Thanks, Mikey, for welcoming me back. For those who don't know me, allow me to re-introduce myself.
I'm Al Spaet, the owner of The Ground Floor in Los Angeles. Started in 1986, I have cleaned one commercial carpet (1987) which was exactly enough to respect the hard work you guys do to try to make a buck!
After graduating Syracuse U. (with Jim Boeheim, Dave Bing, Larry Csonka and Floyd Little for you old timers), I taught elementary school in the NYC schools, finally becoming a principal at a drug rehab center in the Bronx.
Leaving to make my fortune (yeah, right) in the world of big business, I spent a bunch of years as a salesman, sales trainer and marketing manager for Crown Zellerbach and later Scott Paper, two now defunct Fortune 50 paper manufacturers. Lousy pay, great benefits and fabulous training. Zinging into the world of confuser software, I found that an unsatisfying venue, i.e. it took 5+ months to make a sale. As you guys know, you have patience to get business - but want it NOW!
After the company went belly up (am I detecting a pattern here?), I started a high pressure steam cleaning business, blowing bubble gum off sidewalks, steam cleaning trash chutes and garages. Not wanting to call it something terribly original, like "Al's Steam Cleaning", I laid in bed the night before I was to register the name and thought to myself, "what the heck am I going to call this business?" Well, since I was starting off from the ground floor, that's the name that came to mind! It was quite a fortunate thing, as I have almost eliminated steam cleaning (3 machines), as I have moved into the natural stone arena just months after I started.
I was the first company West of the Mississippi to purchase industrial diamonds for stone polishing, some 20 years ago, and still purchase an obscene amount of them regularly. But they make me money, so, as my father used to say "When the world is full of meat and potatoes, shut up and eat!"
We have branched out into several areas, but carpet and rug cleaning, has not been, and will never be, something we dip our toes back into. I leave it to you guys, particularly Detective Tom Meyer of Simi Valley, who does the carpets in my home and who I recommend to friends.
We fabricated and installed granite counter tops in kitchens and bath rooms, and installed marble, travertine, limestone and other natural stones in floors, walls and fireplace hearths. When sub-contractors became more of a pain than an asset, I dropped that offering, though it was mighty tempting to snap off a job now and then. But then I remembered all the headaches and said "no".
Eventually I started chemical manufacturers design specific products for my business, and private label them for me. This started to work very well and then I became the California/Hawaii distributor for Dry Treat products from Australia. It was a nice 4 year run, but the products are illegal in California now (huge VOC violations), and I have an exclusive arrangement with a different manufacturer for a totally legal set of sealers manufactured exclusively for The Ground Floor.
So my son-in-law runs the day-to-day operation of the restoration side of the business, and I run the manufacturing/distribution side of the business, which works out fairly well. Of course I still get dragged into restoration when a difficult challenge comes in, as I get my rocks off trying to solve some weird problem.
Four 1/2 years ago, my wife of almost 42 years now, came down with a rare and virulent form of ovarian cancer. With the amazing love and support of so many on this board, she battled her way in remission for 3 years. It came back last October and she beat it back into submission again. Left badly damaged and mostly broken, she retired from school teaching and does what she can, when she can. Cancer sucks.
I had a Green Light Laser prostate surgery a week ago (no cancer, thankfully), which is why I have had the time to jump back on this board, which is my favorite. Aside from the goofy Vortex posts which seem to permeate everything no matter what, there are a great bunch of sincere guys and gals on this board that I consider my friends. You know who you are (pat yourself on the back).
Since I am not a competitor of any of you, and I know nothing from cc'ing, I can't contribute. But if you have marketing or sales or advertising questions, I am always happy to assist. And of course if you do any stone work and need a question answered there, I am always here for you.
I do have products I sell (no cc products, not my thing) at my web site www.groundfloor.org I welcome you to check it out and if you want to order anything, go for it. If you start ordering in quantity, call me and I will give you volume discounts. Just be sure you mention "Mikey's Board", as that will give you the best deal out there.
Again I want to thank Mike for inviting me to every Mikefest he has ever had. I will try to make plans to do next year in Nashville, as I have been asked. Of course, Sue's health is always priority #1, and I did bring her to a 'Fest after her chemo treatments and she was treated with such love by the folks, that she constantly speaks of it as such a wonderful time.
My cell phone number is 818-571-3478. Mikey doesn't hesitate to call me, you should not feel any different.
My e-mail is MagicAl@groundfloor.org
And finally, yes it is true. "Ask Magic Al a question - get a pageant!" This posting is typical!
