-: So my, probably one of my likes, the most I like
is to see a young apprentice that's just out of high school,
very green, really doesn't have that self-confidence yet,
becomes a registered apprentice.
They have to put 8,000 hours in the field to gain that.
It's not just something they come out of the trade school.
They may come out with their schooling,
but now they need a sponsor, and that's
where I come into play where I'll register them
with the state of Connecticut.
And I watch them go from an apprentice
to a licensed journeyman, which is holding
an E2 electrician's license.
Many have gone on to be foremen now,
and we even have one or two that have
now become project managers.
So one my likes is to see, I guess you could compare it
to a university, is to see that student, so to speak,
gradually move up and stay with us
and become part of our team and now becomes a leader,
and is teaching those apprentices just like he was taught.
So that's probably one of my favorite likes of the job.
The biggest challenges that we face is
when we venture, and a lot of people in business
don't think about that, the name Nikon came from
wanting to do work in New York, Connecticut.
So we figured we're on the border of Connecticut,
so a very good name, I thought at the time, for our company.
But when you cross the line into New York,
you venture into whole new territory.
There's new tax laws, there's regulations,
there's difference in cost of fuel,
there's difference in cost of the materials.
And one of the challenges that we face,
that they don't teach you that in school,
is that every state has the right to tax ya.
And so, if you're buying material at a different state
and you're bringing it into that state,
you're gonna get taxed on it.
So you're better to seek out suppliers
in that state that you're working in
so that the state can see that
you're benefiting their state.