Changes...

From May 2010

Almost 5 years ago I decided to work for what was clearly the underdog shop in Grand Junction. Other shops "looked" nicer, but I thought why not? I like a challenge. Late that year I talked Chris into hiring my #1 team-mate Mary. With Mary on board, and a full work commitment from Gregory Luck we blasted forward. In 2008 we were voted Best in the West for bike shop. Late that same year, wonder of all wonders, we became a Trek dealership. The years of having to try and sell sub-par bikes was over! With Trek, and a town that loves to ride bikes, we just kept growing. George Rosingana came on board for 09 and despite the economy slump we flourished by giving the best customer service period. With Geo's handyman skills the shops look was updated and I felt the shops presence finally was beginning to match our service and our product. We were getting people on bikes and changing lives. I'm proud of the stores growth and reputation during the years Mary and I managed it. I'm also very thankful for the customers that decide to put a value on good customer service, not just lowest price. So many of you have become our friends, and we are proud to see where bikes are taking you. They've taken us to amazing places and will continue to do so, the adventure is still in full swing.

Despite all this, some things have to come to an end. Frustratingly, the direction Mary and I have tried to take the store is not the direction that Chris wants to take it. I'm not sure what direction that is, but I wish him the best. We've learned so much while working at Brown Cycles and I am thankful for the years we've spent there. I have no regrets.

(The text below is from my best friend Keith, it's one of the nicest things I've ever been sent, especially given our current place in life. Thanks Buddy!)

I was thinking last night how I:
Got fired from my restaurant job just before I went into the Navy....

Got dropped from my School in the Navy (kept me from having a “good” job in the Navy)
(if you want to talk low of lows... it's pretty low to fail out of a Navy school...)

But then (even after only just getting buy in High School) I graduated with an Engineering Degree.....
And then went on to NOT get offered an Engineering Job at the place I had worked for 2.5 years as a drafter.....

Next I had a race between getting fired and quitting at my first real engineering job (I put in my two weeks and they told me to go ahead and leave right then.....)

After that things got much better, I found a couple engineering jobs I liked and went on to probably one of the “best” jobs in my field.....

In some ways I’m sure some people could look at where I am and think I’m a failure…my current job not even requiring a degree much less an engineering degree; making 20K less that I could have been etc…. But I’ve never felt more like a success (it’s all in the eyes of the beholder).

I guess my point is there have been lots of times I “failed” at certain things but I certainly didn’t think of myself as a failure (ok maybe I did at first). Life is a funny thing and things seem to work out for the best… I’d say the people I feel the sorriest for are the ones that work the same boring job for years and years just because it never really got bad enough for them to quit….