Latest / Built In The Bayou / Episode 3 | Behind the Buy

Transcript

Episode 3 | Behind the Buy · Built In The Bayou

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, good morning, everybody, and welcome to another episode of Built in the Bayou.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_02: Today we have another really special guest, of course, a long-term employee here at Skyjacker, and he's actually our purchase manager.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and as I was preparing for this episode, I got to realizing like how much the purchasing manager is involved in.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_02: Like they have to be, they're like on the intersection of money, inventory, global economics, um, having to deal with the suppliers, um, so many things across the board.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, good point.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: And like somebody like a purchasing and production manager, I mean, they have to know what raw materials we need, how much to buy said raw material, the best price, shop the prices.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: So there's so much that goes into and also cost structure for us to know how to price our parts the right way for our cost.
• 1:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, and especially because we have two businesses here essentially, being Skyjacker and SG Manufacturing.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_02: So it's twofolds to that.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_02: And I think sometimes that for me at least, until I started really digging into what he does, I was like, oh, this position I feel like might be overlooked in a sense, um, or not underappreciated, just overlooked in the of what all they actually do.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: So with that, well, welcome, Mr.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_01: Michael Graves.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_01: Good morning.
• 1:35
  SPEAKER_02: We're so glad that you're on.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_01: Glad to be here.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: Yes.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: So, Mike, why don't you just give us a little backstory, a little history, you know, what got you here, what you did before here, all that kind of uh previously before I came here, I was uh 17 years in retail automotive parts.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_00: So came from an automotive background, uh, started here in sales, uh, did sales for a little while, worked my way up through uh the sales department to sales manager.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: And a few years after that, the purchasing uh job came available, and I was like, I want that.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's kind of similar to what you did in the auto parts business, correct?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, similar.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Uh originally I got into auto parts.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of ironic because originally I got into auto parts for that reason.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to work my way up through the automotive industry and be a purchaser for the automotive industry.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's a real tough gig to get in because you know it's kind of like professional sports.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: You got several people rooting for the same job.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, if you don't want to relocate, it's kind of hard to uh to do it, you know, because you got to go to the corporate world.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_02: But I was gonna say, especially in our area.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, in our area, you you would have to relocate.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_00: So really what an option.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so when this came available, I was like, this is perfect.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: So uh here we are.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_02: Well, how many years have you been here total?
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_00: I came here in May of 2002, so it'll soon be 25 years.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_00: A little over 24 years.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: He's one of our non-family member employees that has been here at that 25-year mark.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_02: So that's really awesome.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_02: We have a handful of that group.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: You came in with a good group that's about that same time.
• 3:17
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, there was there were three or four of us that came in in that 2002.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh uh, from what I understand, that was a pretty good growing period for Skyjacker.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_00: And uh to my knowledge, we're all still here.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: Thank God.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, again, I don't want to make myself sound too young, but I was two years old when Mike came over.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_00: I do remember Evan running around here in diapers.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: I sure do.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you uh pointing out how old I am.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: Or how young we are.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, let's go with the old.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: I'm in the middle.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go with that how young y'all are.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not old.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm just older.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's right.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_02: Well, okay, so for someone who is in your role, give us some some background and some things of what you actually do here that somebody might not know what you do.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_02: Because I think for me, when I was looking into some of the stuff you do, you really do touch and have to be like aware of so many parts of the business.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, correct.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: It it uh what a lot of people think is uh purchasing the purchasing world that you just buy stuff and when it gets here you're done.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_00: Uh that is absolutely not the case.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: If my job was just purchasing, it would be just roses.
• 4:25
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you have to you you basically have to go start to finish.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_00: You have to order the the raw materials.
• 4:33
  SPEAKER_00: First of all, you have to communicate with RD to find out what raw materials you need for if it's a special project or anything like that, if it's not something that we already stock.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to you have to do that.
• 4:44
  SPEAKER_00: You have to get those parts in.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to be knowledgeable with RD, then you have to get the raw materials, then once you get them here, you have to instruct the fabrication, whether it be machining or welding, you have to instruct them, okay, this is what we're gonna do with this.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so you know, you you basically have to follow it start to finish.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, you know, even when it gets finished, you know, all of most of our metal parts they have to be coated, so they have to go to either dichromate or they have to go to powder coat.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_00: So you have to follow, follow it all the way through because um if you don't, it's just one step gets lost, then you're sitting there a month from now going, okay, why don't we have this yet?
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: So it's uh it's a start to finish process.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and with you being our purchasing and production manager, you're involved in a lot of the production.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_01: And kind of like what we just touched on, uh, one of the aspects too on new products is you have our well cost and every part, our bend cost.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's a believe it or not, it's actually a a pretty tedious little process because uh, first of all, you have to know how many pieces you can cut out of a sheet for your laser process, okay.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so you can get your cost of your raw material from your laser.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Then you have to communicate with the welders, okay, what is the what's the time that it takes for you to fit this in the jig and and weld it up.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yep.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: And all that's calculated in it.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh then you have your your coating cost that you have to add to it.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then I also, uh being the production manager on new products, like you say, every kit has to be boxed, and it's boxed personally by me.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Because I know I can get with the warehouse staff and say, okay, this is a new product, this is how we're gonna box it, this is how much it weighs, and make sure that it's a continuous thing that they don't just box it however they want.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and recently, especially like because we have such we do so much shipping, we have so many accounts for like FedEx, GPS, all those guys, their policies and fees constantly change.
