The Parks Way!
The Parks Way!
The Parks Way with guest Tony Wilson Night Shift Manager
This episode Tony talks about his life growing up with his mother and how she inspired him to never give up. Tony believes in hard work and shares his story about leadership.
Hello, Hello, everyone. Welcome to another edition of that's the parks way podcast. sitting across from me I have a very special guest This is your host Wyatt Tucker and sitting a cross from me is very special guests, Mr. Juan, Tony
Unknown Speaker :Wilson. How are you, Tony? Good, man, how about yourself? Good.
Wyatt Tucker :Oh, yeah, me that that's great. Good. Well, you know, we are working on trying to film some of these podcasts basic kind of around leadership, little know a little bit about history of who you are as a parks employee who you are as a person. And so just kind of you got a really unique, dynamic story that just kind of want to I don't know where this is gonna take, but hey, let's let's let's do this. Let's try. Let's go. Good. So Tony, tell a little bit about yourself. You. Where'd you grow up? You know any brother sisters family.
Tony Wilson :Wow. Well, that's a sad like a two hour conversation but but anyway, I grew up in Charlotte I my mom was a single parent, my dad left pretty much when I was like really young was me and my brother and my mom. You know, we grew up we grew up in some some difficult times and, you know, where it's hard all my life and I got that from my mother. She taught me everything there is to know about hard work. And that's where I get it from. I credit her for everything that I am and the man that I am today, I give her credit for that. You know, I was grew up I grew up in, I grew up in the side of town where where I can't even go there now early. I grew up in Wilmore. So that's like, five minutes from 10 minutes from from uptown and yeah it was pretty easy you know it was it was a joke it was it was a joke It was a joke right yeah I can't afford the house there that's why I said that the the houses they are way more expensive now than they were when I was growing up so oh yeah a lot more expensive. But yeah man it was it was even though it was it was what it was. You know I had a good good childhood
Wyatt Tucker :as a kid so you your father left when you were very young right? Yeah How many brothers and sisters oh
Tony Wilson :well actually that lived in the home with me was my other brother. My father too young Yeah, just the two of us. But my I had cousins and aunts that live with us right. So for you know a good better part of my my childhood I live with six kids in a bedroom and one bedroom. We shared beds we only had like three beds. In that one bedroom we slept in a bed and you know, slept in the dining room and kitchen living room wherever it was. So, you know, it was it we
Wyatt Tucker :said a comment, he says tough but you also made a comment that you know, you enjoyed your childhood. I did,
Tony Wilson :man. I Well, um, if it wasn't for my mom, you know what I mean? It was not financially good now, but I'm
Wyatt Tucker :not tired. What about your mom? Like what what was it about her that made your childhood Angelo?
Tony Wilson :Well see was a very funny lady. She was funny man. My mom would crack jokes. She will make you laugh. She was a great cook. And I get that from her. She was a spiritual woman. So if she, if she didn't do anything, she taught you how to laugh and she talked to you about God and That was
Wyatt Tucker :another level a little deeper here. Why was she so fun? Like what? You know, it didn't sound like it was a glamorous or you know, as a Facebook life or anything like that. But how does she find the humor? To where it made a huge impact on your life? Where do you think she found that from or got that or?
Tony Wilson :Well, I think my mother was just it was just who she was as a person. She had the type of personality that was it was, you know, very outgoing. And you know, it was secret find the best out of a bad situation Apple don't
Wyatt Tucker :fall too far.
Tony Wilson :I try my best to be I try my best every day to do that. And I got that from her. You know, she's, uh, you know, it was it was a thing where that one example, and this is the funny part but my mother was she graduated Well, she didn't graduate high school at all. She got to the ninth grade and got pregnant. And she, you know, had to leave school and all that got married. But over her life, she read over 200 books, right? And she loved education. So it was never a thing where I could ever use Southern vernacular, right? I couldn't say the fin is in the yalls, and records and all that she hated that. And she used to tell me all the time, she said, just because you're from the country, you don't have to sound like you're from the country. So she made me learn how to pronounce my words and use my vocabulary and she was just she was big on it. And she would always she would always there's just examples like that. That will make you say when you know, like if she can see greater in me like that. Then you know, man, you The world is the world. Huge, and that she helping with that.
Wyatt Tucker :Good. So thank you for sharing that. And it has very impactful, you know, as I've done some of these have heard a lot of the, how important the family and household and parents are. You know, so let's fast forward. Tony's graduated high school, right? Yes. Here in town.
