Career: Once a Salesman, Always a Salesman!
I have worked since I was seventeen. I have done a lot of different things and learned a ton of skills, but mostly I have been a salesman. My first job was selling pizza. Then I graduated to Texas Hot Dogs and eventually became a Whopper of burger guy.
I have sold accident insurance and vacuum cleaners, door to door. Not at the same time, although the years do tend to blur the lines. I even cleaned offices, factories, banks and warehouses when it meant bringing home dinner to my wife and first born. Pam and I even had our own carpet cleaning business for awhile, but traded that idea in to sell kites. Yes, kites! We took a $300 tax refund and a chance to start a retail kite shop. We opened on April Fool’s day 1987.
We owned the Cloudminders Kite Shoppe in downtown Huntingdon, PA where we sold kites, windsocks, flags and balloons. Lots and lots of balloons! Pam managed the business for 14 years, six days a week and raised our two sons in a storefront window. We sold the business in 2001.
Also, in 1987 took a sales job at World Marketing of America Inc. World Marketing was my home and my daytime family from 1987 until 2013. I started in sales and eventually moved in to technical services. My desire to advance led me to take on the role of product manager and eventually international logistics and quality control.
I was shocked to find out that as a buyer I was still selling. I had to sell the benefits of dealing with World to vendors as we dealt in the very competitive heating products market. When I moved into quality control, I was still selling, but selling the need for product quality and on time shipments to suppliers from around the globe.
That led me to traveling around the world, several times. I have been to China, Chile, Spain, Taiwan, South Korea, and all over these United States.
I met a lot of great people and made a lot of good friends. It was quite a ride. I retired from World Marketing of America Inc in July 2013.
In 2012 two friends of ours asked for the assistance of Pam & I to put together a marketing plan to be included with the grant proposal they were writing for a number of volunteer fire companies. We jumped at the chance, as we had both been volunteer firefighters as young adults.
In April 2013 FEMA awarded the SAFER Grant to the Allegheny Mountain Firefighters Initiative in the amount of $5,157,000, the largest grant ever to be awarded for the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.
I opened my own marketing firm upon my retirement from the heating industry and have since entered into a contract with the Allegheny Mountain Firefighters to assist in the marketing and messaging of the initiative.
It is an honor to be able to serve such brave men and women in this capacity.
I met a lot of great people and made a lot of good friends. It was quite a ride. I retired from World Marketing of America Inc in July 2013.
In 2012 two friends of ours asked for the assistance of Pam & I to put together a marketing plan to be included with the grant proposal they were writing for a number of volunteer fire companies. We jumped at the chance, as we had both been volunteer firefighters as young adults.
In April 2013 FEMA awarded the SAFER Grant to the Allegheny Mountain Firefighters Initiative in the amount of $5,157,000, the largest grant ever to be awarded for the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters.
I opened my own marketing firm upon my retirement from the heating industry and have since entered into a contract with the Allegheny Mountain Firefighters to assist in the marketing and messaging of the initiative.
It is an honor to be able to serve such brave men and women in this capacity.
