Dealership Sizes

[West Branch]

It’s the Domino affect. I worked for the Parent Company of Porter Cable, Delta and several other power tool companies. Once the 800 lb gorilla in the power tool business (Black and Decker/Dewalt) started to source their tools from China you either followed or were out of business. Dewalt could sell a commercial quality cordless drill for basically what it cost us to manufacture the unit so either you followed the pack or you got out of the tool business. It was a very sad experience to see the closing of plants and transferring of know-how to china.

During those years I got the chance to experience some outstanding training on foreign markets. I was in a session on China where one statistic absolutely stunned me and for parents should be conveyed to their children. This is a quote, “At all times there are over 300 million unemployed young men in China looking for work”. That’s more laborers looking for work then there are people in the US and makes labor basically free in China. That was 20 years ago. Parents need to convey the importance of an education to their children as the pressure on wages from China, India etc. will be very high for many years.

A few years ago they were saying that wages on the eastern cost of China would be comparable to the SE US (South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, etc.) in 2015. China is huge so the freight costs from western China would add up with the lower labor from out there. I haven't read much about that lately, but they have been expanding manufacturing down in the SE in recent years. Definitely not the wages of years ago when the guys are getting $12-$14 an hour.

 

[sandbur]

My son got 2 degrees in college. Business.... Marking, or something along those lines. He now works on the new Viking Stadium. The reason, he can make over $2,000 before taxes every week. Right now he is making almost $9,000 a month. And the union company he works for needs hundreds more competent people for there workforce. They are not out there. Has an education helped him? Not right now, but maybe in the future it will. Learning a work ethic at home helped for now. Education did nothing for me, as I was gone from high school in Oct of the 10th grade. World still needs good labor, and people with common sense to keep things moving along. Some things just can't be outsourced.

"What we need is more parents to kick some kids in the ass and get them outside learning what a good days work is. Then they will be rewarded with a good days pay!" MBC 2014

There are two important things-education and a work ethic.

Young people need to think about jobs that are not likely to be outsourced. You and I are in the ag fields, and at present many of the jobs to keep our soil productive just can't be out sourced to another country.

 

[foggy]

Funny thing....I've contributed to ten college educations in my family. Contributing to 80% + of these expenses for my family members - wife, my "kids", and grandkids. Sadly, I am the most under-educated (formally) of us all. :rolleyes: And yet, I got the best education money can buy.....at the School of Hard Knocks. :D

Gotta say, I paid a high price for some of that education.....and life can really knock you down. But if you pick yourself up....dust off....and get back in the game.....it can work out. ;)

Due to a strange family situation, when I was growing up....education took a back-seat for me during my high school years. I don't think I ever took a book home from school. So-so grades and efforts. Then, when attending college (two quarters), my habits were not too good....and I did not have enough money to stay in school. With no money I dropped out....then drafted to the military, then marriage and a family "got in the way" of ever getting back to a formal education. Classic wasting and blundering of my youth. :oops:

Later, had to do things the hard-way. But, I likely read more books and studied harder (at home) on my chosen topics than any three other students. (Who else has read the Thomas Register?) It worked out for me....and I still say DETERMINATION TRUMPS EDUCATION....any day of the week. Or, at least it did when I grew up. Now?....not so sure.

Still....you gotta have a fire in your belly. ;)

 

[sandbur]

Both my daughters are working minimum wage jobs this summer. I am encouraging them to learn how to budget, some to spend, some to save for short term, and some to save for college.

They have classmates with no jobs. Some are in sports and find it hard to have a job.....

 

[wiscwhip]

My youngest daughter has taken a summer job at a local sub sandwich shop after finishing up her first college semester in nursing. Great thing is she hasn't stopped putting in applications since she got that job. Constantly trying to better herself. She just signed up to participate in a disaster readiness exercise with the National Guard. As far as she is concerned, missing $7.75 an hour for a couple hours a day for 2 shifts this week is a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the $180 a day she will earn at the disaster training and it will help her gain a better understand of triage nursing in the process. Proud papa!:D

 

[sandbur]

Detasseling Crews are hiring right now. My Buddy in Melrose has openings! They can work in the mornings and have plenty of time for sports in the evening!

I think some do not want a job.

 

[West Branch]

Detasseling was good times. I was happy to do it because the pay was a lot more than working on the family dairy farm!

I was a foreman when I was 14 and towards the end of the season some other kids who were 17-18 found out how young I was and were ticked off. I was 6' tall at 14 and looked older so they assumed I was close to their age. After they found out they thought I was related to someone from the company because my last name was the same as the owners of a different seed company. I never did figure out that logic.

Stu - I know some people that did the contracts like that. For the ones willing to work it worked out well. Others never did it again when they found out it wasn't easy money.

The seed companies are also merging and being bought out. I think there used to be 15+ seed companies in the Dassel-Cokato area and I think there are maybe 4 left that are locally owned.