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The Parks Way!
The Parks Way with guest Mike Collins Van Buren Office, Operations Manager
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Wyatt
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Episode 6
Mike shares his journey of being on his own at a young age. He speaks about his mother inspiring him to never quit and work hard. Mike's story about reuniting with his father is something you dont want to miss!
Good morning Good morning. This is your host of that's the parks way podcast My name is Wyatt Tucker and I'm sitting across from not only the man the myth the legend, Mike Collins, Mike Good morning.
Good morning sir. How you doing?
Good good
So Mike
All right today Yes sir. Might not function might have it might malfunction. Sway goes around here sometimes good. We know Mike you uh, this this podcast all about leadership talking about their journey personally and professionally and what people want to share. It's been it's been quite fun doing some more And past I've been looking forward to this one for quite some time. So we may have to break this up in a few segments. But you know, I'm excited to do this this morning.
Yeah, yeah. So Mike, tell me
a little bit about yourself where you're from where you grew up. Tell me a little about, you know, just you might the main comments.
I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. On July the fourth.
When I was 18 years old, I got into the heating and air industry straight out
of Whoa. You just get the time. Okay, so you boards a lot. Yes. It's a
big Estonia.
Now I was born. I was born in Charlotte. Really? You're born? Yes. presbytery.
Yes, sir. Yeah, I was. Yeah, so your name is Charlotte. Yes, sir. While yo DS are made, but hey, that's how you do. That's us people here so.
So brothers, sisters family, I have one brother. older, younger,
he is older. He lives in Stanley. I really don't have a close mom with him. He kind of does his own thing mean him to different people. So he kind of stays up that way and, you know, lives his life. He's got three kids and a wife. So he chose a different path than I did.
Say
in your mom dad's.
My mother passed away
13 years ago from cancer and my father passed away five years ago from some medical complications with liver and COPD.
So
man, thanks for sharing that man. that touches over there a little bit. So, Mike, you know growing up was would you want to be what do you want to do?
Well, I guess I was like a real kid. I wanted to be a cop. a basketball player, football player, an athlete, that I learned quickly that that wasn't for me. Well, I played basketball for a few years, but I didn't grow tall enough to really be there and in football, I never really got into play in a lot of football. I do love to watch football, preferably college.
But I just figured that sports wasn't for me.
At early age, I was maybe 1213 when I figured that out. And then I wanted to get in law enforcement and Right, right, have a high school, understanding not to go to Other Saturday go to work
today see things a whole new grown up pretty good just fine little house you know there
are yeah when I was 18 moved out and went to move to Belmont. The first place I live was a little one bedroom apartment in Belmont. I'm 18 years old Yes. Wow. Yes. And you know it was a struggle at first but I learned you know at that time my mom was around so she helped me out you know without to pay bills and you know, try to be functional one gave me ready for the real world because that's what I was in. So,
what you know if you don't mind me asking you to share 18 us wanting to move out. Because what you do now? Most most is failure to launch. Yes, most kids are you know 30 Plus, living at home mom and dad You're right, you're trying to do the opposite
your boss share a little bit about that. I did. I'm kind of, you know, when I was 18, I was kinda, you know, I wanted to do what I wanted to do. And I was living, you know, with my mother at the time and she said, some rules down and I didn't really want to buy a bomb. So she said, Well, maybe need your whole house unique and keep coming in at three and four in the morning. You know, doing what you want to do. So at that time, I said, Okay, well, I'm just gonna move out. So I got an apartment. You know, I was a rough installer at that time lead rough installer when I was 19. So I felt like, you know, I had the world on my hand. You know, I knew I knew all the answers, but for the first three months, I quickly learned I needed some help. So that's when I called on my mom to help me with that, and then she was there for me.
So you've grown up with your mom, was she the? Somebody looked up to somebody?
Yes. Yes.
What do you think what what was it about her
She had a lot of drive.
She just had a comfort level, you know, you could go to war with anything. My father wasn't around, he was in and out of prison and they they was divorced. So I stayed with my mom and my brother, he went on stage with his friends. So me and my mom had a real close bond. It was just me and her so she really took me under her wing and wanted to make sure that now I came and I made something of myself you know that I didn't fall in the wrong wrong path. So
thank you for sharing this before us about you and kind of use reason why I think you've risen is far up in the ranks as you have here. You know, as you know, you you know, our vision, right. We want to help give back to the homeless kids and kids that was you know, fortunate everything else and you growing up without a father. I'm sure that has some impact on you. Hayden and I know that that kind of vision that things really you know obviously it's close to home so yes you know i think that that that's good stuff because that's that that you know you have that passion and that drive just not only because you want to work here you get paid do all that but you know you it kind of hits close to home calling it does you know for me and our family and you know that hold on.
Yes sir.
With that so
me so your mom growing up was he looked up to and he did any male figures in your life. And I think about
not for a while. But I did meet you know when I went to to work as a rough installer stuff. I met a lot of a lot of guys my age, believe it or not, were in the industry. It was a lot different. It was back in 1996, late 96, early 97
Yeah, feels like yesterday.
It has.
So but um, you know, I met some people there and I met a guy that kind of, you know, he took me under his wing as the older guy, he was in his late 60s, and he was just kind of on the downhill side of it, but he would teach you show you how to do things and stuff and I kind of picked up a lot from you a whole lot, you know, outside of work stuff, yes, outside of work stuff, you know, he would he would teach you about life in adversity. And, you know, he always said, things are going to be easy. You just have to be able to overcome the easy things. He said, uh, you know, I've been in this industry for 45 years. So, I figured, then and there I needed to learn and soak up as much knowledge from this gentleman as I could. And we work together for about four years. You know,
that's cool that that's, you know, that's a powerful that's so good. They say you, you moved in to your own apartment. Right? Your mom has some rules and some guidelines that you didn't want to follow. Hey, everybody Show Me The Way perfect. All right, yes. See your cars really work for you. What? Why wouldn't you think it was?
Well, I did well in high school. I mean, I was an IB student in high school. We dig yourself. I did get a stop point.
Just kidding, man.
I just felt like
I didn't want to do school anymore. And I wanted to go do what I wanted to do at that age. And I said, No, I'm not longer is going to go to work. You know, when I was in high school, or worked in the supermarkets, you know, stocking shelves and stuff like that on the weekends and after school. But I wanted to do something that was gonna sit meal, you know, for a long journey. And that's why I got into heat in there actually had a friend at done hate in there. And I'm just like, Well come on over here and work with those, you know, and it was a struggle at first a real struggle. Because I guess when I was growing up, I didn't really have my father wasn't around, I guess to show me how to, you know how to build things and stuff like that. And my mother, she was always working to the bar, you know, to pay the bills and stuff. So it was a struggle at first getting into construction. I really struggled for the first year or so.
of kids will take that some of that stuff for granted. Right? How to wash a car or change a tire? Yes. Or, you know, heavy water grass or cut the grass.
A lot of these kids that we've seen that either didn't come here Do you know they
were exactly right. And I was I was One of those
kids that you adapted and you picked it up, obviously fairly quickly. Why do you think that was?
I was just very passionate, you know, wanted to make money, obviously, you know, to go out and do you know, and I was very passionate at at what I was doing and I picked it up quickly because I had a good teacher. You know, he really, he really taught me it was a lot different back then. You got paid by the hour. now now now everything's production based. So it's Hurry, hurry, hurry, it wasn't like that back then. You know, I was basically helper in training. And the demand really took me under his wing and showed me a lot of So
looking back, do you really regret not going to college?
I do not. I do not because of
I don't have really have student loans to pay No, I don't have anything like that. Um, and I got a I got a lot of knowledge, you know, if I went to college, I don't know where it would be today, you know?
I do not regret it. No, good. No,
good, good, good. Well, yeah, I mean, interrupt you there. But yeah, you said you had a good teacher. I mean, you're working, working by the hour was able to allow you some more time to think and, you know, learn, right versus just go go, go go. Yes. So, you know, like, what my What do you think? What's you changed that? Do you think like you said that and not switching gears here a little bit off you but kind of the industry. What, what was the reasoning back then? And you think that you know that somebody just didn't dream this up and say, Oh, hey, yeah, we're just going to go boom, boom, boom and switch to production. What do you think cause
your opinion. I really think
Back in the early 2000s, a lot of companies went to production base simply because it was a fixed labor in the job. You knew how much labor and material you had in that job so you knew how much he was going to profit off that job before it left the building. And also I think the installers have like the the installers just wanted in you know, a top installer back then was probably 17 $18 an hour back then. Nowadays it's you know, people won't 30 $35 an hour You know, so I really think it was a way for the company to
the labor you think kind of drove
that I think the labor drove it and I think the the actual build and market drove it
because pre or post recession. This was pre pre pre pre recession. Yes, your hourly and all that. Yes,
yes.
