A medical education facility in Roseburg Oregon could help alleviate the health care worker crisis in rural Oregon.

Sitting on the City of Roseburg Economic Development Commission, being a founding member of the Umpqua Basin Economic Alliance, an executive member of the Douglas County Partnership for Economic Development and its sub committee Med. Ed. ( medical education ) it is fair to say I have a keen interest in promoting economic development for the greater Roseburg area.

The Med. Ed concept is one of the most significant opportunities to come from all of these efforts. A Medical Education facility here in Roseburg could be both a game changer for our economy, and a huge benefit to the medical community here in rural Southern Oregon.

From veterans care facilities to your local options for a general practitioner, we're coming into a crisis as it relates to health care workers. 

The medical education facility concept in Roseburg Oregon aims to help ease the burden of too few trained healthcare workers. 

Rural Oregon needs and deserves current, timely health care for our veterans and the general population. We need and deserve this care in our own communities. The burden of travel expenses, travel time, and a non local atmosphere aren't in our best interest. The rural Oregon Medical Education facility aims to change that.

To learn more follow the link or comment below,  please share! 

Tim Allen

http://www.oregonruralhealth.com 

Why is blogging so hard?

Man, it seems like the whole blogging thing is just a breeze for so many people. I'm not one of them.

I have studied free material, paid hefty money for classes, tried just pushing through. Yet here I am finally working on an update weeks later. 

As I write this I'm sitting in the area of "Gate C11 at the PDX airport in Portland Oregon waiting for my last leg home. 

The last day and a half was spent working in a committee helping to plan "The Rental Show 2017" which will be held in Orlando Florida. An event put on by the American Rental Association, it is consistantly touted as one of the top 100 shows in the nation for size. I can tell you my first trip there back in 2010 was an eye opener to say the least.

ARA headquarters is in Moline Ill.. Like I'm sure many places across the USA this community sitting alongside the Mississippi River was a great place to visit. It is also home to John Deere and has some pretty cool museums displaying equipment clean back to the birth of the company. 

This takes me to another mechanic tip. Advancements in technology can leave a person who is new to the field feeling overwhelmed. Where ever possible take the time to study where it all originated from. Looking at the high tech components in a lot of today's equipment can be mesmerizing. When fuel injection was becoming mainstream I remember thinking, "What is going on inside that magic black box"? Turns out it is just doing some math and deciding how long the injector stays open. 

Literally, that's it. 

It is going to open the same number of times every time the motor makes two revolutions, so the only thing to control was how long it stays open when it does open. It figures this out by knowing air temperature, engine temp., RPM's, throttle position, manifold pressure, and some various specific to manufacture parameters, but it is just doing math and controlling how long..

That's just when it is in open loop! Once it goes closed loop the "black box" adjusts how long the injector stays open based on feedback from the O2 sensor. As long as no weird feedback is coming back from the other sensors, it bases its decisionn purely based on O2 feedback. 

Seperate the fuel injection out from the other functions like ignition timing, transmission shift points and torque converter lockup, or the host of other computer controlled functions. Look at each individually and it gets a lot simpler. 

The coolest thing about all of this as it applies to the equipment rental profession? 

We're seeing now what the heavy equipment industry and automotive industry got to work the kinks out of over the past several years.

Small engine fuel injection, tier 4 diesel emission equipment and more are proven technologies. We get the benefit of more power, better fuel efficiency and long lasting engines thanks to them pioneering the way for us. 

When I started this blog I had every intention on doing it daily, are there any volunteers out there that want to be my accountability partner? 

Tim Allen

Mechanic secrets part II?

Looking back on my most recent post, well, I f I did my job well you'll never have a chance to suffer through reading that first draft. 

Back to my story though. 

Recently I talked about how pretty much every mechanized piece of equipment has just two sources of power, 3 ways to transfer that power and only two actions on the far end, turning or going up and down. 

I didn't always realize this, most of it came to me during my high school years though.

Have you ever seen a '69 Ford Thunderbird? 429 Ford big block, C6 transsmission, and what I later learned was a Ford 9 3/8" rear end, but that's a tale for another day. Have I mentioned I'm an adrenaline junky? Well that's kind of hard on cars.

My junior year, the motor in that car made some rather ugly noises and lost power. I didn't come from a wealthy family, so that meant I had to fix it myself. 

I remember the evening before thinking about what must be thousands of moving parts, after all there's a lot of space in there. I'd studied the theory of a four stroke, worked on some lawn mower engines, This was different. It made a lot more power and was a lot bigger.

The following day I learned my fears were way over blown! As I disassembled this thing I had my first MAJOR dose of just how screwed up fear can be. That motor was a simple, very predictable working piece of art. 

All of the sudden I started paying attention in physics class, it all started coming to me. These "rules of physics" didn't mean some complicated voodoo, just some simple facts I needed to know to be successful as a mechanic. 

Keep this in mind as you take on mechanical repairs.

There is a method to the madness in everything mechanical. Rules like what is in motion wants to stay in motion, what is at rest wants to stay at rest. Fulcrums and leverage. An object moving in a straight line tends to want to keep moving in a straight line. 

