Page 48 - Gary's Book - Final Copy 7.9.2017_Active

Takin’ Care of Business

I had the typical jobs (job means just over broke) [Chuckle, chuckle!] as a
youngster like delivering newspapers, selling lotions door to door for Watkins and

Fuller Brush, restaurant kitchen duties and farming.

Early on, it was apparent that I desired to work with people because it was
rewarding to watch them accept what I was doing. In my professional career and
family life, I learned not to sell to people but to “condition” them to accept my
proposal by seeing the value and have them act. People say they do not want to be

a salesman because it has a negative connotation, but, in life, you are selling all the
time; you’re selling yourself - to your date, wife, family, kids, and boss. For me, it
is a natural process.

During summers, I worked full-time or part-time since I needed the income. It
became apparent that good references and networking were keys to staying
employed. My first exposure to such was when a preacher introduced me to the
owner of Kirk Construction Company. Thomas Kirk was a religious man with a

large family of all girls. He needed a “gofer,” so he chose me. Since this involved
demolishing houses, I became an expert with a ten-pound sledge hammer and at
driving his truck or station wagon to pick up last minute materials for a job site. I
enjoyed this job during the summers of 1957 and 1958 until he decided to sell the

business.

Mr. Kirk referred me to a supplier and friend who did his promotional material and
owned a lithography printing company in downtown St. Louis. That job included
camera work, printing and delivering printed products all over the city. Afterwards,
Ed Fecker, the owner of Copy Cat Reproduction Company, said I had an innate
ability to sell, so he gave me a job opportunity to embellish that skill. I worked for

Copy Cat selling promotional materials during the summers of 1959 and 1960.

Being interested in repairing my car, I got acquainted with Lloyd Davidson, the
local owner of the Sinclair Service Station, where I got another job. At first, I
pumped gas, washed windshields, checked the air in the tires, did some oil changes
and made minor repairs. It was a real learning curve. Then Lloyd decided to help
me get acquainted with the AAA Towing Service where I began working around

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