A native of Boston's North Shore, Vern moved to Western Massachusetts in 1970 and graduated from Amherst College in 1980 with a B.A. in Religion and Philosophy. After working on projects in Manhattan, Italy, and South America, Vern founded Thayer Street Associates in 1985 with Joe Zurylo.

Vern is a licensed Construction Supervisor and a licensed Massachusetts State Building Inspector and acts as the alternate building inspector for the Town of Deerfield. Vern, his wife Gaby. and their two children are currently renovating a 100 year-old tobacco processing building into their new home.