I later learned that how the electrical systems work is really similar in the fact that if you understand the rules electricity has to follow, it isn't too complicated to figure most problems out. 

Got any thoughts to share? Lemme know, leave a comment below.

Tim Allen

Secret repair guy concept revealed.

Looking back, I've had my hands on a lot of different pieces of equipment over the years. More often than not I had to figure out how to repair it on my own.

*Auto mechanic - check

*Mower mechanic - check

*Wiring repair - check

The list could go on for pages....

I still remember the first time I was asked, "Tim, how do you know how to work on so many different kind of things?" In truth, I'd never really thought about it.

So I answered truthfully. I don't. 

You see what appears to be so many different things to most folks are a hand full to me.

Let me explain.

Pretty much any powered equipment is driven by one of two things; an internal combustion engine whose foundational principals haven't changed for over 100 years, or an electrical motor that really has about 3 different varieties. Yup that's it, two power sources. 

At the other end of what ever it is you're trying to fix there is something that is either going up and down, or turning in circles. 

Tires on the car? Turning. 

Floor sander? Turning or going back and forth depending on the sander. 

Power washer or paint pump? Pistons going back and forth pushing the water or paint. 

OK, you get the point.

So what is in the middle connecting these two?

If it isn't connected directly you have either a belt, gears, or some sort of hydraulic pump and motor to transfer liquid movement/pressure. That's it.

I work on two power sources, three ways of transmitting the power, and one of two things should be happening if everything is working OK. 

Not really all that much too it when you look at it that way. 

Tim Allen

What's next?

It is interesting.

When I was younger, say 20 years old or so, I had a very clear sense of purpose. Married, first of two kids on the way, and a very independent nature. My sense of responsibility has always been really strong.

I knew my best opportunity for income was turning wrenches, specifically fixing things like cars, equipment, mowers, well anything that was self propelled I guess.

Somewhere near 30 years old I started to wonder about those boyhood dreams. I still remember sitting in class in high school reading U.S News and World Report and seeing the stories about successful entrepreneurs and the power they had over their own lives. With the kids old enough to fend somewhat for themselves, My wife who was tired of raising kids and looking for more adult conversation decided to enter the Paid employment world.

We've always lived rather frugally. We literally moved all of our worldly possessions to our first home in one trip in a 1976 Toyota Corolla station wagon. Somewhere along the way we fell prey to the consumer marketing engine and started accumulating "stuff" but that isn't the point of this post, maybe I'll speak more on that later. Suffice it to say, even with what we considered wasted shopping, it has always been at a level far under most folks unneccesary spending. That meant we could live off of her wages, I didn't HAVE to work....

Now that business dream comes back to me in a POWERFUL way.

I suppose my purpose in life or my "why" took a change that I am just now realizing. Initially I was to be someone capable of providing for my wife and kids. Now I wanted to amass enough assets to provide for them should I leave this world.

At this point, unless improperly managed, I'm pretty sure they could make it. It is interesting though, could they or I for that matter make it without a good attorney, accountant, etc.? How about the vendor relationships? What happens if they (or I) chose not to treat the customer right? My point is, that while I no longer have to live my working hours doing formally directed work, I do have to provide value to others.

The single hardest lesson for me to learn or accept up to this point is that contrary to popular opinion, we don't live in a win/lose world. For instance, in the big picture you making more money, doesn't mean I make less. The reverse is also true, but haunts me to this day.

Pragmatically I know it to be true, but with so many years of misguided teachings to the contrary it is hard to let go of. It has been my experience my entire life that it is harder to unlearn something than it is to learn something. Once we have it in our heads that we are right about something, we need consistent compelling almost ridiculous amounts of proof to let it go. Yet coming in as new information we're easily led.

So what's next? Does my "why" change?

It has to.

Life waits for no one. I can sit here and watch all I've worked so hard for gradually wilt away, or I can renew, peel back another layer of life and peek inside at what is next.

Interesting enough, I think it involves getting to know myself better. If you've been paying attention this far through this story, you know that I sacrificed all, and that includes my own health to serve my family. It has been my addiction. Sure parts of the real me have helped to point my efforts in a good way, but what am I avoiding?

It is in here already but the simple answer is that I've got to get past this win lose thing. It is preventing me from helping more people.

More on my journey tomorrow.

Tim Allen

Home & Garden show this weekend at the fairgrounds!

Are you planning some outdoor projects this year? 

Yard renovation?

Tree trimming?

New deck or patio?

Sprinkler system?

See idea's for all of this and more! Friday 10am-8pm, Sat. 10am-6pm, Sun. 10am-4pm

Here is a picture of us setting up, stop on by and say "hi" :)

Rental equipment professionals.

As I sit here in the hotel room on my last day in Atlanta Ga., I'm reflecting on the opportunities I've experienced attending The Rental Show 2016.