• 7:00
  SPEAKER_02: So then you have to constantly know how we have to package in order to save money versus how the customer or the dealer actually wants to receive their packages.
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_00: Uh if it especially what we sell is not light.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: Right now, we're selling lift kits, it's all metal parts, so it's heavy.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: So you can't take a full-size truck lift kit and put it in one single box.
• 7:24
  SPEAKER_00: It has to be in multiple boxes because FedEx and UPS and all those guys, they frown on heavy boxes, and what they'll do is they'll actually upcharge you.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: You know, and it and we've seen that a lot like that.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_00: Not only is it upcharging us, but it also upcharges the customer.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_00: The customer doesn't need to pay that.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: So what we do to kind of guard that is like I said, I box them up.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I try to keep every box uh as close to or below 50 pounds as I can, because that that negates all that.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, right.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I remember two or three years ago the fee for that 50 pound up dramatically increased.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well, absolutely.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: It kind of with us with us being in Louisiana, let's just say you're gonna ship something to Washington State, which is you know pretty far from us.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, you could pay in as much as a a hundred to a hundred fifty dollar upcharge for for a lift kit.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and I don't I think that's what the shipping on the website and when we do our direct sales, people don't understand because we recently made a change on the website for our free shipping.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: You have to hit a different number in order to get free shipping.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_02: Um and I've I think it's hard for the consumer or the customer to understand that we get hit hard with big fees and we have to adjust, otherwise, we can't continue to do what we're doing.
• 8:40
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: And and all that, all that also stems from, I mean, let's face it, everything revolves around oil prices.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: So if the oil prices are high, then the shipping's high.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: You know, yeah.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: Because they they've got to transport it, so they're they're not gonna eat all that, yeah.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Um, you know, loss, so they have to make uh adjustments.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_01: And another thing you said that's important too is when you're boxing everything for new parts, you're also pulling all the volumetrics.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: So that way that gives us our weights, our dimensions of the boxes.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely, yeah.
• 9:12
  SPEAKER_00: Uh part of the process is is each individual part gets weighed.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_00: I I note that down and I enter all that into the system.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: So uh so if anybody you know sales or whoever they look, then they can say, you know, if we need to ship this, they can figure out how much it is to ship.
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then once that's done, then yeah, you just start packaging the the box.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: And uh once that's done, then yeah, it gets all entered into the system, the box size, dimensions, volumetrics, weights, the whole the whole nine yards.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_01: And like for direct sales off our website, that lets our website calculate.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: Uh if you're if you want like overnight, it gives you a cost for that.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_01: If you want two-day shipping, it gives you a cost for that.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_01: And so that's that's really helped on the direct side too for uh the website sales.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, because until COVID, we didn't really sell much on the website.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_02: It wasn't a seller site, it was more of a consumer, more informative site for dealers or people to get information.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_02: And I remember a bunch of like in our management group meetings, people would be like, Well, we want to sell this, this, this.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_02: And Mike's like, we don't got no volumetrics.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_02: Like, we can't, and Mike um Ardwan, who is our IT like specialist manager, he's like, We can't sell anything on the website unless I have this, this, this, this, this.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: And so then it's funny because we're like, Yes, we got there, but a lot of those things fell in your lap.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh, you know, before that we were we were primarily focused on wholesale business, and it's not something that we had to really track.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Um, because you know it was all palletized merchandise, and yeah, you know, yeah, you shipped a little box here and there, drop ship something, but most of it was palletized product.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_02: And we have a lot of products.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_00: We have a lot of SKU numbers, yes, we do.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: Can you give us an estimated number of SKUs?
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I do not know the exact number, but uh right now I would say it's probably in the upper end of 5,000.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think we're we're nearing like 7,000-ish.
• 11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, it's a lot.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so to go back on uh because I was a part of the image process on that, and I know you helped on the data side of that.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_02: It's like that was a big effort push that everybody had to like be hands-on with.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_02: Like you with all the volumetrics and different shipping things, images, then mic for data, and you with data, it's like we finally got there.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: We we did, and you know, we we didn't understand that at the time, but we understand now that the data is is is valuable.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, it's king.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yep.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't have the data, you can't sell it.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_02: Nope.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'm not buying anything without a picture or info online.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: With everything uh being you know online based now, I'm the same way.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, if I shop and there's something there and there's no picture, I'm like, I'm not real sure what I'm writing.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_02: Well, this gives us a good entryway into some of your personal life hobbies.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you bow hunt.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh absolutely.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh I want you to tell us a little bit about the things you like to do with your family outside of Skyjacker, but um, you wouldn't be buying a bow or any of your bow things without volumetrics and pictures, would you?
