in this world. There are the people who sit around and complain about government and there are those who roll up their sleeves and do something about it. If you want the world to be a better place you can't just talk about it," Brock said.
Probably one of the most unique pieces of the Brock story is the adoption of their Daughter Natalia, a nine and-a-half year old Estonian girl who didn't speak any English. "She was a complete orphan. Her mother and grandmother had died within six months of each other -- there was no father. We were ready," Andrea said.
When it comes to the election, despite the polls, both Brocks are confident in their campaign. They say Vermont needs a change. "This is partially about two men but it's much more about two different visions for the future of Vermont," Brock said.
"I'm willing to bet that Vermonters are going to choose my husband because they want what's best for Vermont, their children and their children's children -- and I believe that deeply and firmly," Andrea said.
