Hi, Brucie! I remember you!!!

Kelli #165


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Kelli Smith, Emp # 165

The Gator is shoutin' you out here! It is great to hear you are doing well. Althoough I had a lot of friends and great memories from S>S>, you were always one of my favs and I still count you as a good friend. Man, the memories and stories!! You would have appreciated my farewell when I left the company. Tim Jaarsma (RIP) said only I could do the way I wanted to do it. I got my resentment out for how Rocky, Paul and Jimmy among others were hammered out and then some! Anyway, I do miss it. Glad to here life is good as it is for me. Anyway, hope you see this and if you have time, lay one on me.

Wayne Osburn #042

Oh man.
What Happened to Tim and how long ago? He and I spent a lot of time together opening stores all over the south ,11 actually plus mine in Westy.
He was one of the best guys I ever knew at SS he and I had lots of talks and he was always a straight shooter never bull crap you(unless you where talking about women)
What a sad thing to read .God Bless him.
Spike

Spike, Tim sadly passed away about 5 or 6 years ago. He and I were also great friends and shared many goofy and serious moments as well. Tim would never accept the fact that "it was over". He had a real bad time of it afterwards and lost everytrhing he had ever worked for. Drugs entered in at some point and Tim just basically gave up on life. He died very alone and basically anonymously. To this day I don't believe that Harry and some of the others actually grasped how important and consuming Super Shops was to many of us. I can tell you though that without ever having talked to Harry and other higher-ups about Tim's passing, that Harry was devastated by this news.

Hi Bruce,
Good to read your intro. And all is good with you. All is good with me, like you I can't get away from cars. I have managed an Restoration & Race mail order store with installation here in Sacramento for the past 13 years and I still love it. I keep in touch with Dan #1301 a great friend for over 20 years since we put north 074 Miami & 078 ft Lauderdale together in the mid 80's. I keep in touch once in a great while with Dino and Allen Chase Van Nuys. It’s the people we worked & travel with were the best of times for me as well. Good luck with your new business.
Steen Godskesen #1347
Back from the Kevin Walsh, Bob Margolis and Steve Wipple Days in Van Nuys


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Steen Godskesen 1347, Van Nuys 009 1984, Miami 074 AM, Ft. Lauderdale 078 AM, Bakersfield 037 MGR, Van Nuys 009 MGR, Bakersfield 037 MGR, Sacramento RM (010, 021, 022, 037, 063, 081, 101, 146, 165), Sacramento 010 1995 I Quit

Wayne Osborn, you hit the nail on the head about Harry turning his back on Rocky and Jimmy. After being with several companies since Shops and seeing the poor support purchasing does to keep the pipeline full, Rocky was the best. I still talk to Jimmy often and consider him a friend for life. Harry really is clueless of the team of individuals he had that truly was the reason for his success and the people he put in place the last few years are truly the reason for the companies dimise. Wayne it is nice to hear that you are doing well as you were one of the good guys who made the company fun to work for. I talk every once in awhile to Bill Parlier and even saw Les Davidson a couple of years ago at the SEMA show in vegas. Steen, ii is great to hear that you are doing well. When I get on this site, it brings back great memories of the great people I worked with and the great guys who worked for me. I think back to my first run at a Regional Manager in Southern Cal and the awesome people who helped the company grow and prosper. I think about my stints based out of Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Orlando and the effort these awesome guys put out there to enhance me being succesful and will never be forgotten. The team spirit, effort, enthusiasm has never been at any of the other companies I have worked at since and is truly the reason they have a hard time growing. If any of you want to contact me go to myspace.com and put in Bruce Banker and you will find me. I got remarried 5 years ago to a spectacular woman and life is very good right now. I am in between jobs right now looking for my next challenge. I am doing some consulting and have my own real estate gig, but the high performance industry is where I want to be.


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Bruce Banker

I don't think i ever thanked you properly for taking me and my wife to the coca cola 600 and wining and dining me and asking me to come to work with you at doug's, I'm sure it would have been a great time. stay in touch


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Pete Rhew
#2394
store #11 Salt Lake City
store #79 Charlotte

Still remember your famous advise,
Don't sweat the small things, pet the sweaty things!

