What interested me early on was working with my hands. I had no idea what kind of career to pursue but I did like working with my hands and wood working tools. Remember those wooden letter holders we first made in wood shop?

Aside from all those (first) jobs I had as a kid in Michigan, when I first got to Florida I tried my hand at tiling, roofing, sign painting. In fact I was blown off a roof when I was painting a sign for a florist called Exotic Gardens. Hurricane Cleo came to town the next day and left her signature on Fort Lauderdale. I gave up the idea of ladders and sign painting.

I thought I would get into architectural drawing or drafting after school.  A friend (Ray Miller) got me my first, very interesting job here in Fort Lauderdale and that was making fiberglass tanks for a company called Growers Irrigation and Supply. I learned how to make plugs,  production molds and finally mass produce the products. All from fiberglass! That is FRP, Fiberglass Reinforced Plastics. A petroleum based product which required a hardner (catalyst) to harden. Fiberglass matte, clothe and or woven roving to bind and a lot of hand labor to produce a fiberglass reinforced product. (I think I was making $2.00 an hour and that was in 1965-66) From there my career begain...

In 30 plus years the list is to long to even remember but trust me there
is not anything I would or could not manufacture, All prototypes were first made from wood, foam, cardboard, body putty, just about anything you needed to create the prototype or plug as we called it. Then a mold created over the plug after days and weeks of  prepping and then you were ready to go into production. Still a little more prepping to make sure all the parts would release from the mold(s).

While learning all this stuff, injuries were few. Nearly cut off my thumb learning how to use a band saw. Cut many fingers and a few main arteries trimming molds. Chemical burns, nearly blew my self up cutting off the lids from drums with a torch. Broke my toes many times when heavy objects got out of my grip. No other major broken bones though. Having had Polio was not bothering me at the time...

My eyesight is still affected by an accident with some chemicals that covered my body with gel-coat. The damage was done with other chemicals trying to remove the gel-coat. A 55 gallon drum of the chemical completely drenched me from head to toe, very very painful and glad I went in to shock since I remember little of what took place when that happened.

I did not get into Dune buggies until the late 60’s early 70’s. I learned to manufacture fiberglass tanks, fiberglass mufflers for the marine industry boats, water slides, skate board ramps, fender flares, motorcycle tanks, a lot of mold making, dock boxes, whirl pools, swimming pools, weir plates, fountains, statues, so many custom products for customers that just came through the door with this idea or that, can’t remember them all. And of course I needed the money.

I tried it all and was darn good with wood working, fiberglass design and manufacture, welding and a bunch of other skills that came along with the projects. I was just not successful in my business adventures.

We all judge our success and failures in many different ways:
To sum it all up. I can honestly say that I have been fortunate to have many skills, had several great business opportunities and enjoyed my adventures in the small business world. As hard as I tried I was not successful in the business world. One thing I did not learn well, was money management, which is probably why nothing ever got off the ground. With every recession I had to close down and start all over again. What we made, we spent on our kids and our toys, went through a lot of bikes, roller skates, motorcycles and boats.

I ventured into business with a partner and couple of times , and learned early on but not early enough that that would not work. (they never wanted to work) I never borrowed any money to get into or support any of the business ventures and that might have been my first mistake. I could not make it through the slow times when I got my overhead so high.
My wife became my best working partner. My one and only great success was and is my family, my love for my wife Sandy and my daughters who in their own rights have many talents.

My Only Successes:
My wife and three daughters.

Michelle, Lisa and Lori

My daughter Lori is a very pretty and skilled certified mechanic with three very cute and smart kids. She has a great husband who is an air traffic control person who has the strangest hours. My daughter Michele is a beautician, and all around handy person in her household who enjoys tinkering with all things electric. She has two very polite and handsome young boys. A very hard working husband too and very professional skilled worker in his field of carpet and tile laying, Johnny.
My other daughter Lisa has taken up bookkeeping and  has her hands full with raising Taylor. (She had a stroke at 16) She also has a great husband and we have another fine son-in-law, Jeffery.

 
All three of my daughters have worked with me extensively in my businesses and can put any man to shame when it comes to working with tools. From the fiberglass manufacturing, to the photography and one hour labs. My wife Sandy has been my hardest teach of all but there is absolutely nothing she cannot do. She gets up at 2:00 Am - 3:00 AM and starts her very successful upholstery business. (it does have its ups and downs too) http://www.upholsterylady.com

Sandy and her Suzuki(sp)1000 and my dad

Sandy takes care of the lawn, all the repairs and improvements we need around the house, tinkers with her Koi pond and other sewing projects and then is in bed about 7:00 PM.
There is no harder worker then Sandy.
My Greatest Success was in finding my wife Sandy:

the details and photo memories on the next page..tell more of the story