Tony Wilson :Yes. I went to Mars Park High School. Whoa. That was an experience in Mustang. Oh, man. That was an experience in itself. It really was. Most of my family you know, kind of went through went through Mars Park, you know, graduated because, you know, that was to the school of all schools. And you know, we want to make sure that the kids got good education. So everybody kind of funneled through Mars part.
Wyatt Tucker :So what did you want to be when you you know, walk walked across the stage.
Tony Wilson :Well, no, that was Oh, a lot of moons ago. But we want to be. Well, to be honest with you. My thought was that I was going to go to the military, actually. And I wanted to take out diesel engineering. Yeah, my mom, it was a dream for my mom. My mom had this dream for me, right? She knew that out of tearing everything up in house and learning how to fix everything. I would be good with cars and diesel engines. Oh, just that in general, right. And my dad was a weasel. He was a mechanic at one point. So at the age of nine, I started working with cars and working on cars and things like that. So she wanted me to be like, go further, you know and go into diesel mechanic, diesel engineering and things like that. So I thought I will go ahead and go to the military and you know, That kind of thing. But I didn't go I didn't go to the military at all.
Wyatt Tucker :I
Tony Wilson :kind of kind of took a different route, took jobs with restaurants and things like that, and just kind of dealt with cooking more so than anything else, you know, in those younger years right out of high school. And then I found heating and air conditioning. About 20 when I was about 2122.
Wyatt Tucker :What brought you to stumble into this industry? Oh,
Tony Wilson :wow. Well, I was I had gotten married at early age and found a job in Durham because that's where I was living at the time. I was doing construction cleanup. And you know, you have that moment when you see it was the guys walking out of the building. They were carrying two boxes and add two bags and all of this and and you You had that slow motion music done. You notice like it, they look like they had the coolest job ever right? So I asked him, I said, Hey, what do you guys do? They say, well, we do the sheetmetal work, right? I'm like, what a sheet metal? You're like, yeah, we put in the ductwork in there and I was like, but what is that? And they took me back inside and pointed up at the ceiling. I was like, man, I would love to do that. And they kind of laughed at me like, Yeah, right, you just click keep cleaning the floors kind of deal. So my my wife at the time, her husband worked for a sheetmetal company. Comfort engineers. As a matter of fact, the name of it was and he got me a job, and I became a helper. And that's why I started.
Wyatt Tucker :You were 20
Tony Wilson :right? 22 are you making an hour $6 and 50 cents now. In ductwork hanging ductwork. Actually, I wasn't hanging ductwork. At the time when I first started, what they did was they gave me a paintbrush. And they put some nasty a bucket of this stuff called eco duck seal. It was the nastiest, smelliest most office stuff was terrible. And we end because it was a commercial equipment it had to be. It had to be that kind of stuff to seal up the ductwork so it wouldn't lose any airflow and all that. So that's what I did. I painted duck all day. It was terrible. Wow.
Wyatt Tucker :Terrible. So why is he doing? Oh,
Tony Wilson :well, once I once the once I learned that I could grow in it, like meaning. One day I asked the guys that say, you know, you know what? They were looking at blueprints. I said, What is that? They said, Well, this blueprints you know, like, but you're gonna have to teach me how to read those blueprints. And they were like, You know, want to learn from Mike Yeah, yeah, I want to learn. So they started teaching me. And you know, and it got to a point where I started learning how to read the blueprints, learn how to lay the tuck work out and, you know, measure it up and all that I started learning how to do different things with duck work, right?
Wyatt Tucker :Who, what, why were you curious about that?
Tony Wilson :Well, actually, I was going to get to that actually. What made me actually stay in it. I was told that I couldn't do it.
Wyatt Tucker :And that never happened before in your life.
Tony Wilson :Yes. They said I couldn't do something. Always always stuck with it. You know, even when they said I couldn't play football, I couldn't play basketball. I couldn't do anything. I stuck with it. Why? Why? It just got there for my mom to never quit. My mother was not a quitter, and see when let me quit. They used to say all the time because I was inquisitive, and I was always He's into something. They used to say these to label me as bad, you know, you know, but my mom would would always say, you know, that's he's not bad. He just, he wants to learn. And people didn't take that as me wanting to learn. They just thought that I was trying to get into everything. And I would get down on myself because I would hear that kind of talk and I'd be like, Mom, I don't you know, I don't know what to do. You know, I like I want to learn, you know, I want to do this or do that. And she'd be like, baby, don't give up. Just keep going. Whatever you do, just keep going. So I got it from my mom.
