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What you fellers do for a living?


Red River Ray SASS#33254

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Currently a college professor.

 

Career goals include either being a Supreme Court Justice (just have to meet and save the life of a future president I figure) or a knife maker/blacksmith.

 

Along the way I did a lot of jobs to support my education habit including janitorial, receiving clerk, factory worker, phone company worker, farm work, and school teaching.

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Very interesting replies. I wish the local clubs had a directory of what our fellow shooters did in the make believe world so if we were in need of their services we could contact a fellow shooter first before looking other directions. I started out as a plumber, switched to machinest, spent four years in the USAF, commercial banker, collector and seller of antique automobiles, appraiser for antigue automobiles, finance director at auto dealerships, retired for four years, returned part time at our local county clerk and recorder office selling license plates. Now I have time and the extra cash to enjoy our sport just about anytime the weather is above 40 degrees. Don't have to shoot in the cold anymore so just wait out for the warm weather to shoot. Diamond Curly

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Worked hard all my life, Started working with my unkle building houses and got all the dirty work no one else wanted to do. Worked building airplanes for ten years {Mooney Aircraft} then worked on heavy equitment for some time.

One day I decided to get in constuction on my own and soon learned it was a lot more to it than I was expecting.

 

After starting out working out of the back of an old 1952 International pick up doing parking lot striping and asphalt repairs that in time turned into building the entire parking lots then sitework and working seven days a week 12 to 16 hours a day for years as I invested in equitment and more and larger jobs come alone the day came when I was doing serious sitework and building everthing from parking lots to building pads and roads and airfields and anything to do with dirtwork and paving. In time My brother joined Me and after His sudden and unexpected death at 37, I went on alone to become the sole owner. In time the company grew to employee close to 1,000 employees and well over one hundred peices of heavy equitment and so damn many problems My hair turned gray. I soon found that I had many good people working with Me and a few today have gone on to start their own business and a couple are now well off.

 

An interesting thing happen that I will always remember and I will share it with you. My brother and I were starting to do better and in time the business grew and we decided it was time to replace the old 52 International with a new truck. We had almost enought money to pay cash for it but needed a loan for the rest. The banker wanted a financial statement and I had no idea what that even was. Well we go to a accountant and he puts one together and we go to pick it up and as we were in his office looking at it we see a couple of big numbers on it and having no idea what they were we asked the accouant what the the numbers stood for? When He pointed out that our small company was worth over a million dollars we both were shocked and asked him if we were worth that much money then why were we always broke and never had a thousand dollars in our pocket at any time. He then pointed out that we had been investing our money back in equitment and supplies and thats why we had no cash left. My Brother and I walked out in total surprise and shock we had become worth a million dollars aand neither of us had a hundred dollars in our pocket and when we told our wifes they both wanted to know where the money was. I quess we both had worked so hard we never give it a thought.

 

I have had people ask me what was the most excoiting day in my life, Wedding day or the day I turned 21 or what? I can tell you it was neither it was the day,,,,,,

My secretary had gone to see her Sister in N.Y. and was due back the following Monday. I was sitting in My office and decided to cut expence checks on the Tuesday before she was due back. I cut checks and as with local suppliers I hand delvered them to the larger accounts. All is fine till My secretary came back on Monday. As she was at her desk I happen to notice she was looking at Me with THAT look and when her eye brows were pointed down in the middle I knew something was wrong and then she asked Me why I had overdrawn my supply expense checking? I told her I had not and she said yes you did and I said no I had not and about that time she handed me the printed adding machine tape and when I looked at it the first check I wrote was for $20,000.00 and the tape showed $2.00 I knew I had messed up and someone had messed with my calulator and move the settings on it. My heart fell to my feet and when I asked her how bad it was she said just over $738,000.00 overdrawn. I started calling a couple of the men I had given checks to and ask if they had despoited my cheack and they said yes and I told them what I had done and with great excitement they told me I had better do something about it fast before they got them back and they got overdrawn. As I sit trying to decide what to do, My secretary was asking me if She knew how to get me out of my problem what was in it for Her? I told her anything she wanted and with her "I told You So Smile" She informs me that I have a couple of large checks due the next week or two for work already completed and billed and that if I was to call on offer a discount if they would cut me a check today I could get My A--of of a bind. I called a friend and told him what had happen and after he got over laughting at me he said he had once had the same thing happen to him and ask how much I needed and I said $750,000.00 would help and I was due a check anyway in the next week or so from him for $1,800,000.00 for work we had already done for him. He told me to come on over and his secretary would have a check waiting when I got there. The next day My secretary took the day off and went to the mall after locking all the check books up in her desk and I guess the $1,000.00 bonus was spent in a day or two, Oh Well.

