Farm Boy

When I met Kevin, he was just starting a job as a refrigeration mechanic on semi-truck trailers. It was a really good job that he liked but didn't love. He used to say "It's okay for now."

He worked as a mechanic for about seven years when he'd finally had enough. He had an hour long commute, his boss was a Scrooge McDuck type ass, and government regulations on his job was making it too difficult to keep up. (written testing every six months!) He began looking for a change.

He could go independent but then not have a 40 hour work week. He had an offer to partner with someone but the commute was longer, the money better, but the hours worse.

He was offered a job in Alaska, in which he would have made BANK, but would have been gone six months out of the year. Oh, and he would have been in Alaska. We discussed it because it would be a great opportunity. Even if he would have taken it for two years, it would have advanced us financially in such a big way. But it was just too much, too much change, too far of a distance.

Finally, he landed a job working with his dad. His dad was working for a small gravel pit as a dump truck driver and put in a good word for Kevin.

Kevin knew how to drive truck, being the son of a long haul driver, but not dump truck. He knew how to operate a tractor after years of working on a dairy farm, but not run equipment. It was a big gamble for Kevin and for the company that hired him.

Now, twelve years later and he's the Pit Boss of a multi-million dollar excavating company. The gamble paid off! He grew as the company grew. He's number three in the company now, after the Owner & the Owner's Son.

Watching him at his company's Christmas party on Friday was amazing; watching him interact with everyone and seeing how much they like him, and he likes them. (or fake it if he doesn't)

From a farm boy to a Pit Boss. I'm so proud of him I could burst.