Wyatt Tucker :Hmm, interesting. Now that's good stuff, man. Yeah.
Tony Wilson :It was it was not easy. It was not easy and, and in no way shape, form or fashion that I ever have it easy, but I learned that hard work does pay off.
Wyatt Tucker :It does. It still does. It still does.
Tony Wilson :And I learned that being here. You know Working here, starting from when I first got the job, hold on, hold on
Unknown Speaker :a minute. Okay.
Wyatt Tucker :So you said a couple times that, you know, your mom kind of was your inspiration and this, you know, this podcast is really based around like leadership, don't get people that go above and beyond even when I was watching, like our core values is, you know, build a reputation that will make your grandma proud. So, you know, there's any words of advice or any word of encouragement for anybody out there based off your past history of your mom. And you know that you've ever quit? Yeah, in doing that, you know, when things were tough, or your mom made, I've always been there or either physically wasn't there. What inside you made you stay with it and grab it because I mean, I get Man, you know, you want to make your parents proud. There's maybe some type of fear motivation there. You know, that, oh, I don't want to, you know, let my parents down, right? I don't wanna let my wife down. That's why I stayed at that job. Right. But you said that, you know, couldn't did you work on it? People told you you couldn't do something you were gonna do? Yeah. What? What deep down? Cause that?
Tony Wilson :Well, there's just it was a thing where I truly believe that it was instilled in me. It was something that it was just, it was natural to me. You know? It was never it wasn't okay. I'll put it to you like this when I learned how to play drums right. When I was a kid, I learned how to play drums. When I first started to learn how to play drums, I never had a drum set. Couldn't afford one. What I did was I took my mom's pots and pans and books or whatever that was available. And I just steaks, I will take steaks from outside or whatever. And I would beat on the pots and pans and books and things like that. And the hour, what are you doing? You know, this is not drums, you know, why are you trying to do that out? You know, I will get questioned as if you know what I'm doing. It's not worth me doing it. But it was it was something that I enjoy. And it was something that I wanted to do because, hey, nobody said I could nobody I didn't ask for permission for it. I just wanted to do it. So I kept going. It's not that good. I got a Yeah, it was that's what it is. I wanted to do. And you know, anyone that has it, too, has a desire to do anything in life. I think they should move forward with it. You know, people will always try to put you in a box and have this preconceived. idea of what you should be. And and that may not fit who you are or what you want to do. So what, you know, you push and do what you want to do. And if it makes you happy and it makes you successful, then hey, you did the right thing. You know,
Wyatt Tucker :that's powerful. You did the right thing. That's powerful. Well, I don't know how many people listening to this will know our story, or know how we cross paths. But there was a fellow guy that worked here and you were not a I don't know if he I don't remember if you are employed, unemployed, whatever else but you had a desire to leave and wanted to come to parks. And I remember that day like it was yesterday, man.
Tony Wilson :So do I reflect on I reflect on I think
Wyatt Tucker :we're in Oh, I think we both were a lot skinnier than we weren't. We were we were right.
Tony Wilson :I was hungry.
Unknown Speaker :I was hungry.
Wyatt Tucker :I just got hungry here a man and you know we generally have our questions that we asked is that any other and you didn't follow this script whatsoever man you just kind of opened up and ended up we end up crying.
Unknown Speaker :We did we did we cry man.
Wyatt Tucker :We did I remember going to my parents. They're like you did what? This guy did talk to us about it, man. I don't think we get why we don't need another two. I said, Look, I don't care if I gotta force my inner take me cut my paycheck. Do whatever you got to do, but this guy, this guy's got something going on. Yeah, and you do have that impact on people.
Tony Wilson :And I never thought that ever.
Wyatt Tucker :That's, that's my first time here. Crying man.
