Randy Ellis started on his career path in 1970 while serving in the U.S. Army in Thailand.

“I just walked into a motorcycle repair shop and started breaking things,” he said.

Ellis wasn’t on a rampage. He just wasn’t as skilled as he thought he was in handling a wrench. He pulled out his wallet and paid for his mistakes. Ellis ham-handed efforts developed into a voluntary apprenticeship that had him hanging out at the shop every day to learn some real skills.

“Not only did they not pay me, I also had to buy lunch every day,” he said.

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