PWI is my home on the internet.
With my previous businesses (dry cleaning - HVAC) I looked on the boards and found quite a bit of selfishness and intentional efforts to lead new guys the wrong way. It seemed like they liked to do that.
When I signed on in 2008 and Ron called to verify my business I told him that day that PWI seemed like the most Christian based forum I had ever seen in that they share with others. Sometimes they fight (even then there were fights) but in the end the contractors as a whole helped each other.
I wanted to be a part of that.
I started off a lot more optimistic than I am now. It only took about two months before I was getting calls about Ron and how I need to "watch out for that guy".
As we became closer and spent more time together, because of those calls, I was apprehensive about getting too close to him. All I knew is what I had been told.
After about two years I started realizing the calls I got were consistently from the same batch of about 10 people.
I spend a lot of time in cars with Ron. He stays on speakerphone all the time. I would hear Ron talking (sometimes arguing) with people on the phone, then later read on PWI details about the conversation that didn't even resemble the conversation I had just listened to. It was crazy. Sometimes they would even call me and complain about a conversation they had with him and make wild accusations that I KNEW for a fact were not true because I listened to the whole thing!!!!!!!
Eventually I got tired of it and went on the offensive. No holds barred. When they realized I was not some new guy they were going to manipulate into a Ron hater, the calls miraculously ceased and they moved on to new blood.
This type of thing has changed my whole attitude about the industry.
PWI looked great and "Christianlike" on the surface, but boiling below was hatred and jealously like I had never seen before.
Slowly, over time, the haters have been defeated one by one. Just about all of them are gone. Exposed for their petty jealousy. If you were to count them there weren't that many. A lot of the ones who hate Ron now are just disciples of that original few who don't know any better. I'm pretty confident many of them will see the truth about Ron in time as I did.
I am sorry for focusing so much attention on the few. I'm happy most of them are gone. They don't deserve the benefits of a fine board like this. I am sorry that focusing on them has made me look like a bitter antagonist and taken my focus away from contributing more on here regarding the business aspects.
I'm not a repair guy. I don't know a darn thing about anything residential. I don't even clean sidewalks. My contributions may be limited here. But because of all this fighting I have spend hundreds of hours learning about the environmental aspects of our industry. I know a little about equipment, a lot about cleaning coils and a fair amount about business administration and marketing. I will pledge to use that knowledge to contribute on here more in the future.
Thank you PWI and everyone on here from the Admins to the lurkers who have never posted.