Tony Wilson :Man, you say that that makes me teary eyed man. Yeah, man. I didn't know that. You have that impact on me. I didn't know that man. But
Wyatt Tucker :yeah, you know you You've You know, I think what you have really done well, looking back on things with you is you've adapted. Yeah. And I think that is a key thing and leadership is is that you got to adapt and you got to get quick,
Unknown Speaker :you better
Wyatt Tucker :you got to have a look at you know, good leaders, they always have a little bit of a sense of humor. And you like that, you know, you got a good sense of humor. You know, got Michael Jordan said on this podcast that was a really good story later but um you know, you've done a really good adapting you've been in probably a handful, excuse me handful roles. And, you know, if, if it wasn't the right fit, you didn't let that discourage you. And you know, you took on and went any in whatever direction the We've asked you to write, and I think that's important for people to know. I think like you said earlier about the box.
Unknown Speaker :Yes. You know,
Wyatt Tucker :even in your career even as your employer anything else like, you know, be open to get out of your your own box. Yeah. And I think you've done you know, fairly well now you've worked weekends, you've worked nights. Yeah. You've worked during the day worked as a technician, you've sold equipment, you've installed equipment, and you've done repair work you've been you've been to Colorado for a service manager school, loved it. You know, you've been a pm manager, you've, you bout done it all out. I know.
Tony Wilson :And there's nothing that I can say that. But thank you for giving me the opportunity to, to grow as a person as a man. When we first met going back, reflecting back to when we first met, I was in a very good difficult place in my life and I was a single father had custody of my daughter. And how was she at that time? She was six, five and a half going on six. Okay. And I could see the struggles that my mother had, you know, trying to raise your children and still be a provider. Okay. I was working but I had been through so many positions and so many jobs that other companies that had given up you know, trusting anyone with, you know, my life basically, you can work your tail off, and you know, they'll tell you Okay, well, you you will hide, we'll hire you and work you all summer. Right? Oh, man, we appreciate everything you've done in this any other boat You have to let you go. And I got tired of that. And I got tired of beating myself up for failing at it. And I decided to take, you know, my matters take my life into my own hands and I started so, you know, subcontracting myself out to other smaller startup companies to do work for them, which was not profitable at all. But
Wyatt Tucker :I hadn't, I wouldn't recommend that.
Tony Wilson :Don't do that. Do not do that. You will never ever I tell you what I in To be honest, I had six companies that little small startup companies are so contracted myself out to then they couldn't pay me. They couldn't pay me on time. They or they could not pay me at all. So I got I didn't know what else to do. I was I was I was lost and the funniest phone call That I ever received in life. One of them was when the day you call me and I was like, Who is this? And you said, This is why I Tucker and I was like, Who? Like, what are you like, I had the worst attitude about it. But you you use, like, well, I want you to come to work. I mean, I talk to your friend, and he recommended you and I want you to come to work. And I was like, Yeah, right. Okay. All right. I'll be there and basically hung up the phone. And it was it was like, yeah, whatever, you know, cause we never we never had an encounter at all. We never crossed paths or anything. And for that conversation to come out of the blue like that, it was like, you know, but God is good, though. You know, he does things like that. You know what I'm saying? That's, I learned from my mind. You know, God will always see you through you know, and you gave me this Second phone call and I paid attention. You know when you call me the second time, Id Yeah, you call me a second time? Yeah, you call me a second time. That's how
Wyatt Tucker :we did it. But we were still in desperate. Yeah,
Tony Wilson :the idea you had to be desperate to call me a second time, but you called me the second time. And that's how I ended up at the office. And you call me at a time where man I was, I was so in a bad place. I remember that. I was in a bad place. And that was it was a thing where I'm looking at my daughter, and I'm looking at where I'm living and how I'm living and I didn't want to live that way. I didn't want to live I was tired of living that way. I didn't.
Unknown Speaker :I could see my mother. And I saw her. Yeah.
