Post High-School, I worked mostly with my dad at his plumbing business and focused my attention on my band. After the break-up with Mo, I moved into the studio I was building in downtown Alhambra. My dad suffered a heart attack, and I was suddenly forced to decide if I was going to try to take over his plumbing business or pursue my interest in personal computers. At one point I had two resumes… one to get a plumbing job, the other to get a computer job. I got lucky (I think) and landed a job at a local computer store called Data Systems West. I often wonder what would have happened had I gone the other direction. DSW was good to me, and I enjoyed working there, learning computers, and making new friends. The very best of these new friends was a 16-year-old kid named Lou. Lou would turn out to be my best man, in more ways than I can count. We were both best men for each other’s weddings. We have known each other for close to a half Century at this point and have played important roles in one another’s lives ever since we first met. Lou is now senior vice president of sales at the company I’m currently employed by. He is a terrific guy and I am very lucky to have him as a life-long friend.
While working at DSW in San Gabriel, I finally reached a level of sales proficiency that I was asked to transfer to the Sherman Oaks store. This was quite a haul for me, but it turned out to be a good thing. I met a new friend Eric. Eric is quite the character and was responsible for helping me transcend the retail computer sales world and finally make it into the big league. Eric’s brother was a local LA DJ, and Eric was a gifted bass player, and had done some house sitting for Hollywood notables including Carol King and David Carradine. He and I both met at DSW and went on to work for AT&T, Novell, and Sun Microsystems together.