Jeff Davis

Well nothing like waiting for the last minute to write in. Kind of reminds me of creating my senior English report with Ian Andrews and Jamie Aslin on the night before it was due. We all had reports and waited until Sunday night to start writing them for Thalmans’ 12th grade English Class! I think we finished up about 4:00 am, but the good news is that I ended up with an (A-).

Anyway, I left Los Alamos and headed for Phoenix to UTI a Technical School which taught Auto/Diesel technology. The plan was to learn all that I could and then start an auto dealership in the west for my uncle that had already been in business for the last twenty years with Davis Auto Sales in Iowa. Well, when I finished school it turned out the only plan to make this happen was in my own Dads mind. So I worked as an ASE certified Diesel mechanic in Phoenix for 11 years. During this time I had a lot of fun partying and was even lucky enough to be outside working on a Diesel engine when it was 122 degrees, the hottest temperature on record in Phoenix. I played mechanic for a handful of different places until one summer I was working for BFI on trash trucks and something happened which changed my direction in life. I happened to be under a trash truck adjusting brakes on the asphalt, which measured 154 degrees, when the wrench slipped and struck me above my right eye. As the blood began to run into my eye I realized I was soaked from head to toe with sweat, my hands were covered with grease and as I tried to roll out from under the truck I caught my long hair in the wheel of my creeper. While I was struggling to free myself and retain some hair, the wind picked up and covered me from head to toe with dirt. Finally free, I slid out from under the truck and gasped for air due to the extreme heat. Just as I opened my mouth to take a deep breath some grey garbage juice dripped into my mouth. From that point on I was determined to find a way out! I guess the job at BFI allowed me to figure out a couple of things. First, was the fact that I really did not want to be a mechanic. Second, I ended up meeting my wife Zoorina, who was the daughter of the parts manager. We both had the same interests in music and have been happily married for twelve years since. In addition, I gained an incredible second family which I will describe as old world Spanish. If you have ever seen the movie “A Walk in the Clouds” the situation was very similar except that they considered me a son from the beginning.

After leaving BFI and the lovely world of mechanics I went back to school for Real Estate and received my license. The only problem was that I picked the wrong time to be in this field. The Phoenix market was really bad and I ended up leasing apartments with high stress and very little commission. Since I could not survive on this income I worked for a friend as a maintenance manager for his sweeping company and decided to go back to school at DeVry. I worked this job for three years while attending school and finally graduated with a second associate’s degree in Electronics. After graduation I interviewed and received a job offer at Los Alamos National Lab as a network engineer. This was a job that I really wanted to take but again bad timing was an issue. My wife was about to have our first Kid and there was no way we were moving away from her family at this time. So, I ended up taking an engineering job here in Phoenix, for Heil, a trash truck body builder. I had no intention of getting back into a field that I wanted so desperately out of! But, the pay was good and my knowledge of the industry was a great match. Shortly after I started, my daughter Alyssa was born and she has just been an incredible gift. I was afraid I couldn’t handle kids but she just made me melt. She is currently 9 years old and headed to a national cheer competition in St Louis Missouri this summer. Since this is the week after the reunion it might be hard for me to make it back for the gathering. Anyway, to finish the story, I worked for Heil for 5 years and was laid off the week after I found out we were going to have our second kid, Jeffery Kenneth. He is now 5 years old with a green belt in karate. Kenny, which is what we call him after my dad, needed something to help him drain off some of the extra energy.

After several rough months I ended up working for a competitor of Heil. McNeilus companies hired me as a regional sales manager for parts.  I have worked for them for almost 5 years and am taking a promotion to engineering for the European group. In addition, to working for McNeilus I also build electrical controls systems and harnesses that I sell to McNeilus. I created a company called Davis Technologies 5 years ago and I am currently in the process of finishing my business plan and looking for an investor/s to help me take the next step to finally break free from the corporate world. It is funny how the higher up you go the more children you have to deal with.

I really miss the fun times we had in Los Alamos - nobody told me it would get harder once you leave. However, the journey to this point has been a great one and I wouldn’t trade my family for anything. I am going to try and make it back to Los Alamos for the reunion but with the trip for my little girl to nationals and the attempt to launch the business to the next level, I don’t know if I will make it.

E-Mail = davistek@hotmail.com