My first job

I'm not sure if you remember Twistee Treat, those fiberglass buildings that looked like ice cream cones. My first job was making them.

I worked in Cape Coral at Marine Concepts [a fiberglass tooling company that makes small boats and other structures] during the summer between eighth and ninth grades. At first I was the "do" boy-"Go do this. Go do that."

When the owner got a contract to build the Twistee Treat buildings, I progressed to making those. I rolled fiberglass to get all the bubbles out and used a chop gun for the glass and the resin. We built the Twistee Treat [buildings] in four sections and quickly learned it wasn't a good idea to store them outside in the sun, which warped them.

I made the minimum wage, $3.35 per hour. I remember giving my parents the checks to cash so I could use the money to go to movies. I bought a little record player/stereo that I wanted, too.

I'd get up every morning at five; it was an early start, and we worked hard. Every night I'd go home and there was always fiberglass in my skin. The guys I worked with told me to take a bath with vinegar because it would open up my pores. I tried just about every remedy, but none of them ever worked.

That job was the first experience I had with hard work, and it was great. I liked working with my hands and was excited about producing something of value. Most of the people who worked with me were Cuban and didn't speak much English. Their hard work and dedication to providing for their families was inspiring.

I learned that hard and honest work reaps rewards and that your word is your bond. If you say you're going to do something, do it. Those lessons stick with me today.