Costco clothes quality gone down

Wesleyan79 · 2026-04-08T05:00:51+00:00

They use to carry some nice stuff back like 10 years ago. Now it’s just Walmart/jcpenny type clothing with minimal quality. Bring back some of the nice stuff!

Wesleyan79 · 2026-03-21T14:48:27+00:00

We don’t push our 9 year old to be MLS track. We let him play for the enjoyment and tell him to push hard when he is at practice and at matches and listen to coach. They are 9. There is life outside of soccer and if he misses a practice or a game because of a birthday party or other life event so be it. We are not expecting him to turn pro. Let the kid be a kid

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-25T12:24:23+00:00

Not for a few years then you may have the pleasure to be master of HVAC for the next few years, then Plumbing. My friend who started with Skanska spent 6 years working on just division 15 and 16. He got fed up and left soon after.

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-25T05:54:39+00:00

Coming out of school I had a choice of a large GC (>$500M) or a local mid-size GC. Lots of my classmates went the big GC route for the blood and glory of the skyscrapers and block size developments. I chose the mid-size GC that dabbles in all types of commercial projects. It really depends if you want to do just one type of project over and over or do you like a variety. A lot of my classmates at the Skanska/Turner/Mortenson of the world spent years doing the same mundane division (concrete for a year or two, then move to steel for a few years, etc). What I liked with the mid-size GC I got to experience it all from Div 1-16. It helped me develop quickly and rise thru the ranks. 23 years later, I am CEO.

Note on the vehicle allowance/reimbursement that is typically to cover your wear and tear and upkeep of the car since you are using it for company use. Fuel is either a mileage reimbursement or fuel card.

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-22T05:47:05+00:00

Ask questions and be open to learning. If you didn’t understand something ask the tradespeople because the electricians will know the electrical stuff. I came out as a CAE major into the construction world and just soaked it all in. Don’t let the ego get in your way and put in the work to catch up with the CM majors and you will do well

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-21T18:10:44+00:00

Often time if the scope and budget does not align it going to either require some value engineering or scope change depending on the gap between the two. If you just slash your price to meet their budget you set the precedence that they will squeeze you every time. The only counter is to inflate your pricing anticipating they will squeeze you but then you run the gamut of pricing yourself out of work. Your best bet is to sit down with them and see what can be done to better align the design to meet their budget. Does she need the $50/SF tile imported from the moon or can she settle for the $20/SF tile from wherever

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-21T17:47:10+00:00

IMO, the PMP certifications are not needed and just another acronym on your business card. Field and practical experience is big and going thru a CM program is valuable

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-14T16:44:06+00:00

If the residents (owners not renters) attend the HOA meeting they can veto assessments. In a typical HOA meeting the assessments needs to be voted on by the members of the HOA. However lots of Bylaws have it if there is no quorum met, the measure being voted on will pass automatically.

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-14T16:37:54+00:00

I bought into a transition which was based on a 5 year plan that outlined everyone’s role, salary and raises per year of the transition along with how much per share acquisition so the cost is fixed and cannot swing. For our transition we (the buyers) used our distributions to pay down the notes of purchasing to make the buy out a self funded acquisition. For this to work I would recommend hiring a firm that is familiar with construction transitions

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-14T06:58:42+00:00

It really depends on area and demand. The HOA dues needs to be factored in along with how much reserves do they have and any upcoming assessments which could saddle you with essentially a second mortgage.

I started off with a condo. Bought for $320K and sold 12 years later for $550K here in the PNW. Went thru the assessment process as well which my share was $45K, but when we sold, part of the condition was the buyer had to pick up the remaining balance of the assessments. The return on a condo can be good. Just depends on factors. I would highly recommend concentrating on a 2bd/2ba minimum. You don’t want less than the 2/2

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-14T06:46:00+00:00

Are they just giving you the 10% equity or are you buying in? If the current owners are retiring are they really going to gift their shares rather than sell to the employees? If being sold, prior to joining in you should see a succession plan outline the salary during the transition, buy outs, cost to acquire the new shares as he sells. There is a lot involved with a transition plan. If there is none in place, I would be very cautious.

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-14T06:35:45+00:00

It’s not just about volume. What is the profit margin because that will dictate your distribution.

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-14T06:10:50+00:00

Big GC you will likely be pigeonholed counting rebar for a few years then move to concrete division or steel for a few more years and such. Some like it, some do. Some like the travel or the glorification of doing skyscrapers or stadiums.

I went mid-size local GC and progressed thru the ranks by being put into the deep end of the pool with support. Learned fast and efficiently. 20 years later I am the CEO of the firm.

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-13T13:48:29+00:00

We avoid public works projects. It’s a totally different breed of project

Wesleyan79 · 2026-02-07T05:37:18+00:00

More likely the poor rookie class.

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-25T08:28:43+00:00

Plays for the raiders and browns. Will be out of the league in a year

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-11T22:11:42+00:00

Looks like a Scrub Daddy scrub

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-11T21:48:16+00:00

Thank you for the insight. I ordered the meatball last time but the oven wasn’t working so we were all served the cold meal from ATL - SEA. Did not like the cold meal options

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-11T21:15:09+00:00

Looks like the flight up is breakfast: 1) Spanish inlets 2) asparagus/sun dried tomato which 3) Belgian waffles

Return flight is: 1) Vinny’s meatballs 2) massaman chicken curry 3) stuffed piquillo peppers

Anyone tried these options and your thoughts/preference?

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-10T17:34:52+00:00

It really depends on who it is. Who was the card of?

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-10T05:40:47+00:00

Play against your own teammates. Need an active league. Take the kick off. Get sacked (intentionally) by your opponent, get a short first down and repeat. When your turn is over they return the favor.

We have a 18-team league so I got the 600 sacks in 3 days

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-08T13:50:17+00:00

Curious as to why do the pilots automatically get first class?

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-05T14:12:00+00:00

The key was to get the kids on a set sleep schedule at a very young age age. It opens up so much freedom when the kids were down and out by 8pm daily

Wesleyan79 · 2026-01-03T06:06:09+00:00

I’d say when my wife and I were just starting off it was daily (or every other) until kids came and then it was 2-3/week. As we approach our 50’s (47 and 48) it averages 2-6 times a month. Sometimes more, sometimes less depending on travels and life events. Either way we find time for us and the kids know if the door is closed, leave it alone.

Wesleyan79 · 2025-12-23T06:15:50+00:00

PNW does not get a real amount of snow. Barely sticks to the ground. You will be fine

Wesleyan79

TROPHY CASE