enjoy going to work. And when I don’t enjoy it, there’s something wrong. Either someone’s asking me to do something that isn’t right or the job parameters are lousy.

I believe in doing things the way my grandfather believed they should be done. If you can’t do your best, then it doesn’t pay to work.

Do you want it to just work, or do you want it made so it’s right and you won’t have a problem again? I want quality for myself, so why wouldn’t I give the customer the best quality I can? They are paying for the best and I want to give them my best. I’ve got customers that I’ve had for over 30 years, and they’ve followed me from contractor to contractor because they know that I only do one type of work.

I’m very arrogant. I enjoy going to something that doesn’t run and having the pride and arrogance to make it run. And I can make it run. I enjoy seeing it run.

I believe that I can do almost anything. All you have to do is use your mind. If something is well organized, if something is thought out, it’s not a labor. It’s a challenge to see if you can match your wits and knowledge with the situation. And if I don’t know the answer, I know where to look for it. All you have to do is use your mind. Work isn’t enjoyable if you don’t understand it.
Today I don’t have the energy to spin my wheels, so I have to take advantage of my experience when I can. I invest in myself, that is what I’m doing. I teach myself. When I do that, I make it easier for myself.

I learn through lots of years of making mistakes, keep refining and refining and refining til it appears to be really effortless. When I watch someone who knows what they are doing, I think of them as kind of a ballet dancer in a very crazy medium.

Stories from the Field