And I think the the market drove it as far as it was, you remember in early 2000, late late 90s it was just super busy around here. You know, it was it was work everywhere there was companies everywhere. So you know, one company was trying to figure out how to get above the other company and I really think you know, if they could get their labor to it to a certain point they knew what that was paying and then their materials and and stuff. They knew what there's no profit on the job. They could be at the job, underbid the job and get all the work which which happened. He did have them back now.
Yeah.
That's, that's powerful. Thanks for sharing. See, so you learned you started being you know, run her you're doing all those things. And you learned and did all that then tell me what, what was the next step in your growth,
our growth for a good seven, eight years
and then after a rough wanted to get into doing the trim, and the trim aspect of us in the air conditioners, you know, setting up the thermostats grill in the registers completing the job. So, I talked to the owner of the company I was working at, and I talked to him about it. And he said, Well, you know, you have to go get your CFC cords and all that stuff. So, you know, they set me up with that. And then I went tremon actually trim for three or four years, and during that time I was trimming. You know, it was up and down. In the winter, it was slow. So I would bleed over and do some service and change out stuff. So I learned a lot in that transition period of of that three or four years.
This is still pre recession.
Yes, yeah. Yeah.
You still live in the apartment.
Now, sir. Well, I am married now being married.
back then. So what
Noah was
offering, this was I will hold you to it. This was
middle 2000s. Okay, right right before this, the recession what you're 20 620 sec and roughly
maybe so you have a you pretty experienced if you don't want to say IRS by that point somewhere there,
right. Yeah. Someone will call the time. Yeah.
And by then I feel knowing a lot about construction or about a history that you know, you've weathered the storm of people getting out of it, you know, people generally do is six months to a year, two years maybe tops You know, when they're when they're in that construction world. Why did you stick it out? What what what separated you young, you know, you didn't have any student loans. You'd have a whole bunch of debt. I didn't. Yeah, so what made you stick it out?
Well, I stuck it out simply because I enjoyed the work. You did. Yes. Yes, once once I got over the first year and a half, two years. I really enjoyed what I was doing. I hated it at first. I hated it at first. I'm butchulla mana I was, I guess I was struggling really bad with it. And I thought this might not be for me. You know, not
drafters don't flex, yes. All that stuff.
Yes. But you'll learn very quickly. Or, you know, who you're working with, as far as your leader on the job, he'll know very quickly if you can do it or not. You know, I believe that so it, you know, usually 334 months, you know, for a helper if he hadn't called on how to do flex and stuff is probably not for him. You know,
but you really did
enjoy it. I did enjoy it. I did you know, I was 18, early 20s making money, you know, working 5060 hours a week.
I enjoyed it.
And the sense of accomplishment he left that day.
Yeah, you got things done. I did. And I knew I knew it was
really rewarding man. Look, there's a last trade or last thing of you know, people don't understand that. You know, that feeling of getting things done. In this age, everybody has four year colleges. And, you know, they work on a team somewhere in a corporate setting downtown setting the other, they don't really get that sense of accomplishment of like, dang, man, I accomplished XYZ today. I think I think that's a big piece that people need to, you know, either broadcast or kind of share with, you know, that it is it's hard work, but it is rewarding when you leave that day. You know, if you got some stuff done,
yes, it's very, it's very rewarding. You know, when you do a job, when you install a roof, you know, that you installed a house that somebody is going to be living in, they depend on you for their comfort, their heat and their comfort. And I always took self pride in what I did, you know, wanted it to look like I would want it in my house. So I was very, I was very, I guess, meticulous About what I did, and I did enjoy it. So obviously, you know, if you don't enjoy something, you're not going to be good at it.
And you like switching to production, but
I did not. I did not. And the reason being this comfort level I didn't, I couldn't really grasp that first. You know, I like a steady income every week, you know, and it was it's up and down with production pay, you know, you make a lot of money one week, the next week, you might not make much. So I really had to learn how to manage that money at that point. Yes. It is hard. It was very, it was very, very hard switch over I didn't want to do it for the longest.
Well, it looks like a you know, another adversity in your life that you overcame? Yeah, you did. So okay. Your mid 20s. Right. Yes. Then the recession in 18. And what? What happened? Tell me a little bit about that, at that time in your life. What was going on? Were you were you married to Alicia There
are I was married and Alicia was pregnant with Mackenzie at that time. My first child.
Yeah, I met her she's a man.
she's a she's
that's that's the word she is somewhat right there Earth. Good girl but so Alicia's married I mean, she's pregnant with Kinsey. And then the bottom falls
out. It did it fell,
remit memory or anything to
do
it maybe six or eight months you know before I got really bad. I kind of seen the writing on the wall. And I said this is not gonna be good. You know, you saw people leaving and he just saw the building market going down. So I said I need to figure out, you know, something else I can do to support me and my family. You know, Darren does Tom and I did work somewhat during the recession. He didn't I would do what I call side jobs you know things like that.
A lot of people do their food on the table man
I did um and also you know just as
soon as you get laid off or did you get did you quit or what
I got laid off and also the company I was working at went bankrupt during the recession you know, they they had a builder that you know, some something about builder didn't pay and you know, there was on the hook so, the whole company was going
and looking back I'm like,
you know that that was real shocking to me that that happened at that company. They were
small little mom and pop like two men in a truck and now it
was a it was a full blown, you know, operation. It was a full blown So that to
me, that's a lot because
it was tough. It was really tough and easy, a big company like
that. And they go out of business. You got either let go or let you know, let off. I mean it, you know, and I mean, you're married and you got a baby on the way. Yeah, your first baby to me No offense to the other babies. The first one's always everything's new smell and healing and touching. So there's like a sense of it's just different with the first one. So that's a lot.
It was a lot of stress at that time, you know?
Well, as I did some side work and, you know, I would talk to people and see if they needed anything service related that I could do. I never really tried to do anything I couldn't do because I didn't you know, I didn't want to look crazy or you know, miss something worse than it was so, you know, if I got a side job and it was all service related, I would reach out to one of my friends and you know, say hey, look, you want to go to this job? You know, we can make some money because everybody was looking for work at that time. It was it was bad.
Yeah, the parks went down from 140 hundred 50. Employees during evacuated are 14 15 million in just new construction. Yeah and to go from that down to 28 employees 37 employees you know that that hurts anybody and does hurt so I mean I get why you know people were doing what they were doing and just trying to find work so once you do that, does that work like what what happened? Um
I guess I'll tell you this and you can delete it if you want to, but I got into what I call the no limit hold'em poker world that are out there. I started playing like you start a plan some online poker and in the beginning I did fairly well. But it's like anything else. You get sec skeptical towards the end. You know, I mean, you could cash out they were seeing your check in the mail. So believe it or not poker, put food on the table, wherever Farber had for a couple of years.
Wow. So when did you start playing?
I started playing cards. I always played a little bit, but I really got serious, you know, 2009, late 2009 2010. And then you no doubt about that time or a year after I think the hairs casino opened up there. So I thought, well, maybe I can go get a job up there. And then I thought, No, that's not a good idea. I don't need to be out there. So I just, you know, hustled side jobs and did poker gigs and played some online poker and it really paid the bills and flooded the way for a while. During that time my father got released from prison. He did his time. So my father really had nowhere to go when he got
a embezzlement from the United States government.
Know It was it was a large amount of money over say a racket. Here in shower. He was a landscaper, my dad's always done landscaping all his life. He was a foreman, you know, for a bobcat. No really wasn't a piece of equipment couldn't drive. You know, but he was older at that time. And he was basically just training the younger people to do that. And then, you know, he got into drugs, to be honest. And the drugs took him down that path. And, you know, I was younger, really younger. I was, I was around 8789, you know, when you went in, and he stayed in for roughly 13 years on one charge. And then, two weeks before he was going to get released on that charge, the federal government picked him up on the indictment charges. So he had to go do nine more years. And when he got out, you know, naturally, he reached out to me. And so I went, you know, God Then bring him into my home with my wife and me. And you know, gave him a bedroom. Really? Yes. My dad lived with us for until he passed away timeout.