Wyatt Tucker :Yeah. And she she she kind of had, you know, not to get too too personal, but it wasn't a real well lit place. It was insane. It was very, you know, uplifting or upbeat or even positive for that matter. He wasn't a man she had, you know, she had a smile on her face, just like she had just walked out of a rock concert. Yeah, I mean, she, yeah. And you left her there all days. And on the
Tony Wilson :days, man, I had to my babysitter was my Rottweiler man. my babysitter was my dog. And the lady that lived next door would watch out, you know, watch out for from time to time, but, you know, I had to work that's tough. It's tough. And you talk about her smile and how she looked, but I tell you what, if you ask her, I remember that. Yeah. You know, she will tell you that was the best time of her life. She didn't realize she was living in it. But she don't know how bad it was. You know what I'm saying? Aussie new. It was just Me and her, and she had her daddy all the time. Then we we went places we did things. She just had me to herself. And she was happy. You know what I'm saying? Much like I was with my mom, I didn't have anything I didn't. I mean, listen, I'm telling you, it was terrible when I grew up, but I had my mother and my mother made things made that blow so much softer, so much better. And I didn't know I was giving that to her the same way. But, you know, we had a conversation not too long ago about that. And she just told me that that was the best time of our life. This powerful man. Yeah, yeah. And you know, but now that I'm older and I see where I want to go and what I want to do in life, for the rest of my life is definitely not go backwards. You know, I want to continue to you know, progress and keep moving forward and keep you know, achieving personal and things like that. You know, you pick me all the time about buying a house. That's my next move. Yeah, man. Yeah, you pick me all the time, but I'm definitely going to buy me a house. That's my next move. So I'm definitely looking forward to, you know, growing and, you know, continue growing here and doing everything I can to be better and help other people get better. So, you know, that's, that's one thing that I love about this place, that if you want to get better, you can. You have plenty opportunities do to do so. So that's what I love about this place.
Wyatt Tucker :Well, thank you for saying that. That was not I have not paid to say that, by the way, for anybody listening to this. But he says you've said some good things throughout this podcast. And, you know, the one thing that I'm curious you want us to just kind of, maybe finish up on this note or talking about a little bit You know you there's times when you weren't in a bad place you know excuse me when you were in a bad place and you know I remember some things that we had to do and and get through and everything else yeah and you were never you're never discouraged or negative or you know you weren't in a hurry either in a bad way like you weren't like you were like desperate but you you made the best of every bad decision you know a bad situation what a bad decision but bad situation you know, briefly talk on I love it you know like how like, you know where as again trying to talk about a core value go above and beyond and no one's watching like it was probably very it'd be very easy for you to have been a statistic Sure. And I live and why he were living no fence was not I'll clean his place in the world as far as crime I would go down there and dark without show. No Vince, I don't care what color you're new, because all the reason I did because you know them, not everybody, but you know, man, like, you know a lot of people got a lot of firstworldproblems Yeah. And they let it defeat them and you hear all these bad stories and you're like, what what did you do that to not end up that way?
Tony Wilson :The thing I always go back to is how I was raised. You know, my mother man was an incredible woman man, if you had a met my mother, you would truly you will truly understand and see it. It was, you know, my mother was the type of woman that she would sacrifice for me to eat. You know what I'm saying? And will any parent Yeah, they would any parent would. But it was so it was to a degree where Even though she was she didn't eat it was always something good on the other side like she would. She would make sure that we eat but she would come in and pray with us or, you know.
Wyatt Tucker :See what how did that how did that yeah helped help you get through? Because she's not around anymore. Oh man she's
Tony Wilson :always with me man. I know that I know. I'm not
Wyatt Tucker :like you. You be in back there where you were? You know I know you had your mom you had the memories and how you're raised up but get a little deeper man. This is a podcast a little deeper what inside you
Tony Wilson :god man? God man. Really? Oh yeah. All day all day. I don't take I don't take any credit for you know, you know what he's given me. You know, it's it's you know people have a gift for different things and you You know, just he's given me a gift to, to keep going man and keep looking forward and keep pressing man, it's a gift he's given me. I've been in bad places, I've been in bad situations, I've seen it. I've seen all kinds of bad things happen in front of me. And I've seen it happen all around me. Just because it happens around me and happens in front of me that doesn't have to become part of me. You know, I it's a choice to let things like that become a part of you. You know, I see a lot of people I grew up with, who allowed our conditions to become a part of them, you know, and they would they lived a totally once they got of age, they lived a totally different life than what I learned. They they were either in prison or been shot of several times or whatever, what have you I drugged out all kinds of stuff. But, you know, God didn't let that happen to me. He didn't let that part become, you know, he didn't let that become a part of me. And even though I tried it, I didn't like it. It's either I'm going to stay this path, or I'm going to die. Right?
