WEBVTT - Three Months Into Retirement He Started Over

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<v Speaker 1>And we continue with our American Stories. And we've heard

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<v Speaker 1>from Bob Huff before about how he and his bride,

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<v Speaker 1>who were a nursing home and home healthcare business from

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<v Speaker 1>six employees to fifteen hundred, and there were some terrific

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<v Speaker 1>stories along the way. Go to our American Stories dot

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<v Speaker 1>com to hear that and so many of the American

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<v Speaker 1>dreamers stories we tell because it's such a fundamental part

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<v Speaker 1>of this great country. Now we bring you Bob's latest

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<v Speaker 1>venture from Sarasota, Florida.

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<v Speaker 2>So Lenn and I sort of retired. We were like

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<v Speaker 2>sixty five at that time and had been in a

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<v Speaker 2>business for over thirty years and being an entrepreneur and

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<v Speaker 2>being only sixty five years of age. I told my

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<v Speaker 2>wife after about three months, I said, you know what,

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<v Speaker 2>I want to do something else. I'm not done. I

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<v Speaker 2>didn't know exactly what it was going to be yet.

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<v Speaker 2>But in the middle of one night, and I was

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<v Speaker 2>very guilty of waking up with ideas keeping a legal

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<v Speaker 2>pad beside me, I woke up about three o'clock in

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<v Speaker 2>the morning and I thought dogs. I was thinking about Brownie,

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<v Speaker 2>who was a dog that I had gotten for my

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<v Speaker 2>son after he graduated from college because he was lonely,

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<v Speaker 2>he was looking for love in the wrong places, and

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<v Speaker 2>he needed a dog, so I got Brownie for him.

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<v Speaker 2>When I woke up one morning, I'd written down everything

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<v Speaker 2>that I was thinking about. Yes, pet resorts, pet resorts, dogs,

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<v Speaker 2>that's what I need to go into. So at that

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<v Speaker 2>time I decided, well, I'm going to start looking and

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<v Speaker 2>researching this right now. So that's exactly what I did. First,

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<v Speaker 2>I thought, well, where do you begin? And then I thought, well,

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<v Speaker 2>I need begin looking for software. So I researched software

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<v Speaker 2>and found a company that I called, and the gentleman

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<v Speaker 2>I talked to was very helpful, and he said, well,

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<v Speaker 2>let me, you know, suggest to you that we have

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<v Speaker 2>one of our instructors who also owns her own company

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<v Speaker 2>and owns some other pet resorts. Let me give you

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<v Speaker 2>her name. She can probably help you and consult with

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<v Speaker 2>you during this process. So I called her up and

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<v Speaker 2>talked to her. I said, I'd like to volunteer to

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<v Speaker 2>come up and work at your facility so I can

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<v Speaker 2>learn a little bit more about this industry. Would that

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<v Speaker 2>be possible? She said, yes, Bob. Their name was Gretchen MEMBERG.

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<v Speaker 2>That would be very possible. I'd like to have a volunteer.

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<v Speaker 2>So I went up and I worked for a couple

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<v Speaker 2>of weeks before her, learning about dog care training and

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<v Speaker 2>the amazement of fifty dogs going home at one time

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<v Speaker 2>in the morning between probably eight and ten am, and

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<v Speaker 2>how the staff can handle all of that. I was

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<v Speaker 2>looking for land in Sarasota and was able to find

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<v Speaker 2>a property. There's an old bowl and alley. It was

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<v Speaker 2>my first pet resort and that opened up ten years ago,

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<v Speaker 2>and as I always do, I thought, this is sort

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<v Speaker 2>of fun. I want to do it again. But I said,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm not to the point where I can afford a

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<v Speaker 2>big expansion, but what I can afford is maybe a

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<v Speaker 2>pet salon that would be a feeder source for the

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<v Speaker 2>company that I have. So I did. I opened a

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<v Speaker 2>pet grooming salon along with a daycare area and had

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<v Speaker 2>that for about five years. I thought, oh boy, I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to have to do some other things. Now, I'm

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<v Speaker 2>going to have to open up another pet resort and

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<v Speaker 2>located a trailer park. I had seventeen dilapidated trailers that

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<v Speaker 2>had been closed for a number of years, and it

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<v Speaker 2>also had about seven acres of property, and I thought, okay,

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<v Speaker 2>this is it. This is by me. It was not zoned,

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<v Speaker 2>so I had to go through the zoning property get

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<v Speaker 2>that business going. I worked with an architect and developed

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<v Speaker 2>a really state of the art resort, went through a

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<v Speaker 2>couple of general managers. That took us about two and

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<v Speaker 2>a half years to really get it proped ongoing, and

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<v Speaker 2>then I thought, well, I want to buy another one.

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<v Speaker 2>This is a lot of fun and I was able

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<v Speaker 2>to get approval from the account. It took me another

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<v Speaker 2>year and a half to get that project going. That

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<v Speaker 2>we're going to use a walk up for other facilities

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<v Speaker 2>that we're developing in the future. So to fast forward

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<v Speaker 2>to my life now at seventy four and still going,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm thinking, okay, I'm going to have to start thinking

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<v Speaker 2>of transition. And so the best way to transition is

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<v Speaker 2>to expand. And I say that because by expansion you

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<v Speaker 2>can afford hire more management and expand your business. And

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<v Speaker 2>so we are now in the process of moving forward

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<v Speaker 2>with the development of two pet resorts per year for

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<v Speaker 2>the next five years. As a goo that I have,

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<v Speaker 2>I have a young man that's working with me that