But this is a big piece here. Yes. So you're dead. You know, it's not like a divorce. You know, I know that. You know I have that T shirt. I've been through that I got my son and all that. You know that the counselors are people are saying that 815 Windows is there is any worse time to do it. That's that's that period. And so you're dead. It almost like he died. I mean, he's gone and he's in prison. You don't quite under you to comprehend all of it. No. But I mean, that's a lot.
It is man. And to be honest, why I probably wouldn't trade anything I've been through for an amount of money, because it's really made me a better father, a better husband. You know, it's really set me up in life to know what not what to do, you know? Yeah. So no, but not have to go down. Right.
So and so I'm sure, you know, at some point with doing, you know, gambling and betting and everything else you know that that that's different world, right, you know and you know people get intimate it's different So, you know you I'm sure that at some points during that that experience of what you went through your dad I'm not speaking for you tell me what's wrong, you know that may have helped you you know during that turn at time of again, you know gambling doing all that and being able to walk away from the table. You know what I mean or not not not getting doing something illegal, right? That way, right,
right. It did. It did. I knew that Poker thing was a
means to an end.
It was it was just a way at the time to support my family and me. So I had to do what I felt like I had to do. And it was it was stressful. It was probably the most stressful thing that I did.
Very, very stressful.
I did not because it was legal at that time alone. I did not feel ashame. I just felt like you know, I need to I didn't want to fall in the trap of this is what I'm gonna do for the rest of my life. You know, I didn't want to depend on that because that's a very dangerous situation if you do that. So always was aiming to go back to work and output in applications but you know, during the recession, and right after not no one was hiring until it pick back up.
So, you know, you're your bomb dog. What do you
think it was? Oh, it was October of 16. Believe that was
so right for the recession. Yes. And at that point did you know again, I'm not trying to, you can tell why you shut up we needed to deep there. When did you know about what's your fault? Like, what are your father? Like? Where did it kind of, you know, kind of sink in that you? That's like in prison. Everything else that was it was then or wasn't when he got out
or it. It's sunk in when I was, you know, younger because he went in when I was younger, you knew what, again, I knew what he did. Yeah. My mother was divorced. And, you know, I knew what he did. And I always tried to tell him, you know that that's a dead end road. You don't need to do this and that but the amount of money that he was getting, it was so easy for him. You know, it would be hard for somebody, you know, his age, not to do what they was doing. Yeah, it was just easy money for them.
So you know, he touched on A minute and this is very powerful because this is you know, I want to I'm eager to hear this and understand this. This is why these things are so awesome. So you did picks up and has to go away does whatever, right? Your mom sadly passes I never got to meet her She sounds like she's an awesome lady she was and you're married you go through the recession have your kids guess
your pops calls you. He did in his
he calls him treasures, bows. You know, you see stores, you hear things like pick your kids just click hang up the phone, right? They've shut they want to shut this out shut that person out of their life. They don't they don't want to be associated with them doing all that. You did the complete opposite. When you had all the chases in the world or nobody, I don't think would have thought that you were a bad person or anything else, including myself. If you just say you're dead, you know? screws for you know, what, why, why why would you? Why should you?
Because, you know, that was my father and I love my father and I respected him. You know, he was he was my father. And when he was around, he was a good father, you know, and I knew, you know, him and my mother had troubles, you know, they would argue and stuff like that. And when they got a divorce, I never really hated my father for I was actually glad because I didn't have to hear the argument stuff anymore. It was better for both of them and me and my brother at that time. But, you know, I wanted to help my dad. At that time he was he had some health issues at that time, and I knew he'd been been in prison for a while. And if you're, if you've talked to people that's been in prison for a number of years and stuff, they get what they call intuitional lost. It's very hard for them to adapt back out in public society. So I knew you know, he was going to need some help with that. You know, brung him into my home, but obviously, I talked to my wife first and she was okay with it. She was good with
these volume deals character.
So we brought him in the it was but he had nowhere else to go and I wasn't gonna let my father be on the street, you know, because it was a half hour left my father on the street, he would have either and, you know, dad at an earlier age, or he would have went right back. You're not at won't that and, you know, when he come to live with us, he was a big help. You know, he was he couldn't do a lot physically because he was he was sick at that time. Bad. You know, nobody knew how bad Not at me or him until my wife actually talked him into going to the doctor getting checked out. And we found out you know, he had cirrhosis of the liver. He had some COPD, you know, he was sick for all the from the drugs and stuff like that. Yes. Wow. So we brought him in and he helped out you know, With, with the kids. You know my wife, she was able to help him, you know, sign up for disability and stuff so he could have some income.
And he helped out tremendously with us.
Well, he was forceful. He was when he got out
he was, did everything else. He was remorseful for what he did but not remorseful for taking the money from the government. He was out. He hates the government. So, but he was very remorseful that he missed a long stretch of time with us, you know, think that was more of what he was worried about, you know, but we did a lot of kitchen at that time. Yeah, I spent a lot of time with him.
So you are you working and still doing the thing?
I was still doing online poker at that time. And
my father was at home and me and the kids and Alicia was out one day and my father called me and he said, Hey, Rodney Rodney bone come by here. He Rodney lived a couple roads over from Mama life. So and I knew I knew Ronnie for a long time, he was actually the manager and yellow was when I got a job there. He came by and knocked on the door was looking for me. I hadn't talked to Rodney in a long time. And at that time, Rodney was working here at parks. So I said, Okay, dad, I'll give him a call. And, you know, at that time, I was kind of, you know, in in the limbo of, hey, I need to, I've got to get back to work. You know, I need insurance for my family. You know, and the essential things you need to raise a family in terms of steady income. You know, the poker thing was good. For a while we put food on the table, but I wanted to work. I wanted to be, you know, back in back in the game, so I gave Rodney a call. And Rodney said parse was looking for a punch go elite punch. You No. And at that time, I was willing to take anything. So I came over and I interviewed, and three days later, you know, I got the call when I started the following Monday. That was September 11 2009, oblique 2010 story started here's the punch card now I love it. Yes. Yes. And that Well, yes, you birthdays so forth. And I started analytics starting
on 11 in parks. Yes, two years since Yes, I've you know what, you know, I remember I remember when you came on board, and you were you know, that that whole group man al, they'll love some icons as guys still do and everything else and it's been interesting to see you transition to move up and to do things. You know, we didn't interact that much because I you know, I was doing that at that time. But, you know, we had a big big shop up there in Harrisburg and you punch in I think, you know, really say parks back there doing that was that Sun City project man? Yes. You know, it was on this recession proof and and you know, it was it was a that was a difficult time for parks I obviously didn't he didn't see that. But now many of you are here and you know, the the search market is starting to come back. Right. You're punching full time back on hourly and that's not a lucrative pay job. So you know, you're punching a good bid that you like that versus the other.
To be honest at first, No, I didn't. You know, I actually wanted to trim When I came here, but, you know, I was willing to take anything to get in the door to work, you know, to work my way up. I felt like if somebody here just gave me opportunity, I would I would do well. You know, because I had the experience and you know, that drive to work.
Yeah. That was also a drive that was a 50 you know, 4550
minutes. An hour drive back and forth every day. Yeah, it was it was a lot of hours. It was a lot of hours, which, you know, really helped out with the pay. You know, that kind of all set, you know that the production end of it? Yeah. So but I learned a lot when I came here, because the other companies the punch jobs are different than the ones here. I really learned a lot when I came here as far as you know how you guys do things?
What do you mean the punch is different
at other companies like a punch list for them with me, you know, you go check a gas test and that's it. We're here you know, we go above and beyond to make sure it's right. You know, and this was the first company that I've seen ever do that.
You actually do some work?
Yes. Yes. You're not just looking at a gas test and calling it and basically letting the inspection department pump styles for you. You know, you fail the house and you fix what they what they write up and then it's done. You know, part parts done things a lot different when I came here as far as that the quality Here is by far the best in the industry, I believe. And I'm not saying that because I work here. I'm saying that because when I came here, that's what was focused on was the quality of the work.