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely not.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely not.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_02: For our gun and bow enthusiasts in the room.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: You don't you don't know, you don't know what's what's the latest and the greatest and what's out there unless you, you know, you know, they drop a little YouTube video or something like that.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's yeah, it's it's uh definitely a factor in purchasing stuff for sure.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_02: Well, give us a little bit about what Mike likes to do, his hobbies.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_02: He had we have some of his hobbies in here today.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I'd I'd I'd love to shoot archery tournaments.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I love to I love to bow hunt.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_00: Um love to do stuff with my my family.
• 13:02
  unknown: Yeah.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_02: You're a huge supporter of our hometown hockey team.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_02: I I do Louisiana does have a hockey team, everyone.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: I do love I do love our local hockey team.
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they they were originally here uh back in uh 2000.
• 13:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it was something, yeah.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and uh it was the first time that hockey had ever come to the Louisiana that I'm aware of, and we just didn't know what to do.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know, we we had never experienced anything like that.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: So it stayed around, I think, four years.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_00: And uh they brought it back uh last year.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: And uh it's it's really taken off.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it's it's a they have a big support group.
• 13:47
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of the kids.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's uh it's really is it's it's a uh it's a professional hockey team, it's the FPHL, and uh they're averaging, you know, probably 35 to 4500 spectators, you know.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_02: Which is great.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, for our area, it's consistent.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: That's great.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for our local arena, it's fantastic.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and Munro Western Road kind of lacks things to do, so that's a good thing.
• 14:10
  SPEAKER_00: So that that's my winter, that's my wintertime uh hobby, and then my my spring and summertime hobby is I love dirt track racing.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_00: And mow in the yard.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: That is therapy.
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: I do love I do love the thing.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_02: I was gonna say you gotta have some therapy for being in your job.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, what's the therapy here?
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: That is my therapy.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_00: I do I do love to mow.
• 14:29
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I can say if you are anything, you are loyal because you are out there at that racetrack, rain or shine, if there's a race going.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_01: Now your your son-in-law races, right?
• 14:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yeah.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_00: Uh my son-in-law, he races uh limited modified car.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, we go out there and support him.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: And um actually that's how my my daughter and him kind of got together is we were going to the dirt track races.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, okay, well, there you go, you see.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_00: You know, she started, you know, showing an interest in him and you know, one thing led to another and they got married.
• 15:03
  SPEAKER_00: Now you're expecting a little grandbaby.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: I am.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm fixing to be a uh a papa in uh come on uh November.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so I'm super excited about that.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_02: Hopefully after SEMA.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, definitely, definitely after after SEMA for sure.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_01: So, Mike, to go back to kind of your job function too.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_01: I know uh part of it is forecasting for you know how many raw materials you need to purchase and all that kind of stuff.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: So just kind of will you just line that out, kind of your decision-making process?
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean it's based a lot on trends.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we we track trends of, you know, whether it be uh, you know, how many we sold last year, how many we sold in the last six months, you know, how many in the last three months, and it and it all bases on how the economy is kind of going.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_00: So you kind of have to have a uh I call it the crystal ball.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_00: You have to look in your crystal ball and say, you know, okay, these are these did good last year, but they're trending down, so you don't want to quite fill the bucket quite so full.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so you you look, it's a lot of analytics.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_00: You just you just look at past sales as the is your best guide.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_00: Now new products, you just have to, you know, feel the market and ramp up and yeah, uh, because you definitely, you know, you don't want to start out with something new and then not have it.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: So well, it's an important thing because you're in a position where you spend probably some of the most money of the business.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: The marketing budget is not the biggest spender.
• 16:36
  SPEAKER_01: Uh yes, I yeah, I spend a lot of money.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_01: So it's just a it's a a balance of you know not overcommitting but having enough of what we need.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I tell people all the time, you know, when they when they ask me what I do here at Skyjacker, and and and I tell them I said, you know, I said I sp I spend other people's money.
• 16:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: Well, you spend it well.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: So uh, but it yeah, like you said, it it's a it's a fine line because I look at it from a standpoint of and I that's what I tell people is I look at it from a standpoint of I look at it as if it's my money.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's not my money, but I look at it as if it's my money.
• 17:13
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I think that's great.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_02: I think that that's something that any boss would want their purchasing manager to to think.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, uh, because I've I've been in this industry a long time and I've I've known a lot of purchasers and I know I've I've seen a lot of them come and go and and you hear some of the horror stories of well, yeah, you just you just spent too much and yeah basically put us out of business.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, uh definitely don't want that.
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_00: But uh yeah, you you I just I just I mean the easiest the best way I could tell you is I just treat it like it's my money.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's if if if if if I don't feel like it's necessary to spend that much money, then you just don't do it.
• 17:52
  SPEAKER_00: Now you have to have enough raw materials to do you know the basic necessities, but uh again, it's it's the crystal ball thing, you know.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh if if you feel like it's gonna move, then you take the chance and buy it.
• 18:06
  SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't, but yeah, but you just don't overcommit.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_00: That's the biggest thing.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and I was gonna say that kind of leads into the next question that we had is um just because this is relevant to something we've dealt with for the past probably two years, maybe not that long, you'd have to correct me.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_02: But what happens when something happens in the world that directly affects your job?
