Who is Jim Gray
So, just who is this guy named Jim Gray?
I was born James Otto Gray and the third of eight children born to Dallas and Ruth Gray in Whitman, Nebraska on May 14, 1940.
I acquired my strong work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit from watching my father and mother working two jobs just to support our family, a practice rarely heard of at that time.
My father, Dallas, did backbreaking work for the railroad and at the same time my mother, Ruth, operated a gas service station. Dallas also operated an auto repair shop during his off hours often working well into the night to finish a customer’s repair issue.
In 1950 Dallas and Ruth moved the family to Falls City where I graduated from High School. In school, I was involved in the following sports: baseball, basketball, football (6 man), and track. Track seemed to be my best sport where I ran the ½ mile and the 1 mile, however, I never was really outstanding in any of these sports events.
After graduation, I spent that fall working for a reforestation company replanting fir trees in the mountains. The following summer, I returned to Nebraska and worked one summer on my Uncle’s cattle ranch during haying season.
Not finding career satisfaction on the ranch, I returned to Oregon and joined the Navy. After attending specialized schooling, I was stationed in an Blimp Squadron in Lakehurst, N.J.
While in the Navy, I learned some hard character building lessons that certainly helped shape me into the person I am today. I was honorably discharged and returned to Oregon where I went to work on swing shift at the same sawmill that my father retired from, however, by now it had converted from a sawmill to a plywood mill.
To allow time to attend college and to pay expenses, I split a work shift with a friend so that each one would only work every other day. Due to the increased demand for my full time employment at the mill and my lack of funding to support my college education without the job. I later discontinued my college career.
In 1962 I married Margie Lee Shipman and we settled down in Margie’s home town of Salem. I continued to work in the mill and over the next two years I relocated my employment to two other plywood mills seeking to find better advancement opportunities and higher wages.
Not finding either suitable to my satisfaction in the mills, I decided to continued searching for other career building opportunities. As part of my quest, I took and entrance exam at the Salem Fire Department and was placed on a two year hiring list.
In 1963 I decided to enroll in Salem Business Colleges’ “Court Reporting” class and to attend classes during my off time from the mill. Again, after nearly a year of study, I found that my required work schedule, school study time and lack of funding to cover family and schooling expenses to be beyond my means and was again forced terminate my college classes and to focus on his families needs as a first priority.
In June of 1964 my luck would change. At that time I received a letter from the City of Salem Fire Department offering me employment as an entry level Firefighter. This event was the beginning of a lifelong career for me, beyond my biggest dreams.
Over the next 29 (+) years, I would advance from entry level firefighter thru the ranks of Equipment Operator, Captain, Battalion Chief and ending my career nearly thirty years later as the Division Chief of Training. I have have enough interesting experiences that I could easily fill a book.
During the beginning years of my Fire Service Career I worked on shift work, working twenty four (24) hours on duty and forty eight (48) hour off duty. This schedule allowed me to find an extra part time job to help augment my income.
During this time, I worked at several different jobs such as: Metal stairway construction/delivery and installation; Fuel oil delivery; Masonry supply delivery; and finally as a Cement mason for my father-in-law. Later upon the retirement of my father-in-law, my wife and I took ownership of the Cement mason business as owner operators.
My work schedule at the Fire Department (24 hrs on duty and 48 hrs off) allowed me to personally manage the business during my off hours and to hire a manager to operate the business when I was unable to do so myself. Margie managed the books while juggling her parental duties plus babysitting for a neighbors’ four pre-school kids.
During the late 1980 when the economy took a dump, the housing construction business died which caused my concrete business to decline to the point that the writing was on the wall that this business soon would end, unless the economy soon improved.
I had previously advanced to the Fire Department ranks to the position of Shift Battalion Chief. Fortunately during this economic downturn, I was promoted to Battalion Chief in charge of the Training Division and was placed on a normal daily eight hour work schedule.
This advancement precluded my ability to manage the daily operations of my concrete business, so I made the decision to terminate the business because of the slow economic recovery mode. During this economic down turn, my wife Margie and I established a new commercial mail receiving agency business – Postal Express Business Center – and leased a commercial storefront in Salem.
The business consisted of a private mail box service handling: UPS and Federal Express shipping; Mail forwarding for businesses and snowbirds; and a Western Union send/receive agency. Margie was the predominate proprietor with me helping out during my off time from the Fire Department.
I retired from the Fire Service on February 28, 1993. On March 1, 1993 I went to work at Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate LLC selling and leasing commercial real estate properties. As of this writing, I am still a Commercial Realtor for Coldwell Banker specializing in Industrial Properties and has achieved the title of Senior Vice President.
In 2005 (+-), after our CMRA had been robbed twice due to the “perceived” large sums of Western Union cash on hand, we decided to close down the Postal Express Business Center. We decided to quit before something serious happened and to allow ourselves time to enjoy vacationing in our newly acquired Motor Home.
We now take annual three month vacations to Yuma, AZ to visit our son who is currently working on the Marine Base as an Aviation Mechanic for the F-5 Fighter Jets for a Research and Development company. We also enjoy the camaraderie of our many friends that they have made during the RV Rallies and gatherings.
Our daughter Chauni, after working several jobs such as a Truck Leasing Agent and a Financial Consultant Receptionist, is now a partner with me in my Commercial Real Estate business and will eventually take over the business when I retire in a few years.
My wife and I currently live very comfortably on a 10 acre (+-) ranch outside of Salem that we purchased when our family was just beginning. It is where our family dreams and visions have been cemented and brought to fruitarian. It is the place where family memories were born and will continue to live in their hearts until eternity.
It is where Margie’s biggest concern now is how to keep the deer from eating her flowers and garden. My ambition and entrepreneurial spirit continues to burn brightly and seems unending. Although I’m still currently earning a nice income from my commercial real estate business and my Fire Department retirement and investments, I am continually researching new roads to financial freedom.
I am NOW researching the modern phenomena known as the internet to find ways to earn recurring income to support my family throughout my retirement years.
Both myself and Margie have been on several Caribbean Cruises and love to travel. In addition, we currently own a 40 “ luxury motor home and spend every occasion possible traveling. We are also interested in preserving and maintaining our health during our retirement years.
Margie spends her spare time quilting and making high quality gifts for family and friends. My primary interest is on finding an internet business that fits within the above parameters of interest to generate passive, recurrent income.
During the current economic meltdown, I have focused my attention on the internet to find viable businesses that:
Have a high level of professional management and integrity;
Highly creditable business values;
Have products/or services that are consumable and in high demand by a large portion of the population;
Capable of being home based;
Easily operated from a computer;
Do not require storage and/or stock piling of products;
and easily managed by the business owner.
My research has identified two major business types that fit this requirement and that are interesting and promising enough to warrant my pursuit. They are:
1) Health and Wellness Products/Programs; and
2) Travel Programs.
I’m currently pursuing business opportunities in each field with the intent to combine both interests into simultaneous financial gain. My goal is within the next 12 months, to establish a strong, highly ethical and professionally managed internet home based business selling products and information related to the health and travel industries.
I have already identified and joined two companies that I plan to pursue for my business. Both meet the high standards that I have established and I welcome you to visit my sites
1) Quest Travel Network and
