BACK TO CALIFORNIA!

NEW CAREER

That old home sickness struck me again so packed up and headed back to California. Charles Mussett was living in Escalon, CA with his future bride Susan and working at Kmart on Briggsmore Avenue in Modesto. I got a job there as a security guard and in the 3 months I was there, never busted anyone! Guess thats why things didn't work out so packed up again and moved back to Sacramento and moved in with Mom and Tiva. I went to the local Steelcase dealer, Capital Office Equipment knowing I could get a job with all my big city experince with the product. Unfortunatly they were not hiring, but warehouse manager Clark Britt told me I try Warren's Equipment and they would probably hire me on. Warren Wilfong was the owner and he would do anything to make a buck in the office furniture field. He also was the local Unistrut installer and even though I thought I knew everything, I quickly learned I didn't and he taught me alot. From refurbishing old office furniture including sanding, body work and painting it, building and installing lockers, reupolstery of chairs and overall reepairs of office furniture. We did installations of panel systems for furniture dealers including Capital Office and so stayed in touch. It wasn't long before Bob Gavia came to work at Warren's too.

I started with Capital in 1981 the same year I met Marchelle Caspers, the sister of Bob's girlfriend Kendalee. We had a wild summer and by the end of the year we were married in Love's Chaple in South Lake Tahoe. So with a new wife and a new job I started taking life a little more seriously. Just a little. Her parents Lowell and Millie Cook were and still are just the greatest people. Many a weekend was spent at their home especially when they moved into their custom built house on Champion Oaks. Swimming pool and bar in the summer with country music blasting what more could you ask for? We initially rented there old house on Highview Lane but they made us a killer deal and we ended up buying it.

Melissa was born on March 14, 1985. We were still living in the apartments on West El Camino, We had a 1984 Jeep CJ7 and I had a 1983 Suzuki 550ES motorcycle. Not the best equipment to haul a baby around so traded both in on a 1985 baby blue Ford Explorer II. About the time we moved in to the Highview home, Uncle Don told me about an old truck he had seen at an estate sale. We went and looked at this 1946 GMC 1 1/2 ton truck completely grown over in black berrys and needing a lot of TLC. I guess we both thought we would have fun fixing it up so he bought it and after a couple of days digging it out we had it towed to the Highview home. On May 23rd 1987, Matthew popped into the world and now I really had to take life more seriously. This meant long hours at the office and in the field which put a strain on my marriage. We seperated in early 1990. I was now in contract sales with Capital and through hard work and great support had all the major accounts under me. Still the rebel, I did my own design work, sales and even helped in the installation. Bob Gavia had started working there a year or so after I did, but things really changed when my coworker Sandra got her old boyfriend a job. His name was Ben Francis.

Ben had the same work ethic I did and with his help, we put together our own division of Capital Office Systems that had its own budget, crew and office area. Our sales were always on top along with profits so we kind of wrote our own ticket. Capital had been bought a few years earlier by some copier guys who put furniture in 2nd place. Even though we were bringing in most of the money, they used it to prop up their failing copier division. Soon my orders from Steelcase were being held up for lack of payment and the writing was on the wall. Ben, myself and about 5 others went over to the competition, UCF and upon their assurance that they were on the contract with Pacific Bell my biggest client, we put our notice in at Capital. Wow, did things hit the fan. I was threatened with law suits, and come to find out UCF was not on the contract with Pacific Bell and in their opinion not likely to. With my tail between my legs we went back to Capital but the writing was still on the wall so Ben and I with the help of his family friend Peter Sakoh started a company temporarily until we could get real jobs.