Dave Bugg wrote:
> I just wanted to post an update about what's happening with me and the bbq
> business. I haven't been able to follow usenet much for the last three
> weeks, and I don't think I'll have much time for it over the next few
> months.
>
> A few of you know that Jill and I sold our building (for a nice profit) due
> to its poor location two years ago. We did so thinking that we had a great
> location (a pizza restaurant needing to get out of its lease) lined up for
> us to move right into at the sale's closing. Short story: five days prior to
> us handing the keys over to the building's new owner, the pizza place owners
> decided to keep the store open.
>
> After searching for months trying to locate a favorable spot, I shifted
> attention to opening a commercial kitchen so that I could produce bbq for
> wholesale restaurant accounts. I found an available kitchen for lease in
> Kittitas County, about 90 minutes away. I got the proper permits,
> inspections, etc. I hired one full time guy, Roy, a semi-retired gent who
> had a great bbq resume as a pit-master for a few bbq restaurants over a 32
> year career.
>
> As of last Wednesday, we are producing around 1600 or so pounds of meat per
> week for 27 different accounts. I have 5 part time guys, plus Roy. I'm at
> the kitchen only three days a week since Roy is such a great manager.
> Wednesday was also the day that I sold the wholesale business to Roy. I
> still keep the retail business name and incorporation for future use.
>
> On September 3, I started a five month course at Bates Vocational Community
> College in Tacoma to get my class 'A' commercial driver's license as a
> commercial truck driver. I've been thinking on this for a while, and decided
> to go forward with it during the recent two week road trip I took with my
> son, Ethan. Another factor in my decision was the fact that my mom is likely
> in her final weeks and months of life. While here in Tacoma, I can visit
> with her for a while after classes are over.
>
> One aspect of this program that I think is superb is that students can get
> all of the endorsements that there are for commercial truckers (hazardous
> materials, doubles, triples, tankers, etc) by the time the program is
> completed. We also get fork-lift certification and training on dump trucks.
> Students can also get their class 'B' for busses. I have my class 'B'
> already, so I don't need to do that part of the program. The program at
> Bates is comprehensive, and students leave with thousands of hours of
> driving time. Since Bates is part of the community college program, the
> State contracts with the school to do some of their freight hauling. This
> means that each student leaves Bates with a ton of real world experience.
> Trucking company recruiters spend a lot of time on campus trying to convince
> soon-to-be-graduates to sign on with their companies. Since there are only
> 13 or 14 students per class, competition for graduates is pretty high.
>
> I stay in Tacoma during the week for training, and am back in Wenatchee for
> the weekends. I plan on spending the next few years working as a regional
> trucker. The pay is actually pretty good. Heck, maybe I'll decide to do a
> year of long-haul just so I can make my way across country and see the
> sights. It'd be one way to see some of you now and then.
>
> Quite frankly, I was weary of the food business and nowhere near a point
> where I feel things have lined up for us to re-open the doors to a retail
> store. I still feel like maybe sometime down the road we'll do something,
> but not now.
>
> I'll stop by when I can.
>
>
Hi Dave,

Good luck with the driving school I was a senior trust officer in a huge
financial institution that was looking for a buyer so they laid off
(they called it "downsized") anyone who was approaching 50 and had
vested in their pension. I was 48.

After being on unemployment for months and unable to get a job in a
field where I was "overqualified" the unemployment folks decided to
retrain me. They asked what I wanted to do and I told them I wanted to
be a tractor trailer driver.

When they looked at all 5'2" of me and asked "why" I told them that I
was excellent at time management. I wanted a job where I didn't have to
play cya for some idiot 20 years my junior with a higher title and I
was tired of wearing blue suits and pantyhose to work.

The day after my 49th birthday I started school. I have a class A CDL
with endorsements for doubles, triples and tankers. I had hazmats, but I
haven't driven for 12 years and didn't bother to re-certify.

After graduating and getting my license I went to work as a trainee with
a national carrier and did cross-country runs with a dry van.

It's hard work and you really don't get to see very much of the country.
Even if you are bob-tailed, not many places want your tractor in their
parking lots. There are some stretches of interstate highway that are
pretty and some, especially in Colorado, that are really scary at night
with 80,000 pounds of equipment under your butt.

I met some great folks on layovers in truck stops, including some
bankers who had suffered the same fate as I did. I think professional
drivers are super folks.

Have a safe one.

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life