 He owned a successful furniture business in Michigan, where his projects included the renovation of the historic Traverse City courthouse, for which he built a new set of doors.When the business encountered financial difficulty he relocated to North Carolina in 1982, where he studied furniture production management at Catawba Valley Community College.Wurtzel returned to Michigan, serving as executive director of Opportunities Unlimited for the Blind, a non-profit organization which focuses on building life skills and independence for blind and low-vision children.