I'm Al Spaet, the owner of The Ground Floor in Los Angeles. Started in 1986, I have cleaned one commercial carpet (1987) which was exactly enough to respect the hard work you guys do to try to make a buck!
After graduating Syracuse U. (with Jim Boeheim, Dave Bing, Larry Csonka and Floyd Little for you old timers), I taught elementary school in the NYC schools, finally becoming a principal at a drug rehab center in the Bronx.
Leaving to make my fortune (yeah, right) in the world of big business, I spent a bunch of years as a salesman, sales trainer and marketing manager for Crown Zellerbach and later Scott Paper, two now defunct Fortune 50 paper manufacturers. Lousy pay, great benefits and fabulous training. Zinging into the world of confuser software, I found that an unsatisfying venue, i.e. it took 5+ months to make a sale. As you guys know, you have patience to get business - but want it NOW!
After the company went belly up (am I detecting a pattern here?), I started a high pressure steam cleaning business, blowing bubble gum off sidewalks, steam cleaning trash chutes and garages. Not wanting to call it something terribly original, like "Al's Steam Cleaning", I laid in bed the night before I was to register the name and thought to myself, "what the heck am I going to call this business?" Well, since I was starting off from the ground floor, that's the name that came to mind! It was quite a fortunate thing, as I have almost eliminated steam cleaning (3 machines), as I have moved into the natural stone arena just months after I started.
I was the first company West of the Mississippi to purchase industrial diamonds for stone polishing, some 20 years ago, and still purchase an obscene amount of them regularly. But they make me money, so, as my father used to say "When the world is full of meat and potatoes, shut up and eat!"
We have branched out into several areas, but carpet and rug cleaning, has not been, and will never be, something we dip our toes back into. I leave it to you guys, particularly Detective Tom Meyer of Simi Valley, who does the carpets in my home and who I recommend to friends.
We fabricated and installed granite counter tops in kitchens and bath rooms, and installed marble, travertine, limestone and other natural stones in floors, walls and fireplace hearths. When sub-contractors became more of a pain than an asset, I dropped that offering, though it was mighty tempting to snap off a job now and then. But then I remembered all the headaches and said "no".
Eventually I started chemical manufacturers design specific products for my business, and private label them for me. This started to work very well and then I became the California/Hawaii distributor for Dry Treat products from Australia. It was a nice 4 year run, but the products are illegal in California now (huge VOC violations), and I have an exclusive arrangement with a different manufacturer for a totally legal set of sealers manufactured exclusively for The Ground Floor.
So my son-in-law runs the day-to-day operation of the restoration side of the business, and I run the manufacturing/distribution side of the business, which works out fairly well. Of course I still get dragged into restoration when a difficult challenge comes in, as I get my rocks off trying to solve some weird problem.
Four 1/2 years ago, my wife of almost 42 years now, came down with a rare and virulent form of ovarian cancer. With the amazing love and support of so many on this board, she battled her way in remission for 3 years. It came back last October and she beat it back into submission again. Left badly damaged and mostly broken, she retired from school teaching and does what she can, when she can. Cancer sucks.
I had a Green Light Laser prostate surgery a week ago (no cancer, thankfully), which is why I have had the time to jump back on this board, which is my favorite. Aside from the goofy Vortex posts which seem to permeate everything no matter what, there are a great bunch of sincere guys and gals on this board that I consider my friends. You know who you are (pat yourself on the back).
Since I am not a competitor of any of you, and I know nothing from cc'ing, I can't contribute. But if you have marketing or sales or advertising questions, I am always happy to assist. And of course if you do any stone work and need a question answered there, I am always here for you.
I do have products I sell (no cc products, not my thing) at my web site www.groundfloor.org I welcome you to check it out and if you want to order anything, go for it. If you start ordering in quantity, call me and I will give you volume discounts. Just be sure you mention "Mikey's Board", as that will give you the best deal out there.
Again I want to thank Mike for inviting me to every Mikefest he has ever had. I will try to make plans to do next year in Nashville, as I have been asked. Of course, Sue's health is always priority #1, and I did bring her to a 'Fest after her chemo treatments and she was treated with such love by the folks, that she constantly speaks of it as such a wonderful time.
My cell phone number is 818-571-3478. Mikey doesn't hesitate to call me, you should not feel any different.
My e-mail is MagicAl@groundfloor.org
And finally, yes it is true. "Ask Magic Al a question - get a pageant!" This posting is typical!