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_02: And you know what we're talking about here.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh uh well let's let's just say that everything that we do is basically either steel, polymer, uh they're fuel related.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: So if I if oil prices are high, raw materials are high, transportation's high, uh and it's and it's not just in our industry, it's in it's everywhere.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: You see it at the grocery store, you know, every everything is more expensive when oil prices are are up.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 19:01
  SPEAKER_00: So uh when you say, you know, how does it affect it and how and it it's it's dramatic because steel can go high very quickly.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_02: Well the tariffs were outrageous.
• 19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_00: The the the tariffs uh you know when when it first started, they were negotiating back and forth and it would go anywhere from 15% to 50%.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_02: Um Well and you didn't really know at the time when you were purchasing by the time it got here what it was gonna hit at.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Correct.
• 19:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because because the way that it was set up is is the tariff wasn't actually enacted until uh it hit the United States to the port.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_00: Well, at the time that you purchased it, it could be 15%, and by the time it gets here, it may be 50%.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Um so uh with that being said, a lot of that is you know, you can't buy everything here in the United States.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we I mean let's face it, we don't we don't manufacture everything here, but yeah, a lot of that also brought a lot of our business back to United States suppliers.
• 20:09
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah because we've we always have tried to use U.S.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: suppliers, you know.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: We we don't I I don't try to outsource anything, you know, unless I have to, you know, overseas, just uh just because I like to support you know United States companies, obviously.
• 20:24
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean let's face it, we don't manufacture everything here, so you you have to buy some stuff.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: But but yeah, it was very volatile.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it it it's it's stabilized somewhat now.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 20:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but yeah, when it was first going around and it it was it was pretty wild.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and then even just of how I don't think people think about it this way.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_02: They don't think about it as deep as it goes, but yes, we order, we don't have to get hit with that until it gets here.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: But then also like FedEx and all these other people are also charging stuff as well.
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_02: So it was like, where do you where are you really paying it to or at?
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, you're actually paying it to a lot of sources.
• 21:07
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I mean it was but it was kind of hard to even like track or get a footing of what was gonna be.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: When it first started, it's a little bit more clear now.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but yeah, when all that first started, uh, you know, we never had to deal with that.
• 21:19
  SPEAKER_00: So it was all new to us.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, you would get an you would get an invoice from you know from you know uh FedEx or whoever, you know, a logistics company, and you would be like, Well, I don't I don't even know who this is.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: So then you have to investigate and then you find out after you backtrack it, you know, with these were the guys that stored the merchandise, you know, while it was there.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and I also feel like during that time period when it was new, like the holdups and customs increased as well, too.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: Well, yeah, because uh what happened, you know, of course, this wasn't this wasn't anything new.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, everybody had a lot of stuff already out there, probably.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I mean not not us, but you know, you take somebody that buys a lot of stuff from over there, and you know, they're they're they're just as soon as it gets here, we want to get it because they knew it was coming.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, customs, they're they're only gonna go so fast, they're not gonna, you know, they do not care how fast you need your stock.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: But also, I mean, they're they're doing they're doing us a good service because they're they're checking for sure things that shouldn't be in there.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so you know, you get random X-ray, you know, uh scans and and delays and stuff like that.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_00: But uh the biggest thing was is is everybody when this first started, they just jumped out and bought a bunch of stuff while it was while it was still cheaper to try to get it here before all that came, and it was like a big influx of uh ships, and they just didn't have the manpower to get them.
• 22:56
  SPEAKER_01: And I think it it was uh it was a blessing from the Lord too that kind of before the terrace had increased, we had started to bring a lot more manufacturing in-house.
• 23:05
  SPEAKER_01: So the burden of that was not as big as it would have been if we would not have you know increased our manufacturing capabilities.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, yeah, we got our laser in 2019.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: 2019, yeah.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, 2019.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we brought a lot of that in-house around that time.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, good point.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, as far as far as uh as far as metal fabrication and uh machining processes, pipe manufacturing, stuff like that, that's all in-house now.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I mean, obviously, we don't have our own casting forging, and you know, so we have to get castings and forgings and plastics and polymers done other places.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_00: But other than that, uh if if my motto is if we can do it, it's gonna be done here.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 23:50
  SPEAKER_01: And just to provide some clarity too, when you're ordering raw materials, uh, another part of that too is you're also checking our finished good part numbers.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: And like when we're getting low on our finished good part numbers in our warehouse, you're placing a PO to production to then rebuild up those part numbers in our inventory.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_01: So it's a lot more for your job than just raw materials for production.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it it's uh it's it's keeping track of inventory, yeah.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's reorders, you know, because it's a cycle, you know.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you know, you don't want to, like you said, you don't want to overspend, so you're so you're constantly rotating inventory.
• 24:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if if you uh I try to at least, you know, if I can if I can rotate it every quarter, I think I'm doing pretty good.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_00: So uh, you know, that gives you, you know, four rounds per year to to cycle your your merchandise.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, not only that, but I mean you just you know, space is valuable.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_00: So you know, we don't want to we don't want to run out and buy a year's supply of stuff and you know have to struggle around and try to find a place to put it.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, constantly trying to rotate inventory, plus it also manages the monies, you know, so you don't you don't overspend and overextend that.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: So you constantly have a rotation.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's just a circle, really.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know.