Wyatt Tucker :Well, a you know, but at the same time, like not taking away from that and doing all that right, but you're not gonna get it's extremely religious on with All Things go on. But I had a preacher a long, long time I was studying is that, you know, declares 100% you got to do the 60. And God will do the 40. Right. And so, you know, you said, God, I get it. Yeah. And he helps you and he helps me out every day. And I understand that there's a higher power there. Yeah. What did Tony do? Right, what did how did Tony the 60% in those tough times to not get shot to not go to prison to not steal drugs to keep
Tony Wilson :you know, keep from getting evicted and just kept grinding and kept fine till you get the right fit for employment? And, you know, was the good dad there for your daughter and all that. What did Tony do? A man just kept going. And I stay. I would ask it, I would say sometimes I would ask for help sometimes. And sometimes the help isn't always there, but I would ask for help. I would, you know, there had people some there was some good people out there who kind of looked out for me too. I'm not going to say that. I have that to the degree that you've helped me I'm not gonna lie. Not to the grid. But you know, just being Staying humble and not letting the situation get above me, you know, to a point where I just feel like oh my god, you know, this is a hopeless situation I started to limiting you know, starting to limit my wants and just focused on my needs, you know, if you start looking at things and this is my perspective of how I see certain things in life, you have to take care of your needs first. And once you take care of your needs to once can once will be there, your wants are always going to be there. I have limited my wants to a minimum, you know, you know, since I work too, you know, I work all the time and I very, very, I very, very rarely take a vacation on a day off or whatever. Because my desire is to make sure that my needs are met. So it once I my needs are met I can think about my ones later than, I'm okay with that. So, my once were limited, and I made sure that I stayed focused on trying to do the right thing and do better. You know, I don't, I don't think that anyone could ever say, Hey, here's I can make this decision right now. And, you know, if I make this decision right now, then I'll deal with the consequences later that, you know, maybe it's kind of iffy or whatever, but I, I look at it as I have to make this decision. Right now. If I'm going to be successful, if I'm going to let this, you know, or let this situation take me somewhere else. I have to make this decision. It's not a tough one. It's not a tough one at all. I mean, I mean, it's a tough decision. It's not easy. I'm sorry. It's not an easy decision to make. You know, it's not because you're you're faced with either you're going to make money right now doing something that you don't want to do. Are you going to take the long route, you know, make this decision to stick with what you know, and make that work for you, and be successful that way. Because we all know it takes forever to accumulate, you know, success, you know, you can get success in small ways. But to get to that point where you just, I made it, I made it, it takes a while to get there. And that road can be long and hard. But I would rather take that long, hard road instead of taking that shortcut and fall off the cliff. Sure. You know, I would just write as this I would rather be that way.
Wyatt Tucker :Yeah. Well, and I think, you know, I would attest to that. And I've seen your growth, right. You're not, you know, this is your second tour. As we can say at parks. Yeah. Fortunately, the first time that we had a depart, there were some things out of both our hands. Yeah, right. True. You know and I generally when I interview or people contact me or I contact them about trying to come back or they want to come back, you know the big thing that I always look for is to see the growth of that person by their time away. And it can be good or it could be bad. And you know, I know you had had a you know, not not as hard I don't think way back when but you know you've you bounced around a little bit right? I did and trying to find that fit and to do that. You know, was was hard but you still when you showed up and we met outside of us getting over it a little awkwardness that day that did help out he's not dangerous Are you are
Unknown Speaker :you We'll get that close. I know.
Wyatt Tucker :I can tell you grow. Yeah, you had continued that journey. Yeah. And, um, you know, it's been great to have you back man.
Tony Wilson :It's been it's been man, I'm sorry. It being here, it's like being with family and I, you know, just, you know, yeah, we are man it you know, in being away. I've always I never you know Parks's was always with me, you know what I'm saying? It was always a situation where it didn't matter where I was, I would we all always reflect on, you know, what I did here and what everyone else was doing here and, and it didn't help that, you know, people were calling me like, Hey, man, you know, we're doing this, we're doing that. You know, it was Win Win, or Hey, man, hey, I'm working on this unit. I can't figure
Wyatt Tucker :out how I would get in You still answer and you still help? Yeah, right. I mean, that's the kind of person you are. I wouldn't man, I heard those stories like y'all do what y'all call Tony? Yes. Yeah. And he still took his call he did to me, man,
Tony Wilson :never Man, these are my big deal, man. My people, man, I'm telling you parks was my parks is parks is a part of me. More so, to the point where it's, you know, I when I come to work, when I'm at home, or, you know, when I'm at home and I'm thinking about, you know, what I have to do here. It's like, I feel awkward when I'm not around. I know, I know, this kind of crazy. But, you know, I spend so much time here and, and try to, you know, better things here to the point where it's, it's in me, you know, just like, you know, like, what my anything that my mom would talk would teach me, you know, it's, it's in me, you know, and I would adapted to how things flow here. And it's become a part of me. And I can say that I, you know,
Wyatt Tucker :well i think i think parks has grown to
Tony Wilson :it has it has and I from
Wyatt Tucker :day to day
Tony Wilson :ik when he was doing the renovations and stuff before all in I came here before, man I left here so freaking man I was pissed off. I saw the renovations before they were finished. I was so mad. I say man, you know what? Forget Why
Wyatt Tucker :do I say even I say just forgive me. Just a lot of people say a lot of things but that's good. But But no, man, I think that you know it. It is a family. And I think that you know, you're very powerful stuff you said about your mom. Yeah. Instead about yourself. Yeah. And you know, it really shows that I think Our core values match up what you're doing, man, they do it and that, you know, I think that's how we've grown. Yeah, that's how we become better as we've kind of got a good group of people. Yeah, for the most part, we still got some people out here, we got to convince and change you and I'll do that. Right. Yeah. But for the most part that has really just evolved.
