Joel.. I'm sure you know... if you need any references... you can get plenty here... best of luck, and I don't think you will have any trouble finding work, or if you go on your own you will do fine if not better..

Joel, Sorry, but you know, I think that your old boss is the one who is going to be sorry he lost a revenue stream. Send me your resume, there is lots of work up here? Do ya like the COLD??..Terry

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Joel,

I didn't get a chance to get online yesterday, so I just read the thread. I think it's the best thing that could  ever have happened to you. With you knowledge and skills, you don't need to be working for someone else, you need to be working for JOEL.

Consider getting a SBA loan and start your own business. I'm willing to bet that in a year or so, you'll feel like sending your previous employer a Thank You card for letting you go.

GOOD LUCK buddy

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Hey Joel the SBA thing is for real. I have a buddy in town here that has your same talents. He got tired of working for dealerships (too political). He got a SBA opened his own shop and now does trans repair for all of the local dealers. (They decided to farm it out to him). He hired 1 other guy to do general repair. (Oil changes, plugs, brakes, etc.
Now he hired another guy and is buyin trucks and wrecker beds and puttin these together in another shop. I think this is the business he is gonna retire off of since there seems to be an extreme mark up on these units.

My Brother in law has a transmission and auto repair shop in Shawnee Oklahoma.  His trans builder is his top paid position.  And, when he losses his builder, it's a scramble.  He says that builder makes more than he does most months.  If you would be interested in that much of a move I can ask him.  Also, if you want me to see if he knows of a job down here I can do that to. I'll PM you my phone number.

 

Jack

ok , Joel , think i can start believing it ...  as they already mentioned , start your own bussines , why not ? i did it 6 years ago and no sorry at all up till now ! And i give'd up a good payed job as engineer to try it on my own. Ok , there was some stress involved and it is not all that simple to start a business but as you are now in that position , i should try it.

Don't know how in the US , but over here we generaly see that making $$$ ( real profit ) begins after 3 tot 4 years.So if you can live with it not earning  that much a few years and accept that , you have a good start....

What i underestimated was the money that's "under"  payement time. Chemical and petrochemical over here pay correctly but on 1 , 2 even somethimes 3 months. So as your bussines grows also that amount grows : so average we have 2 months income "under"  our clients , and that stays that way , only grows with your activitys.It's like money i shall only recieve once i stop the bussines.In the beginning years i had somethimes the feeling we should have stopped works for 2 months to recover finance but ofcourse that's not possible...  

 

  

But ofcourse sometimes you can be proud ( and happy ) to finish a job and be ready for delivery :

a stacked heat-exchanger ( 2 x dia 840 mm x 6000 ) with 400 U- tubes in stainless steel for heating gas at 60 bars.... today we are pressure testing after 2 weeks hard labor....!( hope my calculations are right ...  )

www.vette.be/ww1.jpg

www.vette.be/ww2.jpg

 

Joel:

Would have loaned you one of my pole barns no problem, but don't think that would have been feasible.  I agree with others here...start your own business!  With your knowledge and sense of humor you'll have word of mouth advertising in no time, and that's the best kind to have.  Maybe you can specialize in Vette transmissions?!

Anyway, hang in there, be yourself, hire your wife as your business manager, your kids as shop assistants, and put your name on the door.  Who can use the money garnered from your talent more...you or "them"?  At least this way you control your destiny.

Keep us all posted as to how it goes, and know we're rootin for ya!

Joel, sorry to hear about the bad news. You give me the impression of a very  knowledgeable person. Don't let this get ya down. It'll get better and this will just be a bad memory.

Dave