My branch is being closed.
 

I had a meeting today with my boss and our VP. The area I have been covering is being sold to a friendly competitor. (I say friendly because the owners of both company's have held fast to a handshake agreement not to tread on each other's accounts for over 10 years. )

This really doesn't come as a surprise to me as the Michigan economy sucks and we are heavily tied to the auto industry. Our sales have declined steadily for the past 2 years. If it was my money I would have done the same thing.


The good news is that I have offered and accepted a job with the new owners. It will not be in management but in a union position at ground level on a route to start. Future management opportunities will be coming soon, however and my experience will be a plus. I will have health benefits that seem like they may be better than what I currently have.

Also, my commute will only be another 20 minutes from my current office.


The not-so-good:

No more company car/gas card. A decrease in pay.

I will need to buy a car as my wife will thankfully be able to still stay home with the kids, which is what we were hoping to continue.

It will be quite a change from being 'the boss" to just a worker bee but, in some ways, I am looking forward to having less items on my plate. The hours are flexible and I probably won't have to work weekends. I smell more 911 driving time!!!



I would have preferred to stay at my current emplyoyer having invested 18 years of my life with them but, as they say, change can be good.

The VP of our company had selected me for our internal executive ladder system about a year ago and he apparently talked me up with the new guys.


What saddens me though is that there will be employees that I have worked with for many years that won't be given an opportunity with the new company. I put my .02 in for a couple of guys that I think deserve a shot.

The next week or so is going to be very stressful as we make the transition and move forward, eliminating our employees.

Thanks for listening/reading.

Hope the new job works well.

It just keeps getting worse. I was out in traffic yesterday at noon and the streets were jammed. with a reported 11% unemployment here (and lots more that aren't on the rolls), it seems like no one is working AFA traffic is concerned.

At least you go to work next week.

Great outlook "Wayne", much success!

I keep running into people that have been beating the drum of "it just keeps gettting worse", month after month; and then when it does get worse they say, "see I told you". Yet another person can beat their drum saying "It just keeps getting better and better" and for that person it does.

What you speak, think and ask for is what you get. What is so complicated about it people???? You are in life exactly where you want to be. Period. If you want to be somewhere else than where you are, change the beat of your drum. Forget about yesterday, that's all over and done with. All you have is today and the rest of your life, you CAN do anything you want; ANYTHING!

I agree with Rob for once. The only thing I'd temper that little bit of Polyannaish rah-rah cheerleading with is that there are too many people who have given WAY too much control over their own lives/destinies to other people. Seize it back. I honestly think that's the first step. When you're your own boss, you need not worry about being laid off. That's what I'm doing anyway (yes, I'm still sending resumes, but I'm also pushing to do my own thing simultaneously - better chance of success).

Best of luck to you Wayne - I dig the positive outlook... Good on ya'.

Well Rob, my business is doing better, I'm sure long hours & hard work have nothing to do with it:p Of course we have people here whining about that they can't make it, then we have others who (like me) have ridden the roller coaster but keep going forward. Failure is a state of mind, just like being poor. Wayne, congrats and I know the feeling about having to let some people go, that is the hardest part of my work. There are a lot of people who depend on me, so failure is not an option, plus, I'm too damn compeditive to give up:D

There is a reasson why your fathers and grandfathers always saved a dime when they could and that piece of string that they might need someday. That reason is that all their optimism about their lives was knocked out of em and they were scarred by the Great Depression. During that time it did not matter if you wanted to work, beat the bushes for oportunity 24/7 there was slim to none to be had. That is how the protracted Depression affected them. So what I am saying is that there are at times circumstances beyond ones control in life. It is how one deals with adversity that is the measure of a man and whether one is successfull or not in life.

I hope it works out for you and your family, Wayne. Whenever faced with an inevitable situation, if possible, looking on the bright side is always an advantage.

Good for you - with your attitude you will be a success.

Snow tires.

FWIW the Great Depression saw UE numbers around 25%. That means 75% of the people (or three out of four) had jobs. Yes, that's bad but it is still very much a minority.