Tony Wilson :But that starts from that starts from the top though, you know, I've seen you grow as a person as a man in this business, not my waistline. Nah, man. Oh, yeah. Well, you know, I'm not I didn't want to put your front street but if you want to go there, I'll put you there. But no, as a as you know, when I first came here, you were you were not as I'm going to say to me, I think you're not as committed. You know, then you have gone through a lot. And I think, you know, over the past five years, six Yours you have really changed and grown and grown into. Really, I think that you are starting to really understand the greatness that's within you. Because you are starting to allow people to be, you know who they are, you know, you you let them be leaders, you let them do what they do. And you just kind of, you know, watch and that part of you I didn't think that you would ever get to that point because you just had if I'm going to pay I just rather have some money I'm gonna do it myself before cuz I want to know this easy. I'm gonna do it myself. What am I gonna do? So, but I've seen you even with me, you allow me to, you know, be who I am. And you told me when I came back, that the only way I can come back I have to be myself. I wanted to take I wanted to bring in that person that I had adapted to become when I left here. I couldn't I didn't open myself up to people I didn't I didn't become friendly with technicians they call me I didn't answer you know if that coworkers I'm talking about people I work with I didn't let them you know get to me I didn't let them get close to me. They didn't even know my name was Tony
Unknown Speaker :this one so
Unknown Speaker :yeah, yeah, yeah.
Wyatt Tucker :Everybody Everybody sees it like Dude, you don't look like a wall. He don't smell like a wall. He don't talk like a wall but he's a wall I'm on.
Tony Wilson :My mom did that my mom did that. That was a did one thing for me that helped me become a great fighter.
Wyatt Tucker :But also, you know, final thought on this is you you allowing you to be yourself you know, wanting your weaknesses that I use a lot was the consistency. Right now every time you show up here every day I hear you out there clapping and you know high fiving and greeting to people even though we COVID we got the mask on and all the crap Tony still comes in. He hugs Yes, it says hello everybody I know when Tony's here because he does it But hey, you know what? This worked? Yeah, it has been consistent. Yes. And I think that you know, as I am trying to prove to be more as consistent that that you have and now people just this is second nature when Tony shows up. I'm Father.
Tony Wilson :I gotta give it That's powerful. Yeah, man. Yeah, man. Josh to the most quietest guy in the room. He looks forward to it. He probably he looks Oh, smartest. Yes. And he looks forward to it. He's like man.
Unknown Speaker :Says man, look. He says cool, man. You gotta give it to me today. I'd say today I like what? I've always given it to you.