It was dad's bread and butter man, that was what he believed in. And I think, you know, some of that was his past experiences, kind of like, you know, I remember coming home from college one time and and i think their failure rate was in the 30s. And, you know, he had three beeper in a house back we had beepers and next tail, you know, next, you know, to weigh next tails and everything. He had three of them and he's trying to run schedule on the set the other and, you know, I can see he was really struggling at that point. And it speaks volumes and how he came out and did that. And, you know, there's a lot of similarities and I hear from your story, and that story, you know, and and, you know, that's the Very powerful. And so you know your talk a little bit more. So you say, Father, and He passes away. Well, your sister
four years ago,
he lived with you up until that point.
He did. He did. And the biggest, I would say the biggest conflict me and him have was after, you know, after my son was born, my wife had some complications. She had to stay behind in the hospital and I'll bring him home. And, you know, it's kind of like, he took him over to say, I was like, you know, at nighttime, I felt like it was my job, you know, to raise my kid get up and feed him and stuff. He was like, Oh, let me do it. Let me do it. You need to sleep. Yeah, I was like, No man need to work. But you're looking back on that. I think that was a real enjoyment for my father. To take care of him. Nicholas was a young age when he passed away, maybe 434, something like that. But I do Do know that him and my dad had a bond that that Nicholas, don't talk about it much now, but I do know they had a bond that muscle remember forever.
So that's priceless.
It is man and they hung out all the time when I was working, you know, they would be in the yard hanging out. You know, he taught my son how to take doors off when he was a young age, just, you know, just teaching them and I really think my dad enjoyed that. So much like he he missed some of that time with me and my brother. So it's like he was making it up with him. At some time some points. Yes, yeah. Yeah, it was at some point time. But, you know, I also saw, you know how happy My father was doing that.
But it was hard. You know, sometimes, it's this
kind of bittersweet, right? Yeah. I got to enjoy the real Hey, man, you steal my thunder, man. Yes, we're supposed to be doing
Yeah, I told him that a couple times. He was like, nah, nah, nah, nah. But you know, that was that was his that was his buddy, buddy covenant buddy
well my well you know that story is you know just I haven't heard it like this and it just thinking back man it was raised here my see how I can see all of the signs of how you adapt to those things and you've become a better person because of what you said earlier about that of you know, you would change any of you for that matter amount of money because it's it helped mold you into today. New York today. It speaks volumes about your leadership. You know, I mean, I think people hear me say this all the time. It's not about you know, they don't feel movies about the guy or girl it's on top. They film The story of how they got to the top. Yeah, right. And that that is you know, you shared this has been very, very inspirational and doing it what but you know, my answer to question one, why do you think it is that you mean, you could have been another statistic Dad went to prison, you know, he felt he could fall into the same kind of traps he did, and do all that. But she didn't you know, and then you you know, you work through there's a lot of people that were in construction network, you know, coming out of their session, they were not even doing it, they're doing something else. You know, you you do that the whole game one thing one kind of for you, you know, long term and everything else like what what do you think it? If you had to think about it real quick, and I'm trying to put you on the spot, but I am. Why, why why did you not do that? Why did you pick the harder? I mean, really the hardest thing to do? Well,
I would say
you know, my mother told me at a young age, you know, to be somebody you have to put in the work. So that she molded that into me a lot. And I would say my mother worked, you know, two and three jobs to support us to make sure we had food On the table and you know, a roof over our head, and I always wanted to be somebody that my kids could look up to when I had kids at that age. But I also knew that, you know, when I was a new guess when I was dating, Alicia, I kind of had to fill in the distance while Mary you know, and I wanted to be able to support my family, you know, not depend on anybody else.
And, you know,
early on in my heating and air, you know, journey I've learned at a young age that it takes hard work to do this. You know, it takes hard work to to support your family. But I've always, always wanted to be somebody at the end of the day. You know, I want to, I want it to be important
that you are so your board of your family and your kids, you definitely have a very important person around here. You Senior growth and everything like I said earlier this podcast has been it's been fun to watch it's been fun to watch and it speaks quality and character about all the things that you've ever come personally and and had to come overcome you know professionally some things too. I mean it's this department over here has been picked up turnover upside down and been shut, beat up. And it I think it's all for the better, right?
Yes,
yes it is. And I think it you know it not just saying that because where we are now but I do feel that it. It all has brought us to this day with you at the helm and you kind of all the crews look up to you, they respect you. They know that you know you've kind of been in your shoes and you feel and understand that there's nothing on the jobs that they don't that they can get by you because you did it. Right. And I think that still is a big thing with you know, the construction industry or even in even an H fac period is is You know, being, you know, being promoted from within and starting at the bottom and moving up is always the big thing for success. I think in this industry, you know that you kind of have paved the way they everybody knows you rough, everybody knows you train and everybody knows you've done on gas piping, you know, so like when you speak or when you host a meeting, or you're out on a jobsite, and other people listen, and everything else due to the fact of your experience. And that's, that's big man. You're kind of like the old man now he is that he had that trading guy, that older man that trains you and did all that. You're in?
Yeah. Um, and you know, man, like, here, with with our installers in the field, you know, to learn, I learned to get respect, you got to get perspective, you know, so, and also learned that it's all about how you talk to people, you know. And our installers here, you know, what you I've had some people here for 20 plus years and I don't want to come in and act like I'm stepping on their toes, you know what I mean? So I try to fit in with them and and you know, I have a real bond with those installers and I think it's simply because of what you say it up in in the trenches with them and I'm not beyond getting in the trenches with them again if need be sure and they know that you know, approach when I was punching I would rough on the weekends to get some extra hours with Peter Giovanni Franco Yeah, I would go rough you know, because I needed to make some money to support my family and you know, parts gaming opportunity, you know, we know how to punch today, but you can ruff help them guys finish. Yeah. That that's an I enjoyed that. I learned a lot about our installers by working with them, you know,
well, and as a manager, though, you sharing your story about you know, allowing your dad to come back in, you know, he had made some serious mistakes in his life. Obviously, he did. And, you know, I could learn To be more like you with that, you know that you allow people to make mistakes, and they they mess up, we've had some mess ups, right. But you've, and you've come down on them or you have had to, you know, had those tough conversations with them, but you still cared and you still did the right thing by them and stuck with him by teaching them and doing all that. And, you know, I've kind of been like mine been easy on that data person, whatever. And, you know, that's kind of how you do things and it speaks volumes that you know, like you said, you let your dad come back in after all that stuff and everything else and you were there with him. You would allow him to enjoy you know, the good things in life, you know, again, Brian, before he left a man that that's a heck of a right of a pass, man. It's like wow, wow. I can't thank you enough for sharing that and doing that and I you know, as we grow This this podcast up this has been very inspiring, it's been very appreciated the shirt shared. Well, you know, if you were if there's a young person out there, maybe listen to this or you know, somebody that is struggling with some things of, you know, their own home life or their their mom or parents maybe didn't work the perfect person and parents because nobody's you know, any any words of advice or anything that you'd like to share or say to somebody that maybe, you know, have gone through some tough things with their with their own career or with the family and what advice would you give, you
know, I would just tell them, tell a person have, you know, obviously, you know, operate a lot and put it in God's hands a lot. I would tell them first and foremost, you know, that's what you need to do. And I would also ask them, you know, where do you want to be in five years? You know, what, what do you want? What goals do you have in life? You know, and what helped me was already wrote down stuff now wrote down, hey, I want to be, you know, here in five years, you know, what do I have to do to get there, you know, and also you got to put in the work, you got to be willing to put in the work, you know, and if you put in the work, you will be rewarded. You know, it may not be in the first four or five, six years, but I promise you, if you put in the work day in and day out, you will be rewarded, you will be took care of.
That's good, man. That's really good. I appreciate you sharing that. And so we'll wrap this podcast and Mike, I can't thank you enough of how well you've done as a person. I've enjoyed getting to know Yeah, I think he's used a brother man. And, you know, you we've, we've met each other sometimes, but we've been we've loved each other but we always come back and we've been able to,
you know,
put the right right shoe forward and the right foot and do the right thing, man. I
appreciate you, man. Thank you.
Appreciate me. You're good. Do man it speaks for your character in hell. I admire you and look up to you for that too, man. I mean, today, man, I needed this today. That was so many powerful things that you said about your family and, you know. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for the opportunity, man.
