Freelance work sustained us upon arrival in Elko, NV, and grew to include the new practice that hired my bride as a medical assistant. Once we settled in, I took gigs selling radio advertising for two station owners before training new radio sales reps for a third. Lessons from David and Chris back in Milwaukee were illustrated with anecdotes from my decades of sales experience. One of those radio stations shared its newscaster, Lori, with the local NBC TV affiliate.
Lori introduced me to the station manager, Terry, another local radio veteran. My prior video production experience was slim but adequate for a gig selling, writing, and producing local TV ads. Occasionally, I’d shoot something for the news, operate a studio camera, or repair the TelePrompTer when it died. The high desert is home to few pirates, and two TV advertisers, in particular, liked the cut of my jib.
Mike ran Plumbline Mechanical, a family-owned plumbing & HVAC business. As I shot the company’s wrapped vehicles, he asked me to crop out the web address, as he didn’t feel it was ready for prime time. While shooting, I suggested he get his site fixed, which led to an in-house marketing gig. Duties there grew to include day-to-day management of his Benjamin Moore Signature paint store. Working closely with Wally, the sales manager, the company enjoyed considerable success.
Lane ran The Pizza Barn, a family-owned restaurant that enjoyed a legacy position in the market. For decades, he'd bought "packages" from the salesfolk at area stations, and he was surprised that I didn’t want to get to the pitch, but discuss how his business was doing before suggesting he buy from me. Becoming his trusted advisor, we leveraged his budget for all stations more thoughtfully, providing dubs of my ads to competing stations to ensure consistent branding.
Sharing an authentic Chicago-style pizza recipe, I gave Lane a pan & plier set one Christmas so he could play. Volunteering my palette in the interest of science, he nailed it right from the start. The Chicago Style Pizza became his number two seller, right behind the Tostada Pizza, a local favorite after winning the "suggestions from our staff" contest.
Serving as the Vice President of the local car club, the Morrodders, fed my automotive jones. Taking photos of every registered vehicle to create slide shows for the Sunday awards programs was a hit at the annual shows. Five years passed in a blink, and learning we were soon to be grandparents, my Sweet Pea and I bought an RV, burning rubber on our way back to Florida. Much of our trip was spent discussing whether to keep or sell it after the move. The point was moot.
Our heated debate ended in flames in Chattanooga when a fuel line let go, dousing a hot exhaust manifold with gasoline. Blasting through orange barrels as we pulled to a stop, we got the pets out and watched as the bastard burned down to the waterline. Summoning my sisu, I unhitched our Sonata, piled our menagerie into the back seat, and continued to our new digs in Miramar, FL. Losing much of our treasure, we left clothes, appliances, televisions, and other loot behind as we motored on. When we arrived, I landed a day job in B2B sales at Apple, with benefits and everything.
In the fifteen years that followed, as Jeannee taught our four grandkids to swim, I opened OOMM 4.0. Lane back in Elko remained a client for several years, enjoying updated radio ads. David, the Lee Monster, is now the voice of Football on Westwood One Radio. We had a ball updating his website and launching his labor of love: The Titletown Music Archive. Tune in to enjoy music from the Lombardi era. And Chris (yes, that Chris) discovered my radio services website and suggested we reconnect. Sadly, I now have the time. A few days short of our 25th anniversary, Jeannee lost her second battle with cancer, leaving me to sally forth solo. Grateful for our years together, I retired from Apple and charted a 1,700 mile course back to the god-forsaken hinterlands of Michigan. Loading a lifetime into a 26' U-Haul truck, I trailered my ‘68 Ford, and shipped my Santa Fe Sport to friends in the area.
Shadow and I slept in the truck for two nights, just a could of road dogs. Despite a flat on the trailer and the front fender on the Ford turning into a kite, we made it to Brethren, MI in three days.
