Thursday, June 23, 2011

Ron's Personal History

I’ve lived in Anderson, IN most of my life.  I did spend ten years (’82-’92) in Houston, TX.  I graduated from Anderson High School and attended Ball State University.  While there, I injured my knee badly enough to have to drop out of school and I never returned.  My wife, at that time (I’m on my third), was injured in a car wreck, so with mounting bills, I had to go to work.  The bad knee kept me out of the military, which was okay at the time, 1969.  They classified me 4F-(physically unfit for service), which meant they would take women and children, but not me.  The letter stated I could be fined $10,000 and face ten years in prison if I tried to enlist.  The reason given to me was that the military did not want to deal with future knee problems.   If I could go back, I would trade two or three years in the service to not have the leg problems I have now.   The funny thing about this is that I was probably the most athletic person in our family.  Most of my family served and even my son and daughter enlisted.
I worked in finance and banking for nine years, then, after my wife and I both found other people we liked better, I moved into the sales world and have been there ever since.  I sold cars, insurance, home improvements and mortgage financing prior to coming on board with Raine Inc.  While in Houston, I was a partner in a roofing and siding company that is still going strong there today.  My son came to Texas to live with me and went in the army after high school.  My second wife decided I was no longer a fun guy after I quit drinking, so she split.  At about that same time, I started seeing the lovely lady I’m married to today, my wife, Judy.   After we married, Judy received word that one of her daughters was going to have a baby.  This would be the first grandchild for either of us.  She decided that she had to move back to Anderson to be close to her daughter and grandchild.  She knew how I loved Texas and realized that, to move away from my business interest, would be a big financial change for us, so she said she would understand if I decided not to go back with her.  The thing she didn’t realize was how important she truly was in my life.  I needed to be with her as much as I needed air to breathe.  So we moved back to Anderson to be with our families and to whatever uncertain future awaited us.   My father had passed away and my mother needed some help so it made sense to return home.
 In Nov. of ’94, I answered an ad for a sales position at Raine Inc.  A lady from a screening agency called me and asked if I thought I could sell military products.  She couldn’t explain clearly what the position entailed so I told her if they were good products with fair prices, I was sure I could sell them.  Apparently, that sold her on me and she arranged the interview with John Raine.   I did well enough in the interview process that   John gave me the position and, for better or worse, I have been here ever since.  I guess that since I couldn’t serve the military directly, this was a way for me to contribute.
That’s the short version of my life, to date.  In future blogs, I’ll write more about my experiences here, so stay tuned.  I don’t know how interesting it will be for everyone, but it’s been a hell of a ride and I have the scars to prove it.

Best Regards,
Ron James

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Introducing Ron James



Hello all, and welcome to the Raine Inc. blog.
I will start by introducing myself.  My name is Ron James and I started to work here in Nov. of ’94.  From time to time, I will be writing about my varied experiences working for Raine and other events in my life.  I am 63 years of age, and what hair hasn’t left for parts unknown has turned gray.  To get this out of the way, I’m a short, chubby guy.  I have taken my share of abuse about this over the years, and have learned to roll with those punches.
 I am married to a very warm and special woman, Judy, and those of you who have met her already know this. We have been married for 19 years.  She is the love of my life and I am lucky to have her in it.   We are a blended family.  We have five children and ten grandchildren between us.  Together, we enjoy camping in our 5th wheel camper, traveling and watching our grandchildren play sports.  We have a 19 year old granddaughter finishing high school and enrolling next year at Butler University on a basketball scholarship.  We have spent the last 6 or 7 summers following her as she played AAU ball.  She had other offers from bigger schools and more high profile programs, but chose Butler for the quality of education she will receive and to play closer to home so the family could see more games.  She is thoughtful like that.  She was also ranked 8th in her graduating class of more than 300 students, so she is smart as well.
If you saw my facebook profile and checked out the entry for interests, it says that if it doesn’t involve Harley Davidson motorcycles or basketball, I have a short attention span.  In the warmer months, there is nothing better than blasting down the highway on my Ultra.  As soon as those pipes roar to life, any stress or problems instantly melt away.  In the cold months, when the bike is stored, I can watch my granddaughter on the basketball court.  One season gets me through to the next.  Since her school career ended, there have been a few all-star games to attend, but the AAU stuff ended last year for her.  I miss that.  We formed some special friendships through the years and I hated to see that end.  We all made promises to stay in touch, but you know how that goes; sometimes it just doesn’t work out.  I hope it does in this case.  I want to know how the other girls do in their college careers.
Well that’s me, Ron James, in a nutshell.  I will be posting more as time goes on.  I don’t promise it will be fascinating or hilarious, but hopefully it will help you know who I am and who we are here at Raine.
Thanks and stay tuned.
Ron

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Bicycling to the Expo

Raine is currently preparing for the Army Air Force Exchange Service MCSS (Military Clothing Sales Store) Expo in Minneapolis MN next week, June 7-9. Raine has been supplying AAFES our nylon gear for nearly 25 years now. This Expo allows us a chance to see old friends who manage various MCSS stores throughout the world and thank them for the business.

I am traveling to the show this year a little differently. Instead of flying, I will be driving and bicycling my way to Minneapolis – actually driving and stopping off to ride. I try to ride 40-80 miles a week. Indiana is an ideal place to ride bike. I am a big fan of riding “rail to trail” paths where old rail tracks are paved over to create great bicycling paths. This concept is growing across the country at a high rate. The Midwest is loaded with these trails.

I plan on leaving Indianapolis and traveling ½ way to Caledonia IL and ride the 20 mile Long Prairie trail the first day. The next couple of days in Minneapolis, I will try several of their multitudes of trails. I look forward to their Dakota Trail that weaves throughout various lake areas. Coming back, I plan on riding various trails in Madison Wisconsin.

A couple hundred miles during a workweek - not bad. Have a healthy week.

John Raine