Yeah, man. So hey, we're here. We're gonna wrap up this podcast again with Mike Collins. Here. That's the hearts way podcast. This is why it's signing in.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Good morning sir. How you doing?
Good good
So Mike
All right today Yes sir. Might not function might have it might malfunction. Sway goes around here sometimes good. We know Mike you uh, this this podcast all about leadership talking about their journey personally and professionally and what people want to share. It's been it's been quite fun doing some more And past I've been looking forward to this one for quite some time. So we may have to break this up in a few segments. But you know, I'm excited to do this this morning.
Yeah, yeah. So Mike, tell me
a little bit about yourself where you're from where you grew up. Tell me a little about, you know, just you might the main comments.
I was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. On July the fourth.
When I was 18 years old, I got into the heating and air industry straight out
of Whoa. You just get the time. Okay, so you boards a lot. Yes. It's a
big Estonia.
Now I was born. I was born in Charlotte. Really? You're born? Yes. presbytery.
Yes, sir. Yeah, I was. Yeah, so your name is Charlotte. Yes, sir. While yo DS are made, but hey, that's how you do. That's us people here so.
So brothers, sisters family, I have one brother. older, younger,
he is older. He lives in Stanley. I really don't have a close mom with him. He kind of does his own thing mean him to different people. So he kind of stays up that way and, you know, lives his life. He's got three kids and a wife. So he chose a different path than I did.
Say
in your mom dad's.
My mother passed away
13 years ago from cancer and my father passed away five years ago from some medical complications with liver and COPD.
So
man, thanks for sharing that man. that touches over there a little bit. So, Mike, you know growing up was would you want to be what do you want to do?
Well, I guess I was like a real kid. I wanted to be a cop. a basketball player, football player, an athlete, that I learned quickly that that wasn't for me. Well, I played basketball for a few years, but I didn't grow tall enough to really be there and in football, I never really got into play in a lot of football. I do love to watch football, preferably college.
But I just figured that sports wasn't for me.
At early age, I was maybe 1213 when I figured that out. And then I wanted to get in law enforcement and Right, right, have a high school, understanding not to go to Other Saturday go to work
today see things a whole new grown up pretty good just fine little house you know there
are yeah when I was 18 moved out and went to move to Belmont. The first place I live was a little one bedroom apartment in Belmont. I'm 18 years old Yes. Wow. Yes. And you know it was a struggle at first but I learned you know at that time my mom was around so she helped me out you know without to pay bills and you know, try to be functional one gave me ready for the real world because that's what I was in. So,
what you know if you don't mind me asking you to share 18 us wanting to move out. Because what you do now? Most most is failure to launch. Yes, most kids are you know 30 Plus, living at home mom and dad You're right, you're trying to do the opposite
your boss share a little bit about that. I did. I'm kind of, you know, when I was 18, I was kinda, you know, I wanted to do what I wanted to do. And I was living, you know, with my mother at the time and she said, some rules down and I didn't really want to buy a bomb. So she said, Well, maybe need your whole house unique and keep coming in at three and four in the morning. You know, doing what you want to do. So at that time, I said, Okay, well, I'm just gonna move out. So I got an apartment. You know, I was a rough installer at that time lead rough installer when I was 19. So I felt like, you know, I had the world on my hand. You know, I knew I knew all the answers, but for the first three months, I quickly learned I needed some help. So that's when I called on my mom to help me with that, and then she was there for me.
So you've grown up with your mom, was she the? Somebody looked up to somebody?
Yes. Yes.
What do you think what what was it about her
She had a lot of drive.
She just had a comfort level, you know, you could go to war with anything. My father wasn't around, he was in and out of prison and they they was divorced. So I stayed with my mom and my brother, he went on stage with his friends. So me and my mom had a real close bond. It was just me and her so she really took me under her wing and wanted to make sure that now I came and I made something of myself you know that I didn't fall in the wrong wrong path. So
thank you for sharing this before us about you and kind of use reason why I think you've risen is far up in the ranks as you have here. You know, as you know, you you know, our vision, right. We want to help give back to the homeless kids and kids that was you know, fortunate everything else and you growing up without a father. I'm sure that has some impact on you. Hayden and I know that that kind of vision that things really you know obviously it's close to home so yes you know i think that that that's good stuff because that's that that you know you have that passion and that drive just not only because you want to work here you get paid do all that but you know you it kind of hits close to home calling it does you know for me and our family and you know that hold on.
Yes sir.
With that so
me so your mom growing up was he looked up to and he did any male figures in your life. And I think about
not for a while. But I did meet you know when I went to to work as a rough installer stuff. I met a lot of a lot of guys my age, believe it or not, were in the industry. It was a lot different. It was back in 1996, late 96, early 97
Yeah, feels like yesterday.
It has.
So but um, you know, I met some people there and I met a guy that kind of, you know, he took me under his wing as the older guy, he was in his late 60s, and he was just kind of on the downhill side of it, but he would teach you show you how to do things and stuff and I kind of picked up a lot from you a whole lot, you know, outside of work stuff, yes, outside of work stuff, you know, he would he would teach you about life in adversity. And, you know, he always said, things are going to be easy. You just have to be able to overcome the easy things. He said, uh, you know, I've been in this industry for 45 years. So, I figured, then and there I needed to learn and soak up as much knowledge from this gentleman as I could. And we work together for about four years. You know,
that's cool that that's, you know, that's a powerful that's so good. They say you, you moved in to your own apartment. Right? Your mom has some rules and some guidelines that you didn't want to follow. Hey, everybody Show Me The Way perfect. All right, yes. See your cars really work for you. What? Why wouldn't you think it was?
Well, I did well in high school. I mean, I was an IB student in high school. We dig yourself. I did get a stop point.
Just kidding, man.
I just felt like
I didn't want to do school anymore. And I wanted to go do what I wanted to do at that age. And I said, No, I'm not longer is going to go to work. You know, when I was in high school, or worked in the supermarkets, you know, stocking shelves and stuff like that on the weekends and after school. But I wanted to do something that was gonna sit meal, you know, for a long journey. And that's why I got into heat in there actually had a friend at done hate in there. And I'm just like, Well come on over here and work with those, you know, and it was a struggle at first a real struggle. Because I guess when I was growing up, I didn't really have my father wasn't around, I guess to show me how to, you know how to build things and stuff like that. And my mother, she was always working to the bar, you know, to pay the bills and stuff. So it was a struggle at first getting into construction. I really struggled for the first year or so.
of kids will take that some of that stuff for granted. Right? How to wash a car or change a tire? Yes. Or, you know, heavy water grass or cut the grass.
A lot of these kids that we've seen that either didn't come here Do you know they
were exactly right. And I was I was One of those
kids that you adapted and you picked it up, obviously fairly quickly. Why do you think that was?
I was just very passionate, you know, wanted to make money, obviously, you know, to go out and do you know, and I was very passionate at at what I was doing and I picked it up quickly because I had a good teacher. You know, he really, he really taught me it was a lot different back then. You got paid by the hour. now now now everything's production based. So it's Hurry, hurry, hurry, it wasn't like that back then. You know, I was basically helper in training. And the demand really took me under his wing and showed me a lot of So
looking back, do you really regret not going to college?
I do not. I do not because of
I don't have really have student loans to pay No, I don't have anything like that. Um, and I got a I got a lot of knowledge, you know, if I went to college, I don't know where it would be today, you know?
I do not regret it. No, good. No,
good, good, good. Well, yeah, I mean, interrupt you there. But yeah, you said you had a good teacher. I mean, you're working, working by the hour was able to allow you some more time to think and, you know, learn, right versus just go go, go go. Yes. So, you know, like, what my What do you think? What's you changed that? Do you think like you said that and not switching gears here a little bit off you but kind of the industry. What, what was the reasoning back then? And you think that you know that somebody just didn't dream this up and say, Oh, hey, yeah, we're just going to go boom, boom, boom and switch to production. What do you think cause
your opinion. I really think
Back in the early 2000s, a lot of companies went to production base simply because it was a fixed labor in the job. You knew how much labor and material you had in that job so you knew how much he was going to profit off that job before it left the building. And also I think the installers have like the the installers just wanted in you know, a top installer back then was probably 17 $18 an hour back then. Nowadays it's you know, people won't 30 $35 an hour You know, so I really think it was a way for the company to
the labor you think kind of drove
that I think the labor drove it and I think the the actual build and market drove it
because pre or post recession. This was pre pre pre pre recession. Yes, your hourly and all that. Yes,
yes.