• 25:10
  SPEAKER_01: So to get to the uh fun side of the business, Mike, I know back in the day you also bought an YJ and you built a YJ and you were kind of rock crawling that sum.
• 25:20
  SPEAKER_00: Uh we did.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_00: Um I I bought a uh when I when I first came here, I never thought about ever buying a Jeep.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: You know, I was always a truck person.
• 25:28
  SPEAKER_00: But when I came here, you know, uh first time I ever saw rock crawling in my life.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: So um, so yeah, uh I kind of got interested in that and uh built a Jeep and went out to Moab several times and and uh actually got to take it to SEMA one year.
• 25:46
  SPEAKER_02: Oh nice, I didn't know that.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: So uh actually in the right color, it was red.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yes.
• 25:52
  SPEAKER_00: As soon as I bought it, yeah, everybody was ecstatic because it was red.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_00: And and uh I I believe it was your dad that was like, yeah, we need a YJ for SEMA anyway.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: So we built it up for SEMA that year, and uh after that took it to several rock crawling events and stuff like that.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: And um, you know, life happens and you know it's uh I don't want to say I grew up and and grew out of it because I that's not true because I still love doing it because we go to the UA and Moab and all that still.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: It's just now it it we have so many company vehicles that uh it it it all works out to where now you can just pick one and go.
• 26:36
  SPEAKER_02: Well, and I think too, just from the history that Evan and I Evan and I've gotten to learn about, and for those of you that started in those earlier days when everything just like blew up for Skyjacker in the Jeep world was um so many more of y'all got to like go out and play, I guess I would say.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_02: But I think then the longer you guys stayed, the more job responsibilities that you got.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_02: So then it was even harder to leave the office to some extent.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that's why I say, you know, back going back to the Y Jeb when I say things happen, it's it's uh I was not in sales anymore at that time.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: I was in purchasing, so I didn't get to go to the events.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: I did I didn't get to you know go to the sales events and things like that and display display my vehicle and things like that like I like I like I was previous.
• 27:24
  SPEAKER_00: Uh which is fine because like I said, I I got the job that I wanted.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah uh but yes, it it was uh it it's a lot of work.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um and other than you know big events like CEMA and stuff like that, I I pretty much get to stay here.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_00: But you have been on UA with us, what, the past two or three years?
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I have I have been on the UA for the past two years, and uh yeah, I I do love that.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: That's that one's a blast.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_00: That is a good that is a good uh time.
• 27:54
  SPEAKER_00: Uh and part of that is is you know, I get to see a lot of people that I saw, you know, back when I did go to the shows and things like that.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Of uh, but yeah, it's a good time.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_00: So I guess so much I get to hang out with, you know.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, outside of the office.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yes.
• 28:09
  SPEAKER_01: And just for some context, when we say UA, we're talking about Unreal Adventure.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's a seven-day trip, roughly about a thousand miles on pavement and off-road for a week.
• 28:18
  SPEAKER_01: We camp three or four nights, stay in a hotel the other.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_01: So you were you've been dad's co-driver.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 28:24
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so it's been dad and dad and Mike and me and Joe have been going, and that's been a been a party at this point.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_00: It has, it has.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh uh, you know, the the biggest thing is is like I said, you you don't know where you're going.
• 28:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you don't know where you're ending.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: Uh so but uh you see some beautiful country.
• 28:42
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah, you hang out with some great people.
• 28:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah and uh yeah, this past year we were in Oregon, we were driving up the 101 coast and we did a co-driver swap.
• 28:51
  SPEAKER_01: So Mike hopped in with me.
• 28:52
  SPEAKER_01: We're sitting in the parking lot, we look over at this Oregon coast, and there's just like a well down there in the ocean.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah like blew up, and we if we were literally driving off when we saw it.
• 29:01
  SPEAKER_02: So like we told everybody we saw it, like Joe and Dad were like well, and also to give Mike some uh social media credit here, he has a viral video from his first year.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: I I do have a viral, well, I I'm not sure.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: I think Evan has a viral video, but uh no, you're many man.
• 29:25
  SPEAKER_02: Um it was just funny because we have the the vehicle, the Jeep that Mike rides in is for on 42s, it's on coolovers, like it's a big, big boy.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_02: And when you are out there and you're flexed out and you're up an extra three feet from the ground, Mike had this stool that he hooked to a rope and he was bringing it in, and it was a big joke, really.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_02: But Joe got it on film or Evan did, and we ended up posting it, and it was everyone just thought it was hilarious.
• 29:55
  SPEAKER_02: So Mike was always our um our social star for what?
• 29:59
  SPEAKER_00: Well, originally, you know, when I put that stool in there, I I it was just a collapsible stool, and I put it in there just in case something happened out on the trail or wherever.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_00: I could step on that and get over into the engine compartment or engine bay or wherever.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then it turned into, you know, oh well.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: Well, didn't the step go out?
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: Wasn't your step didn't it get well?