Wyatt Tucker :out of his conference, yeah,
Tony Wilson :man. Yeah, man. And he, you know, is the first time we really ever had a conversation with me today. Good, you know, but you know, it's my thing is when you told me that I had to be who I was and bring that person here, bring them back, you know, I said, Okay, cool. I'm back home. Now you know what I'm saying I can be myself. And I truly believe that because you are at work, you do have to get things done to do you have to get the job done. But at the same time, you you do have these relationships that you want to nurture and have them grow with you. And you know, I don't ever want anyone to be here and not feel like that. You know, they can't grow and flourish here. You know, I want them to always feel like man, this is a place I want to be, because it feels like this is a place I always want to be at I always want to It's no you didn't say that. Yes. Now, No, you didn't pay. But I always want to be here, I always want to be a part of the growth in the, you know, just just helping people become better here, you know, because I became better here, I became a better technician, I became a better man, I became a better person, just being here. You know, it's in the relationships that I've developed. And, you know, guys that I've, you know, I've seen a lot of guys come and go, but those guys that have come and gone, they still they still say, Man, you're good, too. You know, they still want to talk to me, they still want to, you know, communicate with me. And, you know, I don't, you know, a long way. Yeah, man. I don't take that as a, you know, I don't take that as something that, hey, I deserved that or whatever. But, you know, it's just who I am. You know, and I love that part about myself. And I know when I was here before
Unknown Speaker :me being who I am The job you
Wyatt Tucker :never forget that day. The Panthers game. And that hostess and Tony's talking to her and I'm like, man, they were all just being friendly. She's being friendly. Oh my god, and I show us how to tell if I show the next day we're having a damn daggone picnic with that girl out in the yard. In the first he said, Hey, man, I'm on lunch break. I didn't believe this was real. And this was going on and it was gone. There was insane girls in the booth. It was sweet. Yeah, with Tony.
Tony Wilson :Yeah, man. It was You know, I'm not the best looking guy, but I definitely have a little personality.
Wyatt Tucker :You had your ways with the lady. Yeah, that's good. But you know, a final final thought on that is is you know, management somebody right passes through this. You talked about your mom. Yeah. And how she tells you to not quit. Yeah, right growing up and she gave me a strong fundamental and helped challenge you to get through those times. You know, you reflected back on her as when you were one of those tough times in the, your daughter, Emma kind of had the same theory as you did, right. Yeah. And you've been able to be yourself. Yep. And to grow. And you've seen parks grow
Unknown Speaker :you've seen it grow tremendously.
Wyatt Tucker :And man I you know, final thing on that was is you turn around you try to make this podcast only man. My podcast and iTunes But you know, he said, he said something one time that stuck with me forever. And I probably shares anybody. But that day that, you know, my dad passed the baton, and we're there. And all that. And so we get emotional for everybody. He came up to me afterwards, he said, Why are
Unknown Speaker :you real today? Yeah, real man. Yeah, man, you're real and real.
Wyatt Tucker :And, you know, that has stuck with me ever since. And, you know, now allowing people to do kind of more of their own thing. Right, right. And right guidelines of our core values, right, anything else? Right. I think we've developed some better leaders and allow people to excel and do some things they wanted to do. And you have, even when you're away, you still you had a big impact on that. And that that's big to man. Yeah. And I think that anybody out there is listening and, you know, wants some advice about that, you know, or to be with or to ask Tony about that. Because I promise you You know, the dude the dude's been there done that smelt that felt that everything else reach out to him because you know you spire me to man right man challenged me and yeah you drove the drive ever listen to Jesus sometimes, man you know I love you like a brother I
Unknown Speaker :love you, I love you man i do i really do
Wyatt Tucker :unless you do something illegal or immoral and we have another dadgum picnic of somebody else, you know our family from a long time and I can say that about a lot of people. Right,
Tony Wilson :right. And I never thought when I left the first time I never thought that I would I would ever leave or ever had to leave. But I was told that I will be called back to go. And you know, I didn't. I didn't want to get leaving here. It was like the worst breakup ever for me. You know what I'm saying? There was like,
Wyatt Tucker :a breakup section to edit this part.
Tony Wilson :What it was it was the worst breakup ever, man I could I could not sleep. I was like hurt. I was in trust me man losing losing jobs was was never a thing because like I said I was used to it. So I got I got I had gotten to a point where I was just like, you know, man, I'm going to be I'm going to be here because I'm going to what they give what they put into me. I'm going to give back. Sure. Right. So you know, it was not like you, you know, you were just taking from me. You You poured into me, you know what I mean? And being that you were pouring into me, I was able to turn around and give back out. So I appreciated that part. So chance
Wyatt Tucker :right? And you've done a very good job with that. And so, you know, man, I appreciate you. I appreciate you too, brother. Yeah, man, this has been a lot of fun. It's probably won't be the last time we probably have to edit it. But you know, with that being said, we're going to sign off on Oh, yeah, man.
Tony Wilson :Don't forget, my name is Ana booty rose.
Wyatt Tucker :Why don't you sign off on that? That's the parks way podcast. Yes, sir, with our special guest,
Unknown Speaker :Tony Wilson. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Thank you. Transcribed by https://otter.ai