Mine started full circle when my dad got his first job loading and off loading cement bags out of high school (late 79). My dad and his brother noticed that the contractors were doing a hell of a lot of driving around d in the flooring industry as this place he worked for only sold thin sets, nothing else. My dad stated United Materials 2 years later when the old man he worked for moved to another building and rented the old one out to him. A year later, he brought on his brother (my uncle) to help. They were the first shop in phx to actually have tools, thin set, grouts, etc etc where contractors could come in and buy stuff at one place. Needless to say, they blew up pretty quick and they were working 12 hour days to just keep up. During all that he became great friends with a lot of people in the industry and was offered a job as a sales consultant for C-Cure. My dad sold his part of the business to my uncle and he took the job. Better hours, now had me and my brother to watch after and benefits.
He worked that job and by 96, my mom was looking for a part time gig. Our neighbor up the road owned a roof coating mfg business which used a lot of similar stuff that caulking is mfg from. They struck a deal together and my moms would sell caulking to my dads connections as a side gig. Little did they know that the moment they released pricing, their only competitor decided to send a price increase out. My parents got a flood of orders and within 2 years time, my dad quit c-cure (which was now bomat), they went full time into this business and had a building with their own production equipment. I still remember being on camping trips and them spending any down time wrapping tubes with a label for work on that upcoming Monday. They did not slack off one bit. As kids, each summmer we went down and helped every other day. We’d wash buckets, label, put stock away, or screw around as young kids do. My favorite part was lunch time and then going out on deliveries with my dad. It was always story time with him then on things I got to hear about his last. Loved that.
During all that, we grew up on quads, dirt bikes, I had a major infatuation with engines, cars, trucks and off road racing. My dad taught me a lot in maintaining my quad and how to ride. I was always in the garage with him when I could be. Come high school, I absolutely could not wait to start taking “automotive” as electives. Our teacher was awesome and I soaked that shit up like a sponge. I made it to two competitions foe the school under him and has a blast. Didn’t place well as I seemed to be having to help my partner on each comp instead of splitting up work. Sophomore year I got my first truck and needed a job to keep it around. I started at discount tire with the help of a family friend who was a manager of a store at the time. Every damn penny I saved from that job was going to a “long travel kit” for this truck lol. By time I finished high school I was working at discount tire still and had got my ASE certifications to be a master tech with basically no real world experience. I thought was pretty cool. I thought I wanted to me a mechanic for the rest of my life.
We are now up to summer of 2005 when I was figuring out what college to attend. My parents business was doing very well and afforded me the opportunity to attend a 4 year college. Went against my thought of just being a mechanic but my parents pushed me to go. I chose NAU and transferred from discount tire from phx to the one in flag. Only lasted a year there and I quit. The manager was a dick and kept cutting my hours. Summer of 06 I worked for family friends fabrication shop for Yamaha rhinos, it was Jagged X. I learned to use a bender, iron worker, weld much better than I could before, and really understand fabrication. Boy was that fun. Even built our race think for BITD at that time while I worked there.
When college came back, I went back up and started looking for a new job. I applied DT a mom and pop shop to be a mechanic. Wasn’t sure how’d that work for school but figured I’d see. The manager of the sho said they had nothing that would really work for me mechanic wise but he did have an opening to mop floors, clean shitters, clean the front customer area and make my own hours at 15 bucks an hour. He said “you are way over qualified for this position so I fully understand if you want to look elsewhere”. I said “can I talk to the techs and maybe help here and there on cars?”. He said “absolutely”. I said I was in! 15 bucks an hour was 6 bucks more than I got at discount! I busted my ass at that job and had a blast talking to the techs, making friends with them and seeing what issues they had to fix. About 4 months into that job, my boss calls me in and says DPS has an opening for a mechanic and his shop is contracted to send a tech over, would I want to do it. It’s mainly lube, tires, brakes, electrical and other odds and ends on all the cop cars and scheduling f would be done around my schooling. Hell yeah! Went over there and finished college doing it. I went full time in summer of 09 and after the crash that happen with work dieing off, me loosing interest to work on my own truck (had my 02 and Mike’s trans by this point), I come to realize the old saying of “a mechanic will drive the crappiest vehicle because by days end, they don’t want to work on anything else” was coming true.
I started applying for gov jobs down in phx to be closer to my gf (now my wife). Had an interview with GSA and surprisingly, my parents asked if I wanted to have an interview with them. Both went well but in the end, I saw more financial opportunity with my parents and had the option of buying the company. March of 2010, I moved back down and was fully immersed in the caulking biz. This let me keep my mechanicing/fabbing as a hobby and wear my mind out at work.
As of today, I’m part owner of spectrum and currently looking at buying my parents out by years end or summer of 2022. It was never anything I wanted to do but I find I’m very much enjoying it. We will see where I go from here as the years lead on! The “idea” is to be retired by 50-55 but we will see. That’s my goal and what I’m working for though
Long winded post I know but I always enjoy the history of people and what life they lived. That’s half the reason I love sitting in mikes shop and just bull shitting. Hopefully you guys get enjoyment from mine
. Can’t collect my retirement till I’m 55.
