Getting Away.......and then coming back.......

Getting Away is generally a good thing. Even a short trip can take you out of your routine,
and make you see things in a different way. I was able to get away on "business" for a few days,
by going to the Las Vegas outlets, last week. I forgot, even in a mild year, how hot it can be there........some things never change.

It was really good to visit our stores and see our employees in Las Vegas. We have such a good crew and even though it has been several years that we have managed this business, leadership leading to management, always seems to happen there.

Brain Turpin, our Las Vegas Area Regional Manager, is someone who started on the trucks a few
years ago, worked his way to store management, and then to head of local sales for the region, and now on to become the regional manager.

Brian gives great service and as a manager, he would never ask any of his employees to do anything that he would not do, or has done. He is a participatory manager, like his boss, Chris Long.

What is even more amazing, is the younger crew we have in place now, with Zack, Jacob and
Eric. All three of these men have great work ethics, never say no to a customer, and I truly believe they understand what is required in these difficult times, in terms of the service they provide and the commitment to making sure the customer is more than pleased with us.

To see how we "roll" in Vegas, makes me feel that the market is full of potential, if we could ever
have the opportunities we need and deserve. Las Vegas is really going through a tough time these days, as many jobs have been lost and many people are out of work. The news says that Las Vegas has been hit as hard as any community in the United States, as a result of the this recession. Ask me, it also had a very long period of growth and prosperity, but apparently, the foundation it was built on was not very good, either.

It was great to see all of the guys and the drive of the new guys was simply astounding.

Now coming home, to a full desk, actually could have been worse. In a position like mine, there is a lot of matters, good and bad, that are my domain. The cheating and crooked landlords, and their paid assassins--their lawyers, the lying and cheating bill collectors, who as a group, cannot listen to any common sense or even read a letter, or some insurance firm wanting to gouge the heck out of a customer, cause they can, all add up to quite a few upset moments and not much time being able to be positive.

Life can be described as a grind, but I think it is the mix of good bad that makes us all better for it. I just think that it is sometimes hard to be able to deal with all of these crooks. Maybe if I was making a lot of money, I would not care, but maybe that is the problem. That we allow them to hammer us in the good times, so we do not have to deal with it. Last week, before I left
town, we caught the phone company charging us an extra $610.00 without any explanation.
When we asked, they removed it, but you have to wonder how often this kind of "mistake"
happen these days. If they are willing to screw a customer, either it is a monopoly or their
competitors are doing it too. This kind of things happens daily and weekly. However, I am proud to say we do not do it to our customers, and I only hope that it shows.

I am not going away for a while---no, I think I will as the cheaters and crooks will just have to wait a little longer.