Colorado to 1971
I think I mentioned that I went to work for a manufacturers rep in 1966. Sam Barnhill was the owner and was new to the components end of electronic sales, at least in Colorado . As I mentioned Hewlett Packard became a good client. We developed a very good relationship with engineering and purchasing. I discovered early on that the little extra things you do make a big difference in loyalty and trust. I remember an instance where HP needed a part to finish a project. The buyer asked if we could rush delivery. I contacted the company and they flew the part to Denver and my sweet wife Ellen picked it up and drove it to Loveland, the same day. The buyer was impressed, more by Ellen than by me! We went on to be good friends with this buyer and went on vacation with he and his wife to the Grand Tetons (Wyoming if you didn't know). While there camping he and I decided it would be good fun to tube the Yellowstone river. It was about 10 miles to the nearest dam where you were required to exit (or die I guess). Our wives kindly drove to the drop spot and picked us up. This was so much fun that, at a later time, we decided to tube the Poudre river in Colorado. This was not so much fun. The river was roaring and neither of us rookies knew how to navigate. We couldn't even keep the oars in the water. Luckily we hit a rock after a short jaunt and we were able to be saved. That was the end of my tubing experience! My friend, however went on to start his own company doing professional guided tube trips. Go figure!!
As life would have it, we found out in 1969 that Ellen was pregnant with our 4th child to be born in February of 1970. Two of our friends had birthdays in February so it became a challenge to see if the baby would be born on either of their birthdates. One friend was a barber in Littleton and said that he would give 5 years of free haircuts if a boy. Can't remember the other bet but the challenge was on. A week before the baby was born, it was an unusually warm day in Denver (in the 70s) so we decided to play softball at a local park. Ellen managed to get a hit and all agreed that she had to run the bases and encourage the baby to be born! She did and our son Thomas was born February 25, 1970 on neither friend's birthday but in between. The poor kid had NO hair for 5 years so the bet wouldn't have meant a thing!
One more auto adventure for Colorado is appropriate. Thomas was a baby when we decided to drive to North Carolina to visit my mother and her new husband, Jim Heron. To do so I borrowed another friends company car. Instrument sales people drove station wagons to better carry product so I borrowed a brand new Mercury station wagon to drive cross country. Well we made it as far as Hannibal Missouri when a rear wheel bearing gave out! This was a Sunday and hotter than Hades. The filling station owner where we stopped knew a guy who knew a guy who could put a new bearing in so we waited about 6 hours in the hot sun. My luck with cars continues! It was beautiful in North Carolina and the rest of the visit was uneventful. As I recall, all our children were very well behaved and enjoyed the trip. The highlight was a place called Sliding Rock which Chris and Renee seemed to enjoy (me too).
Sometime in 1970 my boss decided he would separate the company into 3 parts and appoint 3 presidents for each part. I was one of the 3 to what wound up being a disaster. The common link was accounting and the person selected for the job was dishonest and very devious. He had worked in my division as a sales rep and was unsuccessful but Sam thought highly of him so made him accountant for all 3 divisions. In 1971 Sam invited me for drinks which was common when he had something serious to say. He felt drinking alcohol made a person more honest! After a few minutes he told me he was going to have to let Milt go from his division. I was shocked and mentioned that Milt was very loyal and had done a lot for the company. He said that was all in the past and the accountant thought Milt to be unmotivated. When I tried to argue he said something to the effect that he owned the company and would do what he felt best. All I could say was that he was right. It was his company. That evening I called my friend Bill and asked him if he thought Siliconix would hire me (he wasn't working there but knew everyone.} He said "hang on. I'll be there tomorrow" He flew out and offered me a job with Intech as sales manager of components. The company was located in Santa Clara California and so began a new chapter in our life. I might mention that Milt quit soon after and started a car wash /bicycle shop in Denver that grew to over 15 stores and which he sold for several million dollars years later. My loyalty to Milt was much stronger than my attachment to any job, plus California is beautiful. We sold our home in Littleton and moved to Saratoga, California. I missed our home in Colorado as it was perfect for our family but it all worked out. Next, our stay in California!!
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