The biggest picture on my work van is of Kevin. Kevin was my apprentice; he left my company and the wood flooring industry last year to pursue some personal goals and learn new things. I was asked recently how I felt about having his photo on my van, and this was my response.
Kevin came to me as a 17-year-old boy who hadn’t experienced the world quite yet. He was shy, timid, skinny and a little nerdy. He took a serious interest in the trade and had some hands-on smarts—right from the get-go. His first week working with me, I had him free-hand routing a medallion into a floor.
Over the next four years, we grew pretty dang tight. He referred to me as his “work dad” and my wife, Andrea, as his “work mom.” We did everything we could for him and went through lots of growing up and maturing with him over the years—to put it lightly!
This photo of him on my van is something I’m incredibly proud of.
The floor he is lying on is one he did on his own. It’s 100 percent custom; every piece was hand-cut and milled by him. He did the design, the layout, the milling, the install and the sanding and finishing completely on his own. The photo was taken after he glued the last piece in during installation, but I can tell you that the sand and finish quality of that floor was just as impressive as the install.
That photo represents four years of learning, dedication and long hours learning math. Best of all, it represents friendship and a commitment.
I made a promise to him that if he let me teach him this trade, he would never go hungry, and he would always have something to fall back on, even if I’m no longer around.
That photo represents the kept promise I made to him and his kept promise made to me.
He can go anywhere in this world and walk right in to work with the most elite craftsmen and fit in—no questions asked.
When Kevin came to us, he was a shy, timid and skinny 17-year-old boy. When he left, he had skills he can fall back on for the rest of his life.
I have the privilege of walking out and getting in that van every morning, and those memories are with me.
See, what I do isn’t just about the paycheck.
I genuinely love what I do. I leave a part of myself in every project, and it’s important to me that the people who work with me are in it for the right reasons.
You can get a job anywhere, but a career where you leave a piece of you in everything you do? That builds character, and character is something that can never be taken away.
The kid on the side of my van has the best pieces of me that I could give him. And I genuinely hope he learned as much from me as I did from him.
