As an entrepreneur, author, philanthropist and adventurer, Irion enjoys a diverse and multi-faceted background.
With a true passion for the written word, Irion began one of his life-long passions by authoring his Hell Series books. Inspired by real-life events, the Series includes Remodeling Hell, Autograph Hell, Car Dealer Hell, and Divorce Hell. Each is a true story created by actual (Hellish) events that infuriated him to the point of wanting to expose the demons and share "lessons learned".
Remodeling Hell (2007)
Endeavoring to build his dream house, Irion embarked on a two-year nightmare. Names have been changed to protect the guilty and incompetent. This book contains often hilarious, but always valuable lessons of what to do and what NOT to do when building a new or remodeling an existing house. The valuable lessons will help people as much today as it will in the future.
Autograph Hell (2008)
When a prized autograph of President George Washington turned out to be fake, Irion was stunned. As an illustrious, informed autograph collector, how could this happen. Both enlightening and disturbing, this non-fiction book exposes the rampant treachery in the world of autograph collecting.
Car Dealer Hell (2009)
Have you been tricked, lied to, treated poorly, and/or wrangled by car salespeople? Read about the evil process that inspired Irion to write this book. It exposes the scams, gimmicks and deceitful practices used by dealers every day. Car Dealer Hell includes useful checklists, summaries and resources that will help you avoid car dealership traps.
Divorce Hell (2009)
Short of war, divorce offers the craziest kind of human conflict. It’s a grab-bag of sex, money, hurt feelings, and religious finger-wagging. Irion shares his story and gives insight on how to find, nurture and develop a strong relationship that will last.
Summit Murder Mystery Series (2009 – 2013)
Irion is also authoring mystery novels about murder atop seven of the highest and deadliest mountains in the world. Inspired by his own experience climbing on Mount Everest and his desire to write murder mysteries, Irion is crafting eight plot-twisting books in the Summit Murder Mystery series.
The first book in the series is entitled Murder on Everest and followed up by Abandoned on Everest.
Murder on Everest (2009)
More than 200 bodies lie atop Mt. Everest today, with another 1,800 strewn across its flanks; a testament to man's desire to conquer the highest point on Earth. With less than one-third the oxygen at sea level, cold temperatures equal to an Antarctica winter, hurricane force blizzards, and treacherous ridges, death comes easily in this remote area. This mystery novel takes you to the world's deadliest place—one where wealth, celebrity, and even state-of-the-art technology count for little or nothing.
Abandoned on Everest (2009)
This novel is the prequel to Murder on Everest. After personal interviews and careful reconstruction from video recordings, tabloid reporter Quentin Stern has suspicions that world famous adventurer Derek Sodoc was abandoned near the summit of Everest. Could he have been saved? Or was he actually murdered?
Other books in the Summit Murder Mystery series include: Murder on Elbrus; Murder on Mt. McKinley; Murder on Puncak Jaya; Murder on Aconcagua; Murder on Vinson Massif; Murder on Kilimanjaro.
Irion’s professional career started with his Master's of Business Administration in International Management when he moved to Los Angeles. He immediately went to work for JNJ McNeil Laboratories, where he was honored as Rookie of The Year in pharmaceutical sales in his first year on the job. After several promotions, Irion decided to change fields and move back to Arizona where in 1979 opened an office for the commercial real estate firm Marcus & Millichap.
Today, thirty years and over hundreds of commercial transactions later, he is the sole proprietor and broker of U.S. Park Investments, a leading owner/ management company of manufactured home and RV communities in the United States.
His love of camping and hiking inspired a large collection of recipes and his book Roadkill Cooking for Campers – The Best Dang Wild Game Cookbook in the World.
As part of Irion's ongoing philanthropic activities, he will be donating all of the net proceeds of his Hell Series books to victims of fraud. Other of his philanthropic endeavors have included being a founding principal in Phoenix Social Venture Partners, the founder of his own children's dictionary program and a past director of the Lions Sight and Hearing Foundation and he participated in a number of Lions sponsored medical missions abroad for cataract surgeries.
Irion has donated 1,000 children’s dictionaries annually to local underprivileged children. He personally selects the schools and classrooms for distribution. These dictionaries are for the children to keep and take home – it is a basic learning tool that has impacted many young lives.
With a passion for the living on the edge, Irion’s thirst for adventure has encompassed the full gamut. He has traveled to over 60 countries throughout the world. His exploits have included an attempt to climb Mount Everest to Indy Car Racing, to the wild blue yonder of skydiving throughout some of Arizona’s best jump sites. Irion continues to embrace living on the edge. He has been scuba diving across the globe, he has seen the underwater world from California, to Mexico, Costa Rica, South China Sea, off the island of Phuket in Thailand, Bali, Rio De Janeiro and in the Subic Bay of the Philippines.
Today, Irion lives in Paradise Valley with his wife Rose Marie, who he met in Osaka Japan at a world trade conference and their beautiful daughter Chriselle.
