Slamming a boilermaker with Art Kelly.. (Hot Seat)

[Mikey P]

Ok Art, your turn.

-How and when did you get sucked into this gig?

-Have you ever had an employee, helper or a second full time truck?

-Were you born and raised in Detroit or did you move there from Bakersfield Ca in search of greener pastures?

-Kids?

-Could you comfortably retire today?

-When are you going to dump that POS White Magic into Lake Erie and have get something hip and efficient?

-Who are your carpet cleaning idols?

-Do you ever get over emotional while participating here? (as in needing some synthetic stimulation to help with the angst)

-Fred Boyle?

-Ever dream of calling the O/O dream quits and working for Hagopian?

-How many die hard Art and Art only customers do you have?

-If you could give a new guy THE most important words of wisdom in the art of winning over an un-trusting 50 year old female homeowner to the point that she'll never take a day off from work to have her carpet cleaned again, what would those words be..?

-and finally, how do you decide when to hack out a job with the portable over using the truckmount?


Thanks for being a family member here Art!

 

[Art Kelley]

Ok Art, your turn.

-How and when did you get sucked into this gig?

When I was 18 and working at the Chrysler Mound Road stamping plant (a nasty Dickensonian place) I had a lot of time to ponder and consider avenues to take. I read a book describing different self-employment routes and carpet cleaning seemed like a good fit. I bought a port built by a local guy and built my business.

-Have you ever had an employee, helper or a second full time truck?

I hired many of my friends and neighbors to help me; they were unemployed during the recession of 1975-1982. My brother also bought a Vac 11 like mine and we worked at Snow White carpet cleaners for a crazy Lebanese guy who did daytime TV ads that attracted inner-city Detroit customers. That lasted a year. What a learning experience it was. Got rid of my last chimp in 1987 when I got my WM Pro1200.

-Were you born and raised in Detroit or did you move there from Bakersfield Ca in search of greener pastures?

Born in Motown and raised in the ring suburbs.

-Kids?

None I am aware of.

-Could you comfortably retire today?

Could Stallone comfortably retire? I can't see him sitting in a senior citizen apartment watching Jerry Springer. I would die within a year.

-When are you going to dump that POS White Magic into Lake Erie and have get something hip and efficient?

I will replace it when it becomes a POS. The problem is, the machine keeps on running like new and the 03 Express looks clean like a 2015 Express. I just replaced the engine coolant HX last week and it's REALLY kicking out some heat; the HF vaporized on a couple of rooms today and stopped drawing.LOL.

-Who are your carpet cleaning idols? I'm still inspired by Vawter efficiently running emulsifier and TLC at once blasting through jobsand setting up six monthrecleans.

-Do you ever get over emotional while participating here? (as in needing some synthetic stimulation to help with the angst)

This place relaxes me after a stressful day like a couple of quaaludes. It's good to hang with my fellow CCs.

-Fred Boyle?

Boyle seems to have everything going; great business, wife, kids, house. I hope he is happy.

-Ever dream of calling the O/O dream quits and working for Hagopian?

Without any effort on my part my schedule is full. My only job is to keep healthy and my equipment in good order.
I'm living the dream.

-How many die hard Art and Art only customers do you have?

I have no idea. Hundreds, thousands? It's like a barrel that is constantly overflowing.

-If you could give a new guy THE most important words of wisdom in the art of winning over an un-trusting 50 year old female homeowner to the point that she'll never take a day off from work to have her carpet cleaned again, what would those words be..?

You have to accept her skepticism and wariness during the initial cleaning as a natural behavior from past disappointments. Just show up when you're supposed to, be polite, and do the knockout work that is possible with all the tools and chemicals and knowledge we have available.

-and finally, how do you decide when to hack out a job with the portable over using the truckmount?

It's funny, isn't it? A TM owner who finds a porty system as fast, efficient and effective as the TM. Goes against conventions. If a job is small, 3 rooms or less, the TM rules. Once you get into larger,more complicated jobs involving furniture,rugs, various carpeted rooms where the TM would be on for hours and hours, then it makes sense to instead run the porty if the time advantage for the TM would only be 15 minutes.


Thanks for being a family member here Art!

Yeah, and thanks for continuing to run this forum Mike. I know you have paid a personal toll what with the loss of friends and the lawsuits from people who can't take the criticism of their products. I hope you have continued success here. Long live the Mikeyboard.

 

[bob vawter]

it's a party in Vawters garage.......

 

[Mikey P]

be safe my friend.


tell us more about that beach side get away...

 

[Art Kelley]

Well it's nice to get up there in the summer. Lake Huron in the back yard, the Au Sable river to the right and the Huron National Forest with ATV, hiking, ski, and mountain trails in the front yard. Be a good place for a Mikefest.

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[FB7777]

Damn Art , those were some great answers !

The well wishes towards me were a bit creepy tho... I hope we can still continue to punch each other in the throat on here

After all you are one of my favorite nutsacks on here!

 

[shadygrady]

I think the kite sailer could probably see Sauble Beach from up there! Uh, and no dogs on the beach Art! Who never came up with that? Dogs are people too.

 

[Art Kelley]

I think the kite sailer could probably see Sauble Beach from up there! Uh, and no dogs on the beach Art! Who never came up with that? Dogs are people too.

I ponder what goes on across the lake, Rob. It's a parallel universe in Canada. From my second floor deck I can see maybe 10 miles into Lake Huron but you are at least 100 miles across from me. One day I'm going to rip a cigarette boat across the lake at 200 MPH and end up in the Georgian Bay surrounded by American and Canadian Coast Guard boats ready to give me the Rodney King. It does look quite lovely.

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[SamIam]

Crystal lake Mammoth mountain


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