Drew Champe

Bruce has said on multiple times, "It takes a big shed, to cover a big tool."


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Jeffrey Barnett #957

yep yep yep,,,,, what would we do without them.
http://picasaweb.google.com/davidwnorberg/Ssistuff

OMG!! Hello Bruce, I cant believe this site!! I am just blown away. I have never forgot the 5yrs i spent at ssi. I remember when you said you would be in in the the morning to decide who the am would be for 154 so if i was to have a chance that i would have to lopp the mullet. It was the late 80's Bruce. I didnt hesitate and Roy Johnson took me to the barber and lopped it off. As promised you handed me the keys with confidence and said to put the speed shop next door out of business. We did! I also remember the story about the bar fight when you told the guy you were going to put your finger in his eye socket and massage his brain. Some things you never forget. I still hang out with Pat Ogletree, Roy Johnson, Walt Lannigan. I have been selling boats for 14yrs and owned a small boat dealership for a cpl of years now. I have been drag racing for the past 10yrs steady doing very well in my class each year. I also volunteer to teach a class at my old high school auto shop on drag racing and high performance parts to try to keep the kids off the street. My classes on parts are basically old ss sales morning meetings of feature and benefits and good,better and best. All though I was devistated to see SSI demise I still say TGFSS. I would'nt of had the sucess in my life if it had'nt been for Roy Johnson, Richard Gessey, Ed Steel and yourself for teaching me the things i would need to make it. I am married to a beautiful lady for the past 15yrs, built a house on 3acres in the country and life also could'nt be any better. Thanks Roger emp #7052 for LIFE[/img]

Roger,
I think I remember Pat. Was he a salesman in #110?


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Jeffrey Barnett #957

I still keep in touch with Jim Jackson, and Jim Patterson. I went to lunch with Les Davidson a few years back down in Riverside. There are so many people that I worked with over the years there that taught me things that I still use today. After working at Super Shops, it seemed like every job was easy or the hours felt like a part time job!! We all worked so long and hard to help build that company, because we loved it, and believed in our leaders. I can remember staying up for 3 days straight to get the Vallejo CA. store open. We were selling parts before the glass was in the store windows, and before the final permits had been issued!! We were sleeping in the isles at night with remington 1100 shot guns across our chests to protect Harry's parts!! Thats how we felt about our jobs, we did what ever it took, and we took no prisoners!!! I moved 10 times in 10 years from coast to coast. Atlanta GA. was the best of times, traveling the east section of the company, so many great people I worked with!! Robin Hamden, Dave Hibbard, Mark Celle, Jeff Highland, and many many more... We kicked butt on parts challenges, I can remember Jim Patterson wanting to skip the comparisons of sales at staff meetings in New Port Beach!! We killed them on high profit hard parts sales!! And push items, Blue Magic, Armorall etc... I still hot rod to this day, I have a 1955 Ford F100 p/u with a 871 blown BBF , toploader 4 speed to a 9" rear. Wheelie bars, parachute, the works, and I street drive it all the time!! I miss all of you a lot, and remember the times often. Greg Reinarts, Divisional Manager Division 3 Atlanta GA.


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The

I remember you Bruce. I was the store manager for store 65 in Houston and then 49 also in Houston, My floating manager back up was Dave Kounze and Kenny Leacock......... Unfortunatly Kenny passed away a few years ago... OMG I cannot believe someone actually started this website and business. As for the HIGHPUPPY, I talked to him about 7 yrs ago he was doing the distributor thing.... but have not talked to him since. He always gave me race passes for the races when they came to Houston.... I want to know what happen to Gary Forsythe??????

I AM STILL LOOKING FOR THE BRAIN CELLS I LEFT AT THE BRUCE BANKER/SAM KINISON PARTIES AT THE BANKER ESTATE IN GA. BRUCE YOU ARE THE MAN. ENJOYED WORKING IN YOUR STORE !!!


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Kenny Charles #6095

N. Miami Fl.#074 shop to am , Marietta Ga #059 am, , Bradenton Fl.#114 am, Charleston S.C.#129 manager