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I was gonna say what it what turned what turned out what turned out was my my driver destroyed the passenger side rock slide.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: That would be the El Presidente, it no longer functioned.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_00: So then it was a then I I just happened to grab a piece of string, uh I don't know, a piece of little small rope or something, and I tied it on there.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, because sometimes when you're articulated and you need to get out and spot or whatever, yes, you're like this.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_00: It's a pretty, yeah.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: I mean it it's up to my head.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it was a pretty, you know, six foot drop or whatever.
• 30:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I would just drop that stool out.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, it was a great stool though.
• 31:01
  SPEAKER_01: It was so good.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_01: I even bought one for my wife for my Jeep when my Jeep's done.
• 31:05
  SPEAKER_02: That's what I'm saying.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_02: It was actually practical, just the way it was videoed was hilarious.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we we were we were demonstrating the function of it and how how how we were gonna try to, you know, actually manufacture it and patent it.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_02: But well, I think the funny part was that when it got videoed, he was doing it as a joke and it was actually like on flag conquering.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_02: It wasn't like flexible.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, well, yeah, Evan and Joe were like, you know, they were like, What are you yeah, what are you gonna do with that?
• 31:32
  SPEAKER_00: So let me show you, you know.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: I said that just in case I, you know, because at that time the lot the rock slide, I had uh we had already come back from the trail and the rock slide was not working, was destroyed.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: And I was getting in and out of that thing all day.
• 31:47
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: Then I remembered, I said, I I have that stool.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna I'm gonna rig that up.
• 31:52
  SPEAKER_00: So I was just kind of demonstrating what I was gonna do the next day.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_00: And I leave it to them too.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_00: Unbeknownst to me, I did not realize that I was on camera.
• 32:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then the next day I find out I'm um, I don't know, million views overnight.
• 32:06
  SPEAKER_00: Hilarious.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that was funny.
• 32:08
  SPEAKER_00: That was a hoot.
• 32:09
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's not a bash on rock slide engineering either.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_01: That was a that was a driver error.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_00: I I I will tell you right now, those things took a beating.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they did.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: Uh they're they're awesome.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_02: They are, they are well, but also UA is not an everyday basic trail.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, you are willing to be.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, it is uh it is a full week of non-stop legit 9-10 rated trails.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, yeah, it's it's it's very uh meticulous and and it's some of those trails.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't do the right thing, it turns out bad.
• 32:51
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, you gotta be checked in.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, we've thankfully not had too many.
• 32:55
  SPEAKER_00: Gotta be focused in, and that's part of the reason for the co-drivers and things like that, you know, where we can get out and spot and see things that the driver can't see.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, so that helps.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_02: Well, get being able to get out of the office, I know for us, um, and we're the youngest ones in the group, it's so refreshing, and I feel like almost resparks that um just like the the drive for it all and the enthusiast side of it all, not that we lose that, but sometimes you get so bogged down in like the business day to day that when you actually get out and realize like this is what we do this for, it's it really helps like reboost and like just give you that sense of purpose again.
• 33:35
  SPEAKER_02: Has that helped at this stage of your career here almost 25 years in to get back out there?
• 33:41
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I was gonna say, as far as the as far as the ultimate adventure goes, uh, you know, my fate uh my favorite part is hanging out with everybody and doing the off-roading.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_00: That's great.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_00: But like Evan said, we we we travel so many miles and we see so many people, you know, and and most of the people that we pass, they don't have a clue what we're doing.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_00: But when we roll into their town, it's like they they know something's up.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_00: So uh, you know, we do fuel stops and things like that.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll tell you, the the greatest thing that I that I that I love is being out there and we stop at the fuel stops and the little kids are looking at all the looking looking at all the rigs.
• 34:18
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, we usually have a little goodie bag with some of our matchbox or hot wheels in there, and and you just see a kid light up because you give them a you know a little a little hot wheel or matchbox car.
• 34:29
  SPEAKER_02: It's it's oh it's like the coolest thing ever.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 34:33
  SPEAKER_01: Well, and hopefully that just fuels, you know, enthusiasm for that kid for this stuff, you know, building future customers.
• 34:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that that child or that, especially that parent, that parent will will remember that for forever.
• 34:45
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's I mean I know if I was a kid and I was in like Western Row and all of a sudden 30 rigs that on 40 and 42-inch tires came rolling through, I'd be like, what is that?
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_02: And such different builds too.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_02: So it's like, whoa, what is going on?
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, oh absolutely, yeah.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_00: It's fuel stops, you know.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, we gotta we have to stop because we're camping, we gotta stop for groceries and things like that.
• 35:07
  SPEAKER_00: And when we stop we stop in there, we pretty much take the the parking lot over.
• 35:12
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, uh, yeah, it's it's kind of like a uh a touring process every time you stop.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, talking talking about groceries real quick.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_01: Mike had never had an uncrustable before.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_02: Which blows my mind.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_02: I had no idea.
• 35:25
  SPEAKER_01: So we got a box of uncrustables on UA, and Mike really liked the uncrustables.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: That that's a pretty good little treat.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_02: It is do you keep that special for UA or did you buy them when you got home?
• 35:35
  SPEAKER_00: I do not buy them when I get home.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_00: Uh uh smart decision.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't I didn't really know the the the um expansion of the variety of Pop Tarts and and uh sandwiches and sandwiches and uncrustables and things like that until I went on the UA.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_02: Joe has to detox off Pop Tarts when he gets home from UA.