This show brings the best of the best in the equipment rental industry to one location for about 3 days a year. I attend because I want to learn from the best. Whether attending a training session, talking at a show booth or networking in the after hours networking events, this show offers more value than any other event I participate in all year long. 

For the 2016 show I was selected as a panelist for the General Tool Town Hall session. Being front and center of a crowd of around 400 talking about my business practices and experience isn't something I'd anticipated in my career. I've got to say it was a fantastic experience. The people who put together @therentalshow2016 and those attending the session are simply a cut above, as has been my experience with the entire American Rental Association. 

That takes me to today. 

I'm going home with a clearer picture of where I plan to take my business over the course of the next year and frankly further into the future. After talking to other rental store owners and operators, I've developed a focus that has been missing for the past three years as I struggled with "now what" after reaching my 10 year goals for the company.

Now is my chance to say thanks. I really appreciate all of the ARA staff, volunteers, fellow store owners and certainly vendors for taking their time out to help move the profession forward. The association and industry operate at a level others aspire to, no doubt because of your efforts. I look forward to working along side you long into the future!

-Tim Allen-

Felony Flats?

It is an interesting thing nicknames. I remember the cruelty of many of them while in school growing up. I guess being so far removed from those days I hadn't really paid much attention, but then recently I saw an article in The News Review (our local news paper) about how bad things were in the Pine/Mill/SE Stephens neighborhood. Its true, the area is called Felony Flats by a fair amount of folks in this community.

We put it to a test last night. Not intentionally, but a test none the less. An employee forgot to close one of the garage doors to the facility. So it sat in plain view of anyone walking or driving by on Highway 99 through town.

The call came in from the alarm company about 3:30 am, motion sensors activated in several bays. I gave them my vehicle description to share with the police and headed toward the shop.

Here's the deal, I show up, recognize that there has been no damage to the door which is odd because we normally lock them from both the inside and the out. Without a key, you're going to have to damage something to get the door open.

The Roseburg City Police had been dispatched after receiving a call from a concerned citizen who noticed the door open when they drove by. They performed a really thorough inspection on the facilities, and in the process of entering the building tripped a motion sensor, thus the alarm.

So I wonder, how many people walked by but stayed honest. The video cameras tell the rest. All evening long, even into the early morning, folks stop, look and move on. So Felony flats? I say no way. This neighborhood like any other has its share of lawbreakers, but I would say if anything we're better than average on our good guy percentage.

Thank-you to all in the neighborhood for keeping it honest, and calling it in when we're dumb. It helps keep us in business, and we love being able to offer a needed service.

-Tim-

Tim recording the latest radio ad.

Want a behind the scene's look?

Thanks to the folks at Brooke Communication!  Check out

What was once old is new again!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how fast things are changing, and the natural inclination to think that we're on the edge of something big happening soon. Generally speaking, I maintain a pretty optimistic outlook, I consciously chose several years ago to focus on the positive things in life, and can say my life made a dramatic change for the better when I did. With this in mind, and looking toward the future in these times of economic challenges, I'm left wondering what the "new economy" will look like. Where are the opportunities for a business owner, what will our local community look like? Will we have a whole new way of doing things around here? The questions go on.

Technology has given the average person with access to it the ability to obtain huge amounts of information in a short amount of time. A person from a younger generation viewed this as 2 demensional instead of 3 dimensional learning. The canvas of knowledge is very wide compared to what we had, but with the speed at which the information comes in, and the constant interruption of thought, the ability to naturally learn to a greater depth is compromised. I found this really fascinating, as the thought itself was rather enlightening.

All of this causes one to wonder, are we on the edge of something big. I have to admit, it seemed that this could be the case. All of this newfound ability to share knowledge and thought could lead to better, more inclusive decision making. Already I've had the opportunity to see some of this in action. There is definitely a large number of people using more collaborative energy to bring about positive change for our community. The ability to share information between entities can reduce the need for redundancy, and help people move forward with a better focus on a shared vision.

In business, if your going to survive, you've got to be paying close attention to the changes taking place in the world. The landscape is changing, if your not learning to adapt and change with it you will be left behind to wither on the vine. However, jumping to conclusions, and over reacting to a perceived change can be just as devastating. While I've always believed that to be fact, I couldn't really place my finger on an example until recently. There are no shortage of consultants eager to help a business owner "take it to the next level" or "fine tune your business plan" or any other help that results in a new expense item to pay for. A new management style is another example. I have seen a new push to completely change the management style to one that is more inclusive, and removes the typical age old hierarchy model. "It is time" they say, the information and communication age is upon us, sieze the opportunity or be left behind! Really....

The latest "story telling, management change" is one such example. It works for Steve Jobs, why can't it work for me? This article articulates in a far better way what I was thinking, but couldn't put into words. The hierarchal management style has stood the test of time. Our own model of democracy includes this form of governing. While there are pieces of the storytelling management style that I think can be a useful tool in leadership, to base leadership on this model is to ignore that history repeats itself.

We will look different coming out of this recession than what we were going in. It is very likely going to be an economic revolution rather than an economic recovery. I believe one thing is certain, the opportunