Windrestrictor® and Me - From the desk of Paul

Well, this might be the most fun someone can have writing a blog post. Why? Because I get to write about two of my favorite things, WindRestrictor® and me! Who doesn't like writing about their history? I must admit it's a yummy morsel.

 

Every wonder how I came to be a member of the esteemed King Penn crew? Probably not, but I'm about to tell you anyway. All kidding aside, it's been a chapter of my life that I have complete ease and pride in discussing. If you knew the rest of my history you'd understand how rare this is! Let's get started!

Why Am I In Texas!?!

My family and I landed in Dallas, Texas after Hurricane Katrina ravaged our hometown of New Orleans. It isn't something I want to dwell on in this article, but it's an important part of the story that's sets the place of why and how a Saints fan was lurking around The DFW in the first place. Cowboy’s fans do NOT make you feel welcome.

If I'm being completely honest, I wasn't a big fan for years. When we first arrived we lived in Dallas proper. While Texans are well known (and deservedly so) for being very friendly people, The Big D northern transplants are NOT. I'm a typical Southerner as far as friendly goes. To see joggers just run by me as I give them a warm greeting took a bit of getting used too. There's a rumor going around I cursed a few of them out, but it's probably just gossip.

We decided due to the schooling in Dallas, moving out to a suburb was probably a good idea. My wife mentioned Garland and I said sure I'd look. Yep, I wasn't impressed. We drove right through South Garland and it reminded me of where I grew up. It wasn't lovely, it wasn't charming, it wasn't anything. Rusty buildings and unwashed concrete was everywhere. My wife of course fell in love it. I protested to no avail. We were soon Garlandites.

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My Very First Contact - Rebekkah, WR CFO

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Fast-forward a few years down the line and I felt like community was escaping me in a big way. At the time I was working nights at a Crisis Hotline and taking care of my infant son during the day. It was nothing short of hellish. Let me be clear, taking care of my beautiful baby boy was and is one of the greatest things I'll ever do. As was my job at the time, working at the hotline where I helped people make the decision to get help with depression, suicide, homelessness, you name it. Doing both back to back though? Beyond draining mentally, physically and spiritually.

Finally having had enough, I spoke to my wife and quit the hotline job. Now, keep in mind I did this with NO other jobs on the table. But, the stress was just too much. Two hours of sleep wasn't enough to function and I literally felt like I was losing it. Broke and mentally done I decided it was a good idea to get some help and quick. So, where was I going to heal from such trying times? Church of course!

Right up the street from me was Springcreek Church. I immediately got involved in a small group run by none other than Rebekkah Pennington. For anyone who has met her knows, you instantly connect with her. She is a loving and generous woman. At the same time, she isn't shy about calling you on your BS. I'm not sure Rebekkah’s shy about anything really. Behind all this personality is a very educated person who is more than a punch on the arm and get'er done type. Rebekkah always had solid advice you can move forward with. I was amazed by her generosity and honesty with her own time and story.

So It Begins...

After a few weeks of Rebekkah’s small group I was doing what I typically did, whine about how awful things are for me. I was in a really bad place. Stuck in a place I didn't want to be, no sense of community and no job. But, she had a solution that I wasn't expecting...A job. Turns out her family ran a company that made a specialty modification for cars. I warned her that I wasn't a car guy and she assured me that wasn't an issue. We set up a day for me to come in and interview and I was more than ready to get the ball rolling.

I showed up promptly on the scheduled interview day and brought my small son along for the trip. It would've been awkward as all get out if it wasn't for the gracious nature I felt when walking in the building. For the interview Rebekkah brought along her brother Stephen. He was very kind but focused and a bit more reserved than Rebekkah. Granted, we hadn't yet established the bond that I already had with his sister.

 

The interview questions were fair and I left with a better sense of the company and a bit about their brother Robert who started it all. Little did I know how much this man's legacy would effect my family's life in such a positive way, much like his own family's and the automobile industry as a whole.

These People Are Lovely, But I Suck At This

So, here I am at King Penn Industries helping with WindRestrictors® and illuminated door sills needing to be assembled, shined up and shipped off. Now, I'm a hard worker but easily confused. Very easily confused. As a child it took me three years until I realized "Leggo My Eggo" meant give me that waffle. Yep, that bad. It completely showed at my new job.

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I was trying to shine the WindRestrictors® properly. I failed. Later, attempted to assemble door sills. Guess what? Failed. Want to have fun? Watch me try to properly ship something. I could have my own comedy special where all I did the entire time was put things in boxes with addresses on them. I was that awful.