 

I always give respect and honor to All the People that had worked with me and help build the company to what it is today. One man could never in a million years do that without the help of so many other good people both men and woman alone the way in hard times and good times the ones who have stood by. I enjoy what I do and have never regratted the hard work and long hours and today I have down sized the company and still enjoy what I do and I could retire at any time but after working so many years I know I would be bored with nothing to do but sit on my behind. I have lived a full life and have always tried to do the right thing and be fair to everone. In My early years, I found pletty of excitement alone the border and the Rio Grande and in Old Mexico and South Texas. Anything I do I do it with all that is in Me. I have shared the about because it is my life and what I do.

 

Your Pard, Texas Man

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Retired from the Air Force after 26 years. Now (14 years) work as a support contractor for Space Launch Vehicles for the Under Secretary of the Air Force at the Pentagon.

Trooper Steve

Springfield, Va

 

 

Small world!!! This Gentleman was my Commanding Officer (321 Security Police SQD)

Grand Forks AFB around 1981-1985.

 

A large group had gathered drinkin beer outside a motel in Maryland at tha Mason Dixon, around 2003 er 4 when I figgered out who he was. LOL He's a good man then an now!

 

 

RRR

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Great post RRR!

 

I'm a supervisor of a crew of Instrument Technician/Electricians at a large chemical manufacturer. Goin on 33 years. Damn, time flies! It's been a good job, affords me and Fannie Kicker a comfortable life, put two sons thru college with no student loans, got way more than I deserve! I thank the Good Lord every day!

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I always liked playin with them hoes!...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................So I am an excavator! And now I play in dirty holes all the time!

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Retired for the last five years. Before that I taught people how to drive big rigs, at a Technicial college, in North Ga. for twenty years. Also tested drivers for their CDL.

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I've been in the graphic design field for over 40 years and just called it quits a few months ago.

My first job when returning from the service was with The Western Union Telegraph Co. (the advertising department)

Had my own design firm for the last 5 years before retiring.

We designed packaging, promotional materials, trade show graphics, web sites and ads for major corporations.

 

It was fun in the beginning, but when computers entered the scene (late 80s)... things changed.

Seems like clients think all you have to do is hit a key on the computer and the creative concept and design appears.

We would get a job in on a Wednesday and 5,000 printed pieces were needed on Friday. Seriously. :blink:

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I've been in the graphic design field for over 40 years and just called it quits a few months ago.

My first job when returning from the service was with The Western Union Telegraph Co. (the advertising department)

Had my own design firm for the last 5 years before retiring.

We designed packaging, promotional materials, trade show graphics, web sites and ads for major corporations.

 

It was fun in the beginning, but when computers entered the scene (late 80s)... things changed.

Seems like clients think all you have to do is hit a key on the computer and the creative concept and design appears.