• 36:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we don't really eat that well when we're on UA.
• 36:02
  SPEAKER_01: Well you no, you can.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: You can.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_01: It's really it's snacks, and then if we get to camp at a good time, yeah.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_01: We have some freeze-dried meals that are used a jet boil.
• 36:10
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's the best meal that we have.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, because what you have to understand is we when when we get there in the morning, we have the driver's meeting at seven or seven thirty, and then it's roll.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's roll, yeah.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_00: And we usually sometimes we don't get into camp till ten, eleven, twelve o'clock at night.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: And most of the only twelve, fourteen hour days.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, absolutely.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:33
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, normally when I get to talk if y'all have signal, yeah, when I've talked to people, they're everybody's just white by the end of the day.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_02: In a good way, but just white.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_02: No, no, no.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's it's definitely it's a it's a good tired.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 36:45
  SPEAKER_00: But the last thing you want to do is worry about food.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_00: Is worry about cooking something.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_02: So funny.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_02: I would not survive out there on Pop Tarts.
• 36:54
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah, you would.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: I didn't think I would survive either, but yeah, you will.
• 36:57
  SPEAKER_00: But yeah, the incrustable, the incrustable is pretty good.
• 37:00
  SPEAKER_02: I have to, I have to tell on Joe.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_02: I'm not kidding.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_02: Kylie caught him red-handed.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_02: She was in his in his room, which is like his space of the house, like extra closets, because I take over most of that in our area.
• 37:12
  SPEAKER_02: But um, she was looking for something.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_02: I don't even remember what it was, and she was like, Mom, and I come in there and I thought something was wrong.
• 37:18
  SPEAKER_02: She was like, Joe has Pop Tarts hidden in his drawer.
• 37:25
  SPEAKER_02: Pop Tarts in his drawer.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_02: And he was like, Miller, I wasn't hiding them.
• 37:29
  SPEAKER_02: I just know that you don't want them in the house.
• 37:32
  SPEAKER_02: And so, yes, that is me.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_02: It's gonna be asked Kylie was like, I'm a guncha hiding Pop Tarts.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_02: It was after UA, like legit.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it it takes me a little bit to get back in the uh method of eating right after UA.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: Because it's like, all right, we have water, we have a surplus of energy drinks because we gotta have those.
• 37:54
  SPEAKER_01: We have uncrossables, pop-tarts, and like Cheese Its or something.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_01: And like that, that's what we eat for the week, basically.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: My gosh.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_00: Just grab a grab a service station chicken tender every now and then.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_01: If we stop, yeah, you gotta be careful some of that.
• 38:08
  SPEAKER_01: Man, we stopped at that one gas station.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_01: What was that 2023?
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_01: We were in West Virginia or something like that.
• 38:13
  SPEAKER_01: That was now we I was also starving, but that was the best fried chicken I've ever used in my life.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_01: We wiped them out a chicken strip.
• 38:21
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 38:23
  SPEAKER_00: They had like this whole uh display, and they I don't know, it might have been a hundred chicken strips in there, but wiped them out.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it was empty.
• 38:32
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, yeah.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: After you know, 30 guys or 50 guys, yeah.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_00: After 30 rigs go in there and we find out they've got fried chicken and we've been eating Pop Tarts and sandwiches for access to real food.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_01: We were on that.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_02: They're like, dang, y'all make another trip back through here.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_02: Okay, well, to wrap up, I think one of the ending questions that we want you to give us some insight on is with doing this job, you've been here for 25 years, you've done the purchasing side for how long?
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I started the purchasing in 2013.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_02: So a decent amount of time, especially being at the same company, like you really know the ebbs and flows.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_02: And so, what is something that you could give um advice to for about money and trends and things like that?
• 39:23
  SPEAKER_02: I think we've touched on it some, but like what's your closing statement for any business owner or anybody who's wanting to get into what you do?
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the the biggest thing I would say is again, spend the money like it's your money.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, the other thing is watch the markets.
• 39:41
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's it's again, our our whole industry is based off of oil prices, basically.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 39:49
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you know, tires, big 42-inch tires like we talked about, petroleum based.
• 39:53
  SPEAKER_00: Everything's petroleum-based, so everything is volatile by what the market is doing with oil.
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_00: So you watch it.
• 40:01
  SPEAKER_00: Uh again, you also watch your sales trends, because even though oil's high, you still got to have merchandise, so you don't want to run out.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but the biggest thing is is trust in what you do.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_00: Make the decision that you feel like is best for the company.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_00: You're not gonna win every time.
• 40:20
  SPEAKER_02: Sure.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but what you try to do is keep the losses to a minimal.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:27
  SPEAKER_00: And when you lose, don't lose big.
• 40:29
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_00: Uh again, I look at it like the stock market.
• 40:35
  SPEAKER_00: When when steel prices are are low, you buy a little more, you have a little cushion.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: When steel prices are high, you buy just what you need.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just enough.
• 40:45
  SPEAKER_00: Uh just enough.