And I think the the market drove it as far as it was, you remember in early 2000, late late 90s it was just super busy around here. You know, it was it was work everywhere there was companies everywhere. So you know, one company was trying to figure out how to get above the other company and I really think you know, if they could get their labor to it to a certain point they knew what that was paying and then their materials and and stuff. They knew what there's no profit on the job. They could be at the job, underbid the job and get all the work which which happened. He did have them back now.
Yeah.
That's, that's powerful. Thanks for sharing. See, so you learned you started being you know, run her you're doing all those things. And you learned and did all that then tell me what, what was the next step in your growth,
our growth for a good seven, eight years
and then after a rough wanted to get into doing the trim, and the trim aspect of us in the air conditioners, you know, setting up the thermostats grill in the registers completing the job. So, I talked to the owner of the company I was working at, and I talked to him about it. And he said, Well, you know, you have to go get your CFC cords and all that stuff. So, you know, they set me up with that. And then I went tremon actually trim for three or four years, and during that time I was trimming. You know, it was up and down. In the winter, it was slow. So I would bleed over and do some service and change out stuff. So I learned a lot in that transition period of of that three or four years.
This is still pre recession.
Yes, yeah. Yeah.
You still live in the apartment.
Now, sir. Well, I am married now being married.
back then. So what
Noah was
offering, this was I will hold you to it. This was
middle 2000s. Okay, right right before this, the recession what you're 20 620 sec and roughly
maybe so you have a you pretty experienced if you don't want to say IRS by that point somewhere there,
right. Yeah. Someone will call the time. Yeah.
And by then I feel knowing a lot about construction or about a history that you know, you've weathered the storm of people getting out of it, you know, people generally do is six months to a year, two years maybe tops You know, when they're when they're in that construction world. Why did you stick it out? What what what separated you young, you know, you didn't have any student loans. You'd have a whole bunch of debt. I didn't. Yeah, so what made you stick it out?
Well, I stuck it out simply because I enjoyed the work. You did. Yes. Yes, once once I got over the first year and a half, two years. I really enjoyed what I was doing. I hated it at first. I hated it at first. I'm butchulla mana I was, I guess I was struggling really bad with it. And I thought this might not be for me. You know, not
drafters don't flex, yes. All that stuff.
Yes. But you'll learn very quickly. Or, you know, who you're working with, as far as your leader on the job, he'll know very quickly if you can do it or not. You know, I believe that so it, you know, usually 334 months, you know, for a helper if he hadn't called on how to do flex and stuff is probably not for him. You know,
but you really did
enjoy it. I did enjoy it. I did you know, I was 18, early 20s making money, you know, working 5060 hours a week.
I enjoyed it.
And the sense of accomplishment he left that day.
Yeah, you got things done. I did. And I knew I knew it was
really rewarding man. Look, there's a last trade or last thing of you know, people don't understand that. You know, that feeling of getting things done. In this age, everybody has four year colleges. And, you know, they work on a team somewhere in a corporate setting downtown setting the other, they don't really get that sense of accomplishment of like, dang, man, I accomplished XYZ today. I think I think that's a big piece that people need to, you know, either broadcast or kind of share with, you know, that it is it's hard work, but it is rewarding when you leave that day. You know, if you got some stuff done,
yes, it's very, it's very rewarding. You know, when you do a job, when you install a roof, you know, that you installed a house that somebody is going to be living in, they depend on you for their comfort, their heat and their comfort. And I always took self pride in what I did, you know, wanted it to look like I would want it in my house. So I was very, I was very, I guess, meticulous About what I did, and I did enjoy it. So obviously, you know, if you don't enjoy something, you're not going to be good at it.
And you like switching to production, but
I did not. I did not. And the reason being this comfort level I didn't, I couldn't really grasp that first. You know, I like a steady income every week, you know, and it was it's up and down with production pay, you know, you make a lot of money one week, the next week, you might not make much. So I really had to learn how to manage that money at that point. Yes. It is hard. It was very, it was very, very hard switch over I didn't want to do it for the longest.
Well, it looks like a you know, another adversity in your life that you overcame? Yeah, you did. So okay. Your mid 20s. Right. Yes. Then the recession in 18. And what? What happened? Tell me a little bit about that, at that time in your life. What was going on? Were you were you married to Alicia There
are I was married and Alicia was pregnant with Mackenzie at that time. My first child.
Yeah, I met her she's a man.
she's a she's
that's that's the word she is somewhat right there Earth. Good girl but so Alicia's married I mean, she's pregnant with Kinsey. And then the bottom falls
out. It did it fell,
remit memory or anything to
do
it maybe six or eight months you know before I got really bad. I kind of seen the writing on the wall. And I said this is not gonna be good. You know, you saw people leaving and he just saw the building market going down. So I said I need to figure out, you know, something else I can do to support me and my family. You know, Darren does Tom and I did work somewhat during the recession. He didn't I would do what I call side jobs you know things like that.
A lot of people do their food on the table man
I did um and also you know just as
soon as you get laid off or did you get did you quit or what
I got laid off and also the company I was working at went bankrupt during the recession you know, they they had a builder that you know, some something about builder didn't pay and you know, there was on the hook so, the whole company was going
and looking back I'm like,
you know that that was real shocking to me that that happened at that company. They were
small little mom and pop like two men in a truck and now it
was a it was a full blown, you know, operation. It was a full blown So that to
me, that's a lot because
it was tough. It was really tough and easy, a big company like
that. And they go out of business. You got either let go or let you know, let off. I mean it, you know, and I mean, you're married and you got a baby on the way. Yeah, your first baby to me No offense to the other babies. The first one's always everything's new smell and healing and touching. So there's like a sense of it's just different with the first one. So that's a lot.
It was a lot of stress at that time, you know?
Well, as I did some side work and, you know, I would talk to people and see if they needed anything service related that I could do. I never really tried to do anything I couldn't do because I didn't you know, I didn't want to look crazy or you know, miss something worse than it was so, you know, if I got a side job and it was all service related, I would reach out to one of my friends and you know, say hey, look, you want to go to this job? You know, we can make some money because everybody was looking for work at that time. It was it was bad.
Yeah, the parks went down from 140 hundred 50. Employees during evacuated are 14 15 million in just new construction. Yeah and to go from that down to 28 employees 37 employees you know that that hurts anybody and does hurt so I mean I get why you know people were doing what they were doing and just trying to find work so once you do that, does that work like what what happened? Um
I guess I'll tell you this and you can delete it if you want to, but I got into what I call the no limit hold'em poker world that are out there. I started playing like you start a plan some online poker and in the beginning I did fairly well. But it's like anything else. You get sec skeptical towards the end. You know, I mean, you could cash out they were seeing your check in the mail. So believe it or not poker, put food on the table, wherever Farber had for a couple of years.
Wow. So when did you start playing?
I started playing cards. I always played a little bit, but I really got serious, you know, 2009, late 2009 2010. And then you no doubt about that time or a year after I think the hairs casino opened up there. So I thought, well, maybe I can go get a job up there. And then I thought, No, that's not a good idea. I don't need to be out there. So I just, you know, hustled side jobs and did poker gigs and played some online poker and it really paid the bills and flooded the way for a while. During that time my father got released from prison. He did his time. So my father really had nowhere to go when he got
a embezzlement from the United States government.
Know It was it was a large amount of money over say a racket. Here in shower. He was a landscaper, my dad's always done landscaping all his life. He was a foreman, you know, for a bobcat. No really wasn't a piece of equipment couldn't drive. You know, but he was older at that time. And he was basically just training the younger people to do that. And then, you know, he got into drugs, to be honest. And the drugs took him down that path. And, you know, I was younger, really younger. I was, I was around 8789, you know, when you went in, and he stayed in for roughly 13 years on one charge. And then, two weeks before he was going to get released on that charge, the federal government picked him up on the indictment charges. So he had to go do nine more years. And when he got out, you know, naturally, he reached out to me. And so I went, you know, God Then bring him into my home with my wife and me. And you know, gave him a bedroom. Really? Yes. My dad lived with us for until he passed away timeout.