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<v Speaker 2>will be responsible for that development process. We have a

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<v Speaker 2>relationship with Urges of America, which is an organization. It's

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<v Speaker 2>a nonprofit organization has been around many many years, and

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<v Speaker 2>this particular organization provides services, guidance, direction, counseling to returning

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<v Speaker 2>citizens because primarily women who have been incarcerated for and

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<v Speaker 2>are convicted felons. I met the executive director of that

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<v Speaker 2>organization and have offered our services working with them to

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<v Speaker 2>develop productive members of society from some of their programs

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<v Speaker 2>that they have. And so we have been working very

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<v Speaker 2>successfully for the past five years with employees who come

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<v Speaker 2>from Bridges America. We don't ask our backgrounds. We want

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<v Speaker 2>a new beginning for them because they have a special

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<v Speaker 2>sense of what it means to not be loved and

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<v Speaker 2>what it means to be loved. With no bars attached,

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<v Speaker 2>we can forgive and forget and move on with our lives.

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<v Speaker 2>We have a lady that was our very first pet

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<v Speaker 2>pal that we had received from the program. This has

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<v Speaker 2>been five or six years. Kim started with us. Don't

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<v Speaker 2>know exactly what her background is, but she just wanted

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<v Speaker 2>a job, wanted to be able to provide and live independently.

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<v Speaker 2>She had completed the program. We brought her in. I

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<v Speaker 2>was very hesitant to do the program and invite in

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<v Speaker 2>convicted felons. What have blessing has been to the staff.

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<v Speaker 2>Kim has provided so much encouragement and so much guidance

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<v Speaker 2>to our young staff who have come in. She shares

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<v Speaker 2>her story, she's not embarrassed with her story, and it's

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<v Speaker 2>helped so many of our teenagers that we have hired

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<v Speaker 2>to hear what Kim has done with her life and

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<v Speaker 2>what her life has been like, which she shares with them,

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<v Speaker 2>and she's very respected by the staff. Kim came with

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<v Speaker 2>nothing whatsoever, got out of the program with nothing whatsoever,

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<v Speaker 2>and through employment with us, she was finally able to

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<v Speaker 2>get housing. However, she did not have transportation, and she

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<v Speaker 2>had to walk through and a half miles one way

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<v Speaker 2>to and from war and she was never late for work.

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<v Speaker 2>And the staff realized this after she had been with

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<v Speaker 2>us about seven or eight months, and they knew that

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<v Speaker 2>she was walking. And for Christmas unbeknownst to anyone, they

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<v Speaker 2>did this without my knowledge or any management knowledge whatsoever,

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<v Speaker 2>but they all chipped in money for Christmas for Kim,

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<v Speaker 2>and they bought our bicycle. It may not seem like much,

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<v Speaker 2>but to Kim brought her to tears. And for our staff,

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<v Speaker 2>it brought them to tears that they could do something

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<v Speaker 2>for someone else and Kim could do something for them.

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<v Speaker 2>So it's been a wonderful blessing. Kim has been promoted

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<v Speaker 2>several times over the years and now she is a

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<v Speaker 2>manager of our back area with providing full service care

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<v Speaker 2>and guidance of direction to our staff and care to

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<v Speaker 2>our pets, and she's done a wonderful job. So our

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<v Speaker 2>philosophy has been that we want the do we want

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<v Speaker 2>the dogs tails wagging and coming. And when I really

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<v Speaker 2>think about it, I guess that's true with all the

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<v Speaker 2>people and all the staff that we have working there.

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<v Speaker 2>We want them to have pride. I want them to

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<v Speaker 2>be happy when they come to the door in the

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<v Speaker 2>morning and when they leave in the afternoon. And I

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<v Speaker 2>think that with most of our staff we've been able

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<v Speaker 2>to accomplish that. This as a driving force behind what

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<v Speaker 2>we're doing to move forward in the future and see

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<v Speaker 2>what the Lord has in plan for the future and

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<v Speaker 2>what other organizations and what other opportunities are going to

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<v Speaker 2>be available to each and every one of our family

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<v Speaker 2>members who we have for staff and for each of

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<v Speaker 2>the clients that we have coming through the doors. They

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<v Speaker 2>know when they come through the doors. Their pets are

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<v Speaker 2>always so excited to come in. I got on that

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<v Speaker 2>jumped out the window to get into a daycare. They

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<v Speaker 2>know that they're in a loving environment because you can

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<v Speaker 2>feel it as soon as you have the door, you

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<v Speaker 2>can feel it. We can feel it that the dogs

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<v Speaker 2>feel it too, So we do have those tales whacking

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<v Speaker 2>going and coming through our doors.

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<v Speaker 1>And a great job on the production by Robbie and

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<v Speaker 1>a special thanks to Bob Huff for sharing this remarkable story.

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<v Speaker 1>He retired at the age of sixty five and only

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<v Speaker 1>three months later retired from retirement, and of course a

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<v Speaker 1>dream comes to him and he's got a pad by

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<v Speaker 1>his side, because that's what entrepreneurs do, especially serial entrepreneurs,

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<v Speaker 1>people who just can't help themselves. They've got to start

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<v Speaker 1>a business. And look at the value he creates all

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<v Speaker 1>around him, from hiring people to providing a service for

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<v Speaker 1>the dogs and giving an opportunity to a convicted felon.

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<v Speaker 1>Sometimes it's as simple as starting a business and doing

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<v Speaker 1>good in your neighborhood. The story of Bob Huff, the

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<v Speaker 1>story of his entrepreneurship, and so much more here on

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<v Speaker 1>our American stories,