A First Day to Remember

Do you remember your first day on the Brindle Mountain campus?

For most of us, we probably drove up the driveway a little nervous and excited, knowing this was where we should be but not knowing how everything would play.

The first day for Brindlee’s third employee was a little different.

Billy Claunch, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, has been with Brindlee Mountain for over 15 years and was the third full-time employee. Billy and BMFA’s owner, James Wessel have been friends since high school. Soon after James started the used fire truck business he began to talk to and try to convince Billy to come work at the new company.

It wasn’t long until Billy was convinced to make the move to the mountain and join the BMFA team.

Right out of college Billy had taken a position as a stockbroker at Robinson-Humphrey in Huntsville and his last day of work there was August 4, 2003. The day started like any other and proceeded normally until...

As the business day was about to end a fire truck pulled up in front of Robinson-Humphrey, with lights blazing. A firefighter in full turnout great jumped out of the truck with an ax in hand and proceeded into the building.

When the firefighter entered the building the employees were a little stunned as no fire alarm was sounding. The firefighter heads straight for the desk of Billy Claunch to rescue him from one job and take him to his next. The firefighter was James Wessel.

That's a unique way to make an exit from a job.

Recently the idea has surfaced, ‘let’s do this for everyone.’ Maybe not rescue them from their current job, but provide first-day transportation from their home to Brindlee Mountain in a fire truck. It would be a first day you'd never forget.