We would get a job in on a Wednesday and 5,000 printed pieces were needed on Friday. Seriously. :blink:

 

well don't it take just 5 minutes to do what your talking about ziggady :lol: :lol: :D

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We would get a job in on a Wednesday and 5,000 printed pieces were needed on Friday. Seriously. :blink:

 

Surely that can't be true. You had until Friday? :ph34r:

 

I spent 18 years in the poultry industry as a personnel manager, accountant and finally plant management. The last 17, I have owned a printing company. Primary business is printing on paper, but also do advertising specialties, signs, banners and screen printing. If you attend any of the Triple Crown shoots, I hope you win a T-shirt...that was printed in Alabama by Arrow Graphics.

 

When I left the poultry business for printing, people kept saying that I made a drastic change, but I always told them, "Not really, both begin with the letter P and everyone still wants it yesterday." :P

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Surely that can't be true. You had until Friday? :ph34r:

 

I spent 18 years in the poultry industry as a personnel manager, accountant and finally plant management. The last 17, I have owned a printing company. Primary business is printing on paper, but also do advertising specialties, signs, banners and screen printing. If you attend any of the Triple Crown shoots, I hope you win a T-shirt...that was printed in Alabama by Arrow Graphics.

 

When I left the poultry business for printing, people kept saying that I made a drastic change, but I always told them, "Not really, both begin with the letter P and everyone still wants it yesterday." :P

We had a saying... the client never has time to do it right the first time, but always has time to do it over again. :D

They never proofread the job until it's printed.

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RRR

After High School June 70 worked for Montogemery Ward as a TV repairman, you meet alot of intresting folks doing that type of work only problem is some really and I mean really wanted there TV fixed and right now. I decided that a 4 year stint in the USAF would do me good, spent 30 years in communications electronics maintenance.

Presently I am the Bridge Project Manager for one of the top 3 Steel Bridge Fabricators in the country. Somtimes fun somtimes not but always intresting.

 

Texas Coyote

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Been working since I was fourteen to buy ammo, guns and such:

Eight years in restuarants

Four years forestry

Twenty years in metal fabrication, milling and assembly work as a machine operator, programmer, engineer.

I now work as a plant manager in the largest paint booth manufacturer and auto supply equipment distirbutor in the USA. I still get hands dirty operating equipment each day and get to travel around the world to Customers and suppliers.

Manufacturing is still alive in the US!

I have enjoyed reading most of the responses.

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Currently I design and build lift kits for ATV's. Ive been doing that for a company for a few years now, but am now about to go out on my own doing it. I also spent several years working for a big company designing lift kits for 4wd trucks and jeeps. Most of my years spent working have had something to do with the automotive or atv aftermarket.

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I help all you cowboys and cowgirls get to the ranges you can't find. I'm a software engineer at Garmin. As I think about it, maybe I need to add all the SASS clubs to the maps....

 

 

RB

 

 

............ please include Australian clubs too . ;)

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I ran golf courses for 11 years then started seling to them.(Got tired of working 7 days a week) Now I sell fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizer to golf courses, production nurseries, greenhouses, and lawncare operators. That is my real job. My second job that started as a hobby is working as CAS gunsmith. The CAS gunsmithing business has turned in to a monster. This past year has been one of my busiest years. I guess a crappy economy don't control everything.

 

BTW great post

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My purpose and ambition is to serve God's will..no other meaningful reason to still be here... after all I have done....so that I can continue to do that I live for now off the money I made and am still receiving as a "semi-retired" manager in Automotive Paint Distibution and I cast bullets in my shop for www.dashcaliber.com.

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Currently on career number seven, Information Systems Manager, following stints as a billiard table mechanic, furniture refinisher, gunsmith, lawman, banker and retired car knocker for the AT&SF railroad. Probably will be others before I quit altogether. ;)

 

Olen

 

 

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Love this thread! One of the things I've always enjoyed about SASS is the diversity of its members.

 

I started a new job this time last year doing public affairs/communications for a California-based oil company. (Not always and easy job in California.) Feel incredibly blessed to be working for such an amazing company.

 

Have been working in the same career field for 20 years in health care, education and the mortgage industry. Oil is new to me and it's a fascinating business. Feel like I've won the lotto!

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