My Name is Charlie Soden I own Apex DeckSavers, performing quality deck restoration in Central NC. My screenname is BigChaz on the other forums.
I'm 23 years old, I started doing decks after my freshman year in college. I ran my business part time during college every summer and graduated with a Bachelors degree in Entrepreneurship and Business Development in 2010. I've been full time since then, employing 1 full time employee and 3 part time employees.
I don't wash houses, I don't clean concrete, don't clean gutters, I don't paint, I don't do graffitti, I dont do hoods, I don't wash windows, I don't mow grass, I don't clean roofs. We do 100% wood restoration for residential decks, fences, playsets, etc.
I'm single, I have no wife, no girlfriend, no pets, a couple friends, and a pretty boring life. I hate the EPA, I don't like liberals, I don't like people telling contractors how to run their business or the government forcing them to do certain things, I hate taxes, and I don't like people who put their windshield wipers on full force when its drizzling out. I don't particurally like the awareness the BMPs have generated on our industry and I especially don't like the PWNA shopping them around. I don't like people thinking pressure washing companies are "polluters" and I don't like being compared to the dry cleaning industry.
I served as Student Body Vice President and Senate President for my college campus of 12,000 students and in that position managed a $580,000 budget, advised 43 at-large members of a student run Senate and worked with a paid executive cabinet also of 8 students. My mission then, and mission now is to be responsive to the needs of the voters and open and available to new ideas. I'll provide common sense feedback and push for ideas to make the UAMCC a place where individual contractors can feel like their membership was worth it. Maybe they learn to increase their bottom line, improve their marketing, learn a new service that can be added, develop good relationships with other members and vendors, etc, etc. I don't have a ton of brilliant plans or ideas but I guarantee a lot of our members do have those ideas and I'll do my best to be an advocate and resource in seeing those implemented as best as possible.
My hobbies are doing yard work, playing with tools, watching the History Channel and doing jigsaw puzzles. I'm not going to sit here and tell you I will devote 40 hours a week as a Board member. However clearly I have surplus time this winter and I'm willing to accept that maybe I don't get quite as many puzzles done as usual because I'm spending that time working on the UAMCC Board.