I Hate Change

I don't know why, I just do. I guess that attitude started when my Mom remarried when I was 10. After being divorced for 5 years and raising three kids on her own. We had the original "deadbeat dad" before there was such a term. We were extremely poor. My mom had to work the graveyard shift at a convalescent hospital as it paid better than the day shift. Plus my brother and I would come home from school and be very loud when she was trying to sleep. So I don't blame her for marrying the man she did. I cried when I found out not only she was marrying someone I didn't like very much, but we had to move to Novato, the hick town to the north of us from Terra Linda. That was a big change and I still have issues stemming from it 33 years later. That's why I'm a nut case. To get back on subject is this...I resist change. I don't like moving, changing jobs, changing cars, anything. Unless it's broke, don't fix it.

So after the bizarre events that night in San Francisco I started looking in the Bee in the classifieds under Sales, as that was my degree in college (marketing) and I wanted to get another rep job again. That was a big decision even to start looking as I had a pretty good gig in that I had a full expense account, car allowance, great territory with one overnight a week, and a great product to sell. I wasn't making big bucks, but the hours were great. That Sundays' Bee sucked for the ads that week, and I kept looking every Sunday throughout the holidays. I found an ad in January 1995 that intrigued me. I said;

WINDOWS-SALES

Vacaville window manufacturer seeks
sales rep with prior window industry
experience. College degree preferred,
but not necessary. Must be willing to
travel overnight. Salary DOE. Send resume
to Bee Box 1234

Well. Close, but no cigar. I sent my updated resume to the Bee Box and actually got a phone call a few days later. I went to the window factory, All-Weather, in Vacaville and interviewed with Les Stephens, the sales manager. I also met the plant manager, Stan Merrit, and HR person Judy. I did well enough on the first interview that I was invited back for a second interview. I met the owner on the second interview, Lance Porter, and just smoked it. They asked me why hire me with no window experience over another guy who did. I said I had been a manufacturer's rep in two different industries before and I could learn the window business. I added "How hard can it be?" I think that clinched it for me as Les started laughing and said I was right. Plus I had college and the other guy didn't. And, get this, Lance liked my shoes. Lance told me later that you can tell how a man dresses and how he feels about himself by his shoes! I happened to wear a new pair of Cole Haan dress shoes during the interview process and Lance must have noticed. The other guys shoes were nasty.

I came in for the third interview, but it was all cordial and casual with some paperwork and take a incredibly easy math test. I think they were blown away by my score, and I am no math wiz. During the last interview, Les, who had been the sales rep/manager for Viking windows had over ten years experience at the time, had told me that he loves the window industry. It was constantly changing, evolving. It was very dynamic. He also said "Once you get into the window business you'll never want to leave it". That has stuck with me because he was right. All of the above mentioned people are still in this industry and are not likely to change anytime soon (other than to switch companies). Les is no Donald Trump, but I had unknowingly become his apprentice.

Despite my reluctance to change it was a good decision.

I started a two week training by going to the window factory and working on the factory floor making windows.

It was hell.