But this is a big piece here. Yes. So you're dead. You know, it's not like a divorce. You know, I know that. You know I have that T shirt. I've been through that I got my son and all that. You know that the counselors are people are saying that 815 Windows is there is any worse time to do it. That's that's that period. And so you're dead. It almost like he died. I mean, he's gone and he's in prison. You don't quite under you to comprehend all of it. No. But I mean, that's a lot.
It is man. And to be honest, why I probably wouldn't trade anything I've been through for an amount of money, because it's really made me a better father, a better husband. You know, it's really set me up in life to know what not what to do, you know? Yeah. So no, but not have to go down. Right.
So and so I'm sure, you know, at some point with doing, you know, gambling and betting and everything else you know that that that's different world, right, you know and you know people get intimate it's different So, you know you I'm sure that at some points during that that experience of what you went through your dad I'm not speaking for you tell me what's wrong, you know that may have helped you you know during that turn at time of again, you know gambling doing all that and being able to walk away from the table. You know what I mean or not not not getting doing something illegal, right? That way, right,
right. It did. It did. I knew that Poker thing was a
means to an end.
It was it was just a way at the time to support my family and me. So I had to do what I felt like I had to do. And it was it was stressful. It was probably the most stressful thing that I did.
Very, very stressful.
I did not because it was legal at that time alone. I did not feel ashame. I just felt like you know, I need to I didn't want to fall in the trap of this is what I'm gonna do for the rest of my life. You know, I didn't want to depend on that because that's a very dangerous situation if you do that. So always was aiming to go back to work and output in applications but you know, during the recession, and right after not no one was hiring until it pick back up.
So, you know, you're your bomb dog. What do you
think it was? Oh, it was October of 16. Believe that was
so right for the recession. Yes. And at that point did you know again, I'm not trying to, you can tell why you shut up we needed to deep there. When did you know about what's your fault? Like, what are your father? Like? Where did it kind of, you know, kind of sink in that you? That's like in prison. Everything else that was it was then or wasn't when he got out
or it. It's sunk in when I was, you know, younger because he went in when I was younger, you knew what, again, I knew what he did. Yeah. My mother was divorced. And, you know, I knew what he did. And I always tried to tell him, you know that that's a dead end road. You don't need to do this and that but the amount of money that he was getting, it was so easy for him. You know, it would be hard for somebody, you know, his age, not to do what they was doing. Yeah, it was just easy money for them.
So you know, he touched on A minute and this is very powerful because this is you know, I want to I'm eager to hear this and understand this. This is why these things are so awesome. So you did picks up and has to go away does whatever, right? Your mom sadly passes I never got to meet her She sounds like she's an awesome lady she was and you're married you go through the recession have your kids guess
your pops calls you. He did in his
he calls him treasures, bows. You know, you see stores, you hear things like pick your kids just click hang up the phone, right? They've shut they want to shut this out shut that person out of their life. They don't they don't want to be associated with them doing all that. You did the complete opposite. When you had all the chases in the world or nobody, I don't think would have thought that you were a bad person or anything else, including myself. If you just say you're dead, you know? screws for you know, what, why, why why would you? Why should you?
Because, you know, that was my father and I love my father and I respected him. You know, he was he was my father. And when he was around, he was a good father, you know, and I knew, you know, him and my mother had troubles, you know, they would argue and stuff like that. And when they got a divorce, I never really hated my father for I was actually glad because I didn't have to hear the argument stuff anymore. It was better for both of them and me and my brother at that time. But, you know, I wanted to help my dad. At that time he was he had some health issues at that time, and I knew he'd been been in prison for a while. And if you're, if you've talked to people that's been in prison for a number of years and stuff, they get what they call intuitional lost. It's very hard for them to adapt back out in public society. So I knew you know, he was going to need some help with that. You know, brung him into my home, but obviously, I talked to my wife first and she was okay with it. She was good with
these volume deals character.
So we brought him in the it was but he had nowhere else to go and I wasn't gonna let my father be on the street, you know, because it was a half hour left my father on the street, he would have either and, you know, dad at an earlier age, or he would have went right back. You're not at won't that and, you know, when he come to live with us, he was a big help. You know, he was he couldn't do a lot physically because he was he was sick at that time. Bad. You know, nobody knew how bad Not at me or him until my wife actually talked him into going to the doctor getting checked out. And we found out you know, he had cirrhosis of the liver. He had some COPD, you know, he was sick for all the from the drugs and stuff like that. Yes. Wow. So we brought him in and he helped out you know, With, with the kids. You know my wife, she was able to help him, you know, sign up for disability and stuff so he could have some income.
And he helped out tremendously with us.
Well, he was forceful. He was when he got out
he was, did everything else. He was remorseful for what he did but not remorseful for taking the money from the government. He was out. He hates the government. So, but he was very remorseful that he missed a long stretch of time with us, you know, think that was more of what he was worried about, you know, but we did a lot of kitchen at that time. Yeah, I spent a lot of time with him.
So you are you working and still doing the thing?
I was still doing online poker at that time. And
my father was at home and me and the kids and Alicia was out one day and my father called me and he said, Hey, Rodney Rodney bone come by here. He Rodney lived a couple roads over from Mama life. So and I knew I knew Ronnie for a long time, he was actually the manager and yellow was when I got a job there. He came by and knocked on the door was looking for me. I hadn't talked to Rodney in a long time. And at that time, Rodney was working here at parks. So I said, Okay, dad, I'll give him a call. And, you know, at that time, I was kind of, you know, in in the limbo of, hey, I need to, I've got to get back to work. You know, I need insurance for my family. You know, and the essential things you need to raise a family in terms of steady income. You know, the poker thing was good. For a while we put food on the table, but I wanted to work. I wanted to be, you know, back in back in the game, so I gave Rodney a call. And Rodney said parse was looking for a punch go elite punch. You No. And at that time, I was willing to take anything. So I came over and I interviewed, and three days later, you know, I got the call when I started the following Monday. That was September 11 2009, oblique 2010 story started here's the punch card now I love it. Yes. Yes. And that Well, yes, you birthdays so forth. And I started analytics starting
on 11 in parks. Yes, two years since Yes, I've you know what, you know, I remember I remember when you came on board, and you were you know, that that whole group man al, they'll love some icons as guys still do and everything else and it's been interesting to see you transition to move up and to do things. You know, we didn't interact that much because I you know, I was doing that at that time. But, you know, we had a big big shop up there in Harrisburg and you punch in I think, you know, really say parks back there doing that was that Sun City project man? Yes. You know, it was on this recession proof and and you know, it was it was a that was a difficult time for parks I obviously didn't he didn't see that. But now many of you are here and you know, the the search market is starting to come back. Right. You're punching full time back on hourly and that's not a lucrative pay job. So you know, you're punching a good bid that you like that versus the other.
To be honest at first, No, I didn't. You know, I actually wanted to trim When I came here, but, you know, I was willing to take anything to get in the door to work, you know, to work my way up. I felt like if somebody here just gave me opportunity, I would I would do well. You know, because I had the experience and you know, that drive to work.
Yeah. That was also a drive that was a 50 you know, 4550
minutes. An hour drive back and forth every day. Yeah, it was it was a lot of hours. It was a lot of hours, which, you know, really helped out with the pay. You know, that kind of all set, you know that the production end of it? Yeah. So but I learned a lot when I came here, because the other companies the punch jobs are different than the ones here. I really learned a lot when I came here as far as you know how you guys do things?
What do you mean the punch is different
at other companies like a punch list for them with me, you know, you go check a gas test and that's it. We're here you know, we go above and beyond to make sure it's right. You know, and this was the first company that I've seen ever do that.
You actually do some work?
Yes. Yes. You're not just looking at a gas test and calling it and basically letting the inspection department pump styles for you. You know, you fail the house and you fix what they what they write up and then it's done. You know, part parts done things a lot different when I came here as far as that the quality Here is by far the best in the industry, I believe. And I'm not saying that because I work here. I'm saying that because when I came here, that's what was focused on was the quality of the work.
