Congratulations on 40 years! We've never met. But those of us that have been doing this for 30-40 years are going away and are hard to come by.
I have been in the industry 33 years and I have no regrets. I started with Advance Fire Protection in La Habra, California in the days when they could still say that they didn't want a woman working in the design department. There were four owners- two said yes, two said no-so the design manager broke the tie and gave me the opportunity. It has been an interesting ride. Sharon Alves LP Consulting Engineers Roseville, California. Sent from my iPhone On Jul 20, 2013, at 7:39 AM, "Ron Greenman" <[email protected]> wrote: > Very nice, especially to see someone forty years later content with that > choice made that working lifetime before. > > > On Sat, Jul 20, 2013 at 7:10 AM, <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Very well said John. I don't know you, I'm pretty sure we've never met, >> but on October 1st of 1976, just three years behind you, I started my first >> day in the business with Brendle Fire Equipment in Montgomery. I worked for >> Kit and Bill and was trained by Mr. Robert Morris. I have followed your >> path in life and have the same list of memories. I believe to this day >> that sprinkler people are sprinkler people the day they are born, and >> represent some of the finest human beings to have graced this earth. I live >> and work in Phoenix Arizona and would value the opportunity to meet you. If >> you ever travel out my way, please look me up. >> Mark at Aero >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: 321 [mailto:[email protected]] >> Sent: Saturday, July 20, 2013 01:04 PM >> To: [email protected] < >> [email protected]>; John Farabee < >> [email protected]> >> Subject: Forty Years >> >> This past Tuesday, July 16th, marks the 40th anniversary of my employment >> in the Fire Sprinkler Business. >> >> On that first day, July 16th, 1973, I walked into "Automatic" Sprinkler's >> Birmingham, Al office and sat on the stool in front of a drawing board with >> a parallel bar. My new boss, Melvin Smith, came over and shook my hand and >> said "Welcome to the Fire Sprinkler business...let's get you started." I >> looked around at the other drawing boards in the office and the plans that >> they were working on and thought to my self "Look at all the detail on >> those plans...wonder what all of that is?". It wasn't long before I found >> out. >> >> I look back on the changes that we have seen in the last 40 years in this >> business. Welded Cross Mains and Grooved Fittings, Thin Wall Pipe, >> Mechanical Tees, Grid Systems, Computer Hydraulics, (remember Alan >> Johnson's first Wang set up in the '70's), Horizontal Sidewall Heads, CPVC >> Pipe, Residential Heads and Systems, CAD, ESFR and High Challenge Heads, >> and on and on...I tell the younger guys that work for me that when I first >> started we had 3: different sprinklers: Upright, Pendent and Sidewall. Now >> I think there are in excess of 250 different heads listed on Reliable and >> Tyco's head charts. >> >> Some times I get told that I am an "Antique" and my methods aren't >> applicable to today's world...but it all still works. I tell my >> salesmen...give me a preliminary, you have to know what you sold because if >> you don't it only gets worse from your desk to the field. I tell my >> designers...Put tie down dimensions on EVERYTHING...they argue that "but >> boss...it's CAD...it doesn't matter. I send them out to work a week in the >> field laying out the garbage they drew and that usually cures the dimension >> issue. I tell every one in the building..."It's all about the POJ (Pipe on >> Job) date...that's the schedule nucleus...be the first trade in" The same >> principals apply today that applied 40 years ago. >> >> I learned from At Bateman to write the proposal before preparing the >> estimate. I thought he was crazy but it makes perfect sense. I learned from >> Chuck Hura that if you have backlog you can manage it to become >> profitable...but with no backlog...you can't even cover your fixed cost. >> >> Today...we face new challenges that we never dreamed of 40 years ago. >> Microbial Induced Corrosion and spontaneous failure of CPVC Pipe and >> Fittings. An economy that has been on it's back struggling for the past 6~7 >> years with business failures that would have seemed impossible a generation >> ago. >> >> Yet with all of the challenges, the Fire Sprinkler Industry has become a >> serious force in the world. Forty years ago we were only involved in a job >> if an insurance company mandated it...now we are in every building code >> that there is. >> >> Looking back on this I reflect and ponder my future and how much longer I >> will stay with this. My wife asked me "Well you've put 40 years into >> it...what know?" I replied well...I've had a good run for the past 40 >> years...I guess I'll stick with this "Sprinkler Gig"..it's been good to me >> so far!! >> >> John W. Farabee >> Vice President >> Bass United Fire and Security >> Pompano Beach, Fl >> >> >> 561-707-5150 >> _______________________________________________ >> Sprinklerforum mailing list >> [email protected] >> >> http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Sprinklerforum mailing list >> [email protected] >> >> http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org > > > > -- > Ron Greenman > Instructor > Fire Protection Engineering Technology > Bates Technical College > 1101 So. Yakima Ave. > Tacoma, WA 98405 > > [email protected] > > http://www.bates.ctc.edu/fireprotection/ > > 253.680.7346 > 253.576.9700 (cell) > > Member: > ASEE, SFPE, ASCET, NFPA, AFSA, NFSA, AFAA, NIBS, WSAFM, WFC, WFSC > > They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations. -Francis Bacon, > essayist, philosopher, and statesman (1561-1626) > _______________________________________________ > Sprinklerforum mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/listinfo.cgi/sprinklerforum-firesprinkler.org
