The best job I've ever had, and the place I'd still be working if circumstances with my Wife and the Donor of Genetic Material and custodial issues didn't go the way they went (this is why I'm a California transplant living in Tennessee), was at a Company originally known as Brian Kangas Foulk but later became BKF Engineers. I had to desperately get out of Tricor, it just sucked. I needed some new direction in life. In 2000 I had officially been divorced for a year. My good friend Mike's roommate was moving out of the apartment in Belmont, and I was getting ready to move in. My first night in that apartment was the night before my first official day at BKF. I remember interviewing there. My boss Tita Bet knew I was looking for another job, and she didn't blame me. She let me go early so I could go to the interview. I met with two women, Linda and Maureen. Linda was about my age (she's actually 2 years younger) and Maureen was an older woman (she's retired now). They were both dressed in business suits, but my first impression was that Linda looked uncomfortable in hers (after working with her for 5 years my first impression was correct). The funniest question they asked me was "Do you have a problem working with all women?" I chuckled saying, "The last billing department I worked with was all women, I grew up in a small house with two women and one bathroom. I have no problems working with women." Linda then asked me, "would you have problems working for a woman supervisor. Which would be me." I replied that with the exception of Bob at UA, I've always had women supervisors and basically don't care what the person's gender, race, etc is as long as I'm treated fairly. They seemed to like that. Two days later they offered me the job. I was introduced to "my girls" as I like to call them. Debbie (tall blonde and was Disney's biggest fan), Yarka (older, short, from the Czech Republic and our "mom" basically), Denise (short blonde car girl...big fan of Brian Setzer) and Janie (average height, Asian girl....with a large attitude). I didn't have to sit in the same room as "my girls" (a Man can only take so much estrogen) instead I had my own Cube down the hall from them. I was introduced to the President and CEO Dave LaVelle. I was ready for "Mr. Corporate Hot Shot" or "Dysart the second"; instead I was introduced to "Hey, Dave LaVelle, nice to meet you. So you are the new guy in Accounting eh? Hope those girls don't drive you nuts." A very jovial guy, intelligent and actually was glad to meet you. In the 5 years I worked there, I saw Dave LaVelle go out of his way to get to know the employees that worked for his Company. 200+ employees (a good portion Surveyors who are never in the office but in the field all day), and Dave knew who each one was. A man who runs a multi-million dollar Engineering Firm who's projects include the Oracle Campus and Pixar Studios (basically a good portion of the Peninsula and Silicon Valley has been worked on by BKF) and has to look at the big picture all day still managed to make time to get to know us "grunts". Impressive, and not very common. You don't see Larry Ellison getting to know all 5,000+ of his employees at Oracle do you? Yeah he's busy, but he doesn't care. (this comes from several people who have worked at Oracle and have met him and pretty much that's their assessment.) BKF is a privately held Corporation run by a board of Principal's/Vice-President's and the President/CEO. Each of these folks has a financial stake in the Company. It does good, they benefit. If not, well they are looking for another job. I actually found a job where I looked forward to going to work. There was great morale at BKF. We worked hard, but every once in awhile we cut loose and de-stressed. One day a year after work we turned the office into a Mini-Golf course. We would have our Bi-Monthly lunch meetings where the financial progress of the Company was discussed and new hires were recognized. The Project Managers were encouraged to speak about the new things they had going on and what projects we won bids on. Sometimes there was a theme to these lunches. We had a Luau theme one time with the Accounting Girls and our Office Manager Kelly all dressed in grass skirts doing the Hula (I was on vacation that week or I'd have been in a grass skirt as well I'm sure.) while Dave LaVelle dressed in Hawaiian shirt and shorts and straw hat stood in a wading pool full of water and played Ukulele. How can you not like working for a guy like that??? We used to do a Friday lunchtime jam session with folks bringing their guitars and myself bringing my bongos. Dave would join in strumming on his guitar and even singing a little. We moved from our little cramped office in Redwood City to an awesome office overlooking Redwood Shores Lagoon (across the street from EA). Then I had to move to Tennessee. They didn't want me to go, and honestly if I didn't love my Wife so much I wouldn't have gone. But you know....a little thing called "the Love of my Life" happened and well...here I am. No I'm not sorry I moved, I am just sorry I had to leave BKF. Next time I will talk about my current crappy job where all the stereotypical office BS happens.
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