It was dad's bread and butter man, that was what he believed in. And I think, you know, some of that was his past experiences, kind of like, you know, I remember coming home from college one time and and i think their failure rate was in the 30s. And, you know, he had three beeper in a house back we had beepers and next tail, you know, next, you know, to weigh next tails and everything. He had three of them and he's trying to run schedule on the set the other and, you know, I can see he was really struggling at that point. And it speaks volumes and how he came out and did that. And, you know, there's a lot of similarities and I hear from your story, and that story, you know, and and, you know, that's the Very powerful. And so you know your talk a little bit more. So you say, Father, and He passes away. Well, your sister
four years ago,
he lived with you up until that point.
He did. He did. And the biggest, I would say the biggest conflict me and him have was after, you know, after my son was born, my wife had some complications. She had to stay behind in the hospital and I'll bring him home. And, you know, it's kind of like, he took him over to say, I was like, you know, at nighttime, I felt like it was my job, you know, to raise my kid get up and feed him and stuff. He was like, Oh, let me do it. Let me do it. You need to sleep. Yeah, I was like, No man need to work. But you're looking back on that. I think that was a real enjoyment for my father. To take care of him. Nicholas was a young age when he passed away, maybe 434, something like that. But I do Do know that him and my dad had a bond that that Nicholas, don't talk about it much now, but I do know they had a bond that muscle remember forever.
So that's priceless.
It is man and they hung out all the time when I was working, you know, they would be in the yard hanging out. You know, he taught my son how to take doors off when he was a young age, just, you know, just teaching them and I really think my dad enjoyed that. So much like he he missed some of that time with me and my brother. So it's like he was making it up with him. At some time some points. Yes, yeah. Yeah, it was at some point time. But, you know, I also saw, you know how happy My father was doing that.
But it was hard. You know, sometimes, it's this
kind of bittersweet, right? Yeah. I got to enjoy the real Hey, man, you steal my thunder, man. Yes, we're supposed to be doing
Yeah, I told him that a couple times. He was like, nah, nah, nah, nah. But you know, that was that was his that was his buddy, buddy covenant buddy
well my well you know that story is you know just I haven't heard it like this and it just thinking back man it was raised here my see how I can see all of the signs of how you adapt to those things and you've become a better person because of what you said earlier about that of you know, you would change any of you for that matter amount of money because it's it helped mold you into today. New York today. It speaks volumes about your leadership. You know, I mean, I think people hear me say this all the time. It's not about you know, they don't feel movies about the guy or girl it's on top. They film The story of how they got to the top. Yeah, right. And that that is you know, you shared this has been very, very inspirational and doing it what but you know, my answer to question one, why do you think it is that you mean, you could have been another statistic Dad went to prison, you know, he felt he could fall into the same kind of traps he did, and do all that. But she didn't you know, and then you you know, you work through there's a lot of people that were in construction network, you know, coming out of their session, they were not even doing it, they're doing something else. You know, you you do that the whole game one thing one kind of for you, you know, long term and everything else like what what do you think it? If you had to think about it real quick, and I'm trying to put you on the spot, but I am. Why, why why did you not do that? Why did you pick the harder? I mean, really the hardest thing to do? Well,
I would say
you know, my mother told me at a young age, you know, to be somebody you have to put in the work. So that she molded that into me a lot. And I would say my mother worked, you know, two and three jobs to support us to make sure we had food On the table and you know, a roof over our head, and I always wanted to be somebody that my kids could look up to when I had kids at that age. But I also knew that, you know, when I was a new guess when I was dating, Alicia, I kind of had to fill in the distance while Mary you know, and I wanted to be able to support my family, you know, not depend on anybody else.
And, you know,
early on in my heating and air, you know, journey I've learned at a young age that it takes hard work to do this. You know, it takes hard work to to support your family. But I've always, always wanted to be somebody at the end of the day. You know, I want to, I want it to be important
that you are so your board of your family and your kids, you definitely have a very important person around here. You Senior growth and everything like I said earlier this podcast has been it's been fun to watch it's been fun to watch and it speaks quality and character about all the things that you've ever come personally and and had to come overcome you know professionally some things too. I mean it's this department over here has been picked up turnover upside down and been shut, beat up. And it I think it's all for the better, right?
Yes,
yes it is. And I think it you know it not just saying that because where we are now but I do feel that it. It all has brought us to this day with you at the helm and you kind of all the crews look up to you, they respect you. They know that you know you've kind of been in your shoes and you feel and understand that there's nothing on the jobs that they don't that they can get by you because you did it. Right. And I think that still is a big thing with you know, the construction industry or even in even an H fac period is is You know, being, you know, being promoted from within and starting at the bottom and moving up is always the big thing for success. I think in this industry, you know that you kind of have paved the way they everybody knows you rough, everybody knows you train and everybody knows you've done on gas piping, you know, so like when you speak or when you host a meeting, or you're out on a jobsite, and other people listen, and everything else due to the fact of your experience. And that's, that's big man. You're kind of like the old man now he is that he had that trading guy, that older man that trains you and did all that. You're in?
Yeah. Um, and you know, man, like, here, with with our installers in the field, you know, to learn, I learned to get respect, you got to get perspective, you know, so, and also learned that it's all about how you talk to people, you know. And our installers here, you know, what you I've had some people here for 20 plus years and I don't want to come in and act like I'm stepping on their toes, you know what I mean? So I try to fit in with them and and you know, I have a real bond with those installers and I think it's simply because of what you say it up in in the trenches with them and I'm not beyond getting in the trenches with them again if need be sure and they know that you know, approach when I was punching I would rough on the weekends to get some extra hours with Peter Giovanni Franco Yeah, I would go rough you know, because I needed to make some money to support my family and you know, parts gaming opportunity, you know, we know how to punch today, but you can ruff help them guys finish. Yeah. That that's an I enjoyed that. I learned a lot about our installers by working with them, you know,
well, and as a manager, though, you sharing your story about you know, allowing your dad to come back in, you know, he had made some serious mistakes in his life. Obviously, he did. And, you know, I could learn To be more like you with that, you know that you allow people to make mistakes, and they they mess up, we've had some mess ups, right. But you've, and you've come down on them or you have had to, you know, had those tough conversations with them, but you still cared and you still did the right thing by them and stuck with him by teaching them and doing all that. And, you know, I've kind of been like mine been easy on that data person, whatever. And, you know, that's kind of how you do things and it speaks volumes that you know, like you said, you let your dad come back in after all that stuff and everything else and you were there with him. You would allow him to enjoy you know, the good things in life, you know, again, Brian, before he left a man that that's a heck of a right of a pass, man. It's like wow, wow. I can't thank you enough for sharing that and doing that and I you know, as we grow This this podcast up this has been very inspiring, it's been very appreciated the shirt shared. Well, you know, if you were if there's a young person out there, maybe listen to this or you know, somebody that is struggling with some things of, you know, their own home life or their their mom or parents maybe didn't work the perfect person and parents because nobody's you know, any any words of advice or anything that you'd like to share or say to somebody that maybe, you know, have gone through some tough things with their with their own career or with the family and what advice would you give, you
know, I would just tell them, tell a person have, you know, obviously, you know, operate a lot and put it in God's hands a lot. I would tell them first and foremost, you know, that's what you need to do. And I would also ask them, you know, where do you want to be in five years? You know, what, what do you want? What goals do you have in life? You know, and what helped me was already wrote down stuff now wrote down, hey, I want to be, you know, here in five years, you know, what do I have to do to get there, you know, and also you got to put in the work, you got to be willing to put in the work, you know, and if you put in the work, you will be rewarded. You know, it may not be in the first four or five, six years, but I promise you, if you put in the work day in and day out, you will be rewarded, you will be took care of.
That's good, man. That's really good. I appreciate you sharing that. And so we'll wrap this podcast and Mike, I can't thank you enough of how well you've done as a person. I've enjoyed getting to know Yeah, I think he's used a brother man. And, you know, you we've, we've met each other sometimes, but we've been we've loved each other but we always come back and we've been able to,
you know,
put the right right shoe forward and the right foot and do the right thing, man. I
appreciate you, man. Thank you.
Appreciate me. You're good. Do man it speaks for your character in hell. I admire you and look up to you for that too, man. I mean, today, man, I needed this today. That was so many powerful things that you said about your family and, you know. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for the opportunity, man.
Yeah, man. So hey, we're here. We're gonna wrap up this podcast again with Mike Collins. Here. That's the hearts way podcast. This is why it's signing in.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai