Awwww geeez. I went and got a real JOB!
DISCLAIMER: This post is long and probably will not interest 99% of the people here.
I'm sure few here really give a shlt but I'm gonna break it down for anyone that might, or is just bored and wants to read a short story. It's gonna sound like a life story, but I assure you there are many parts I can't or dont want to remember, and I generally am lazy at telling stories AND typing, so I'll skip some stuff to focus on the bigger picture.
I started working early. At age 8, I was weeding bean fields beside my family for summer money. By ten, I had a paper route delivering to a whole town, and my dad was starting to let me work on the roofs with him. I'm a 3rd generation roofer. This should explain some things to some, i think.
When I turned 19, through tumultuous circumstances, I became a 33% partner in my dads construction company. By this time, he had branched out a bit and was also doing an HVAC contract at a manufactured home plant in Nebraska. Him, me, and another partner handled that contract and the jobsites equally for 2 years, until the other partner fell in to some old habits.I wasn't about to let my grandfathers name be ruined by a speed freak, so I told my dad we needed to cut ties with him. This was my dad's best friend from years back. He begrudgingly did what he knew was the right thing anyway, so by 22 I had half a construction company.
I grew the business. We went statewide in less than a year. By the end of 2002, my dad and I were making more money than either of us ever had. Not too many 22 year olds making up to 75K a year, especially not poor kids. I thought I was rich. It went on this way for another 9 years.One day, I was under a house in the Wardcraft facility in Minden Nebraska, and I don't know, I just snapped. It was too easy. I had figured out a way for me and my dad to work about 20 hours a week, let the crews do the rest, and we would still pull down 50-70k a year each. Too easy. All of a sudden, I realized, I dont like the monotony.
I like construction. I like to build stuff. For myself. I do not like construction customers. Especially after 2008.... The Inaguration of Entitlement. All of a sudden, everybody was entitled to the fastest, best work, for the cheapest price. Sorry, Mrs. Smith or Jones, you will have to pick ONE. No, they want it all. So guess what, the small construction market became a death match to hang on to the bottom rung of the ladder. I don't know about you, but I don't fight for the bottom level. So this only added to my dilemma. I left. I told my dad, take it, you can have it. I went to florida, still a roofer. And I took a crew. We did well down in Florida, and I'm not sure I should have left there. Another story for another time, or not.
After a short stint in Florida, I went back to Nebraska, back to the business, but in a different capacity. I went out and found contracts for our company to sub. Basically, we whored our 3rd generation name out to out of state contractors, which in turn would absolutely devour every bit of work available. It was obviously a stupid, greedy move, and I'm ashamed to have been a part of the problem at one time. I did finally wake up.
I've always LOVED, as in I AM IN LOVE with motorcycles. I started tinkering, buying, selling, and it was going well. I was also in love with a girl once. She stuck around for 8 awful years, then got smart. The bikes are still here, ha. Anyway, when this woman (yes the one that said she'd NEVER EVER go away, lol) left, I had since quietly left the construction business again, and had opened a motorcycle and ATV repair shop. She was a contractors girlfriend, not a grease monkeys girlfriend. I was lost. Crushed. I had to leave again. I went to MMI in the Valley of the Sun at 32 years of age. Thank God and all that is Holy. I'm a mechanic. I'm a damn good mechanic. I wouldnt build my best friend a shed for ten grand today(ok he owns a construction company as well but still). It does not make me happy anymore. Metal and fire makes me happy. Cars, trucks, bikes, make me happy. Shingling a roof, makes me money, but does not make me happy. Welding shlt makes me real happy.
I been tooling around phoenix for a year since I finished school, just buying and selling, building engines, doing repairs at home, and I started a small new parts distribution business. Basically I'm part of a group of buyers that can get wholesale prices on aftermarket parts to sell. I've moved twice since 2012, and that has taken its toll financially. It's not cheap to move no matter how you do it. Also, I'm not too proud to admit, I been enjoying myself here a bit too much.
I'm not really sure where the motorcycle industry will take me. Somewhere again, in the future im sure. My favorite thing is fabrication, retrofit, custom work. But, if you dont have the bucks to play with the big boys, its a hard row to hoe these days. Parts sales is ok, but my heart isnt in it, and frankly, ends just are not meeting anymore. Proof of this can be sought on this website, with my attitude now and then. My wallet has always been closely connected to my current state of emotion. Sad but true.
The latest move was to a lot that I have leased to own, and as some will know, I plopped a 31 foot RV on to it and that's where I'm living. The first building I have started getting materials for, is naturally for my bikes and tools. It's gonna take forever at this rate, because I have to try to make money while I'm spending all my time developing this lot. I have no place to work on bikes except the back bedroom of the RV, which currently has a three wheeler, a minibike, and all my tools and parts in it. Bit cramped. I need to expedite this process, bad.
So as I was doing what I always do in tight times, looking on craigslist for a couple projects to fix and flip, and I decided to click on the "gigs" section under the jobs heading. Just about to click out of there, I looked at one more ad that caught my eye, Welder/Mechanic Needed, so I called up the place and talked to the owner. After describing my credentials on the phone, he asked if I could make it down there yesterday. As any well raised 80's kid would, I said absolutely I can. He said great, we close in twenty minutes. Haha.
I made it in time. Turns out the position was for a Lead Mechanic with welding abilities. That's me. I showed him my MMI transcript, and as soon as his brain made sense of what he was looking at (the shiznit) he offered his handshake and asked if I could start monday. Good move boss.
It's a car dealership. They sell bikes too. Almost all their stuff is high end pre owned stuff, like m5's and jags and things. I expected that to be about all i would see. Haha nope, went out to the shop (my shop, by the way) and in the parking area sits a 300zx, a 72 chevy pickup, a 56 bel air, a TJ jeep, all the stuff I love so much, and it's all there for me to work on. Looks like I have a harley or two on my plate as well, and I also saw a ZX-6 out there. It will be a shame to have to test ride all this stuff, wont it!?
So I start Monday, it's 9-6 with an hour lunch, 9-3 on Saturday for OVERTIME BABY!! As mentioned, I get my own little shop with full internet access (and you thought you were getting rid of me mwahahaha) a nice welder, I can use a pickup whenever I want, and I get a mechanics helper named Rico! I'm the only white guy there (that I saw so far) out of about fifteen employees, which is nothing new to me. The boss Daniel said I will be welding some exhausts on Monday, but that I will have to manage myself and create a repair schedule for the cars out back. Perfect. Per. Fect.
The pay starts at a good level, he was adamant that I will get raises. I'm stoked. This will get my new lot fixed up in no time, and I will finally get to meet some people in phoenix that did not attend MMI, I need that right now too.
Thanks for reading, and thanks 3ww for providing me this space to commemorate this major turning point in my life.
. Hopefully it all goes well!!
Feedback for 250r kid [*]86.250r runner[*]x2 85,250r parts[*]x2 85.350x[*]x3 84,250r.flat tracker[*]x4 83.250r rider[*]x2 82,250r neer mint[*]82-1 250r parts x3[*]x2 85,200 autoX[*]82,185[*]83 110[*]81 200s[*]94 banshee,trinity built[*]01KTM300mxc.the man killer[*]85KTM300man killers older brother[*]75yamaha it,400[*]97,mxz 670[*]95,vmax600[*]94gtx580seadoo[/LIST]http://www.3wheelerworld.com/showthread.php/132228-Feedback-for-250r-kid