• 40:46
  SPEAKER_00: So uh with you know, with that being said, the biggest thing that I would take from this is having people like you at Skyjacker that trust me enough to do what I do.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 41:02
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, because I again I spend a lot of money.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:09
  SPEAKER_00: And and if you if you put somebody in there and they don't keep other things in mind as far as you know, the monies and I have to keep in contact with, you know, with uh the accounts receivable and all that of, you know, what's coming in, things like that.
• 41:26
  SPEAKER_00: Because uh things can get things can get tight when the economy gets tight, so you just have to tighten up and then when things are opened up, you open up more.
• 41:37
  SPEAKER_00: So it it's just a it's just a trend thing.
• 41:40
  SPEAKER_00: I've been doing it long enough now that I kind of got a good pretty good grasp on it.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: Sure.
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_00: But the biggest thing is is having people like you guys here at Skyjacker that just trust me and let me do your job.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_00: Let me do what I do.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I don't I don't have anybody nagging me about, you know, why did you do this?
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: Why did you do that?
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 41:59
  SPEAKER_00: You know, so uh I must be doing something right.
• 42:02
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 42:03
  SPEAKER_02: So well, and I think that again just goes to show how blessed that we are for the employees that we have.
• 42:09
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_02: Because the more and more the years go, especially in our industry, the less and less of the same people that you see.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so we're super blessed again to have long-term employees, to have you here.
• 42:24
  SPEAKER_02: You're again, I tell everybody who's been on who's a skyjacker employee, you're never allowed to leave.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_02: It's a secret clause that was in the contract that you signed.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_02: You just didn't know.
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_02: Like, no.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but yeah, Mike, you're a court team member here, man.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_01: We appreciate you and your hard work and everything.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_01: And thank you.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for coming on today.
• 42:45
  SPEAKER_02: And for putting up with us.
• 42:46
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that's also a big task.
• 42:48
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I don't, I don't let, I don't let you guys stress me out, remember?
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_02: Oh my gosh.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_02: Oh no, that needs to be that needs to be your biggest piece of advice.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_02: Please give the best advice that I've ever received up here.
• 43:00
  SPEAKER_02: You're not gonna stress me out.
• 43:02
  SPEAKER_00: No, you're not gonna stress me out.
• 43:04
  SPEAKER_00: That was funny.
• 43:05
  SPEAKER_00: Uh uh look, I tell my wife all the time, you know, because she she kind of gets upset with me sometimes because I don't give the details of my day.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_00: You know, how's your day?
• 43:17
  SPEAKER_00: How's your day?
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, uh I learned a long time ago by doing 17 years of retail that when I turned the I was a manager of an auto park store, so when I turned the key on the door, I was done.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 43:30
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you just you just gotta you gotta forget it.
• 43:34
  SPEAKER_00: Because otherwise you get so consumed with that stuff that it'll it'll drag you down.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, I mean uh I would love to sit here and tell you that my day is wonderful and everything flows smoothly, but you guys know that is not the case.
• 43:49
  SPEAKER_00: It is it is organized chaos.
• 43:50
  SPEAKER_00: Organized chaos, yeah.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I I don't, you know, I don't let things stress me out.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_02: And I can say, and I'm sure Evan has had some of his own experiences, but I have to get with Mike on a few things of what I do that of what he does that crosses over, and I will come in there full panic mode as I am type A.
• 44:09
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_02: Well, y'all know this.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_02: I have no combone in my body, and I'm just like level 10, like, oh my gosh, and he's like looking at me just deadpan, like, mm-hmm.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, give me something.
• 44:21
  SPEAKER_02: He's like, You're not gonna stress me out.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, oh my gosh, no, please dress out with me, you know.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_02: So anyway, yeah, I learn a lot from from guys like you that are here.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: There's nothing that goes on that we can't handle.
• 44:32
  SPEAKER_00: Just uh, you know, let's sit down, let's talk about it, and we'll we'll figure it out.
• 44:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, and turning the switch off after you walk out of the front door is an extremely hard thing to do, and something that I'm trying to get better at.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: But that is a hard thing.
• 44:47
  SPEAKER_00: It is very hard.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_00: It took me a long time.
• 44:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like I said, I was in the business for automotive business for 17 years.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 44:55
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, work my way up through through management, and you wind up, you have a lot of people that you're responsible for.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and the more people that you're responsible for, the more that burden teams seems to be.
• 45:09
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_00: Um so yeah, you just have to you just have to deal with it and and don't let it consume you.
• 45:17
  SPEAKER_00: You know, go home, love your people.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_00: Hug your wife, kiss your baby, eat your supper, you know, and and it'll be there tomorrow.
• 45:26
  SPEAKER_02: Go to the racetrack.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, go to the racetrack, go outside, hop on the tractor for a little bit.
• 45:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, uh yeah.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_00: Tractor therapy is good.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's a thing.
• 45:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so you know, it'll be there for you tomorrow.
• 45:38
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you know, life's too short to to be stressed out.
• 45:42
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 45:43
  SPEAKER_02: Well, thank you, Mike, for being on today.
• 45:45
  SPEAKER_02: We really appreciate you talking to us and giving us some insight of the things that you do.
• 45:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, thank you guys.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate it.
• 45:52
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, all right.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_02: Bye.