Doug LeClair, now sole proprietor at Papillion, Neb.-based LeClair Wood Floors, had an unforgettable experience early in his career:
“While I was working for a company in the early ’90s, we were contracted to refinish a large night club/billiards hall on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, Calif., overnight during the graveyard shift. One evening, while sanding, I saw someone peeking through the window from outside. At first I thought it was somebody goofing around. Not thinking much about it, I went to get something from the van, which was parked in the back alley. As I walked out, in the corner of my eye I noticed someone up against the building—with a shotgun aimed in my direction. Without skipping a beat, I turned toward him and said a long, ‘Heeellllooooo.’ It was a cop. He started asking the usual questions: ‘What are you doing here?’, etc. I told him and invited him inside to look around. The cops came into our job site, looked around, then left. It turns out the silent alarm to the jewelry store next door had gone off—I think one of my coworkers was crawling around in the building’s rafters 20 feet above one of the stages. There may or may not have been alcohol involved!”
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