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However, everyone was always so patient with me. Nobody ever had anything but encouragement and kind words. Beside Rebekkah and Stephen, I met Charlotte, and Kent. Kent was the shop manager and a guy who I could often have my deep philosophical conversations with that make most people run top speed the opposite way of me. Charlotte was my make-ready master who took her time to show me the subtle art of putting together the smaller accessories that are such a big part of our product. I've often told Rebekkah that Charlotte a.k.a. Granny doesn't have an evil bone in her body. There's not a more gracious, loving woman on Earth.

Meeting everyone was great, but my lack of "catching on" really had me concerned. Why would they keep someone who had such a challenge with even their smallest tasks? Furthermore, could a small company afford to keep a middle-aged man who was struggling to literally put the pieces together?

It Sells Itself

After about my 50th ruined door sill the executive committee came to a conclusion, let's let Paul not go anywhere near the assembly. I did some sales and marketing along with my product ruining, and I had maybe fallen in the right crack. I tended bar for a number of years and love nothing more than talking about things I'm passionate about. The products being offered by King Penn were easy to be excited about. Cutting edge technology that served the dual purpose of sleek and functional? Sign this salesman up.

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I was working so closely with Stephen where I realized this guy was going to be more than a good boss, he'd be a great friend. I'm only a few years older and we had common interests. We talked about old rap music, got together for pizza and mixed martial arts, and both liked to reach out and help those in need.

I was awestruck at how talented the man is. Stephen’s salesmanship was superior to anyone I've previously encountered. Couple that with his artistic abilities and his business acumen and you can see why he is currently the company's CEO. He was somewhat surprised when he was given the position, I was not.

 

The Road and The Web

One of the things the warmer months bring with it are more of an opportunity for travel. Sometimes Kent and I, sometimes Steve and I, and sometimes all three of us. I talked about where we'd travel in the last post, but never the process of getting there. It can be quite a hike. Hook up the trailer to a huge truck and drive that sucker across the country. Because of this job I got to go places and see things I never thought possible. Another of the several perks available for employees.

 

 

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My greatest tool of course is the same as many other people, the internet. I've looked at computer screens in the name of blocking wind so much that my wife no longer thinks that it's crazy for me to always be online. My main pastime was already social media and forums. Someone's going to pay me for this? Woo hoo!

This is also a good time to mention the mother and daughter duo of Pam and Ashli. I bother them a considerable amount with paycheck and what in the Harry Houdini does this mean questions. Just like the rest of the team, sweetest people. Never a cross word, never an anxious moment. Always have time to listen to my ideas and theories. Very patient went I'm late. All smiles.

The End, The Beginning

I'm on my way to Pennsylvania with Kent. It's a long and interesting ride. Out of the blue my cell phone goes off. It's my wife. Now, my wife is not one of those call a minute people who don't give you room to breathe. If she called it was important. She told me we had a dire family emergency. She was packing up the car with the kids and heading to New Orleans. We had to move home, not visit. I was to comeback when the car show was over and board a plane for my birthplace. That's exactly what I did. The crew at work was understandable, but I was more than disappointed.

Months passed by and I got another job. While it paid okay, I needed a little something more. We spoke of different routes we could take on further employment but nothing seemed feasible. I needed extra money and I needed it right away.

Nothing made sense but to contact Steve. He agreed most of what I did before was on the computer and they had room for some forum, social media, and blog work after talking with the other core team members. Just like that I was back at it, and I'm still here!

And Now This...

So, this wouldn't be a proper WindRestrictor® blog post without mentioning the others I met at the job. There's Lisa and her kids who are very nice people. Her son Steven always gives me crap about being a Saints fan. There's also the brother and sister duo of Isaac and Bam. Very intelligent young people who would have deep conversations with me concerning topics ranging from poetry verse to whether time is an actuality or a man-made creation. Also, Mike who I grew close to and is no longer with the company. There's young brother Dave who decided to become a trucker. Really driven young man and former employee. Last, but not least is Ray, Granddad. When you meet a patriarch of a family you can often tell why they are who they are. This is no exception. I shook his hand and could feel the wisdom and kindness.

By the way this isn't me cheerleading my bosses to kiss butt and keep them happy. I don't have that gene. I'm very vocal about what I believe and will continue to be. I have very different views on politics, spirituality and just about everything than most people I run into. However, I'm far from being a hypocrite. I won't disagree for the sake of argument. If something is good, it's good. These people are good.

I won't be posting a link or giving out a code in this post. I want everyone who reads this to know more than what you're buying; I want you to know who you're buying from. When this group says you're family, they mean it. There's so many companies now pushing soulless moneymaking, at WindRestrictor® it's heartfelt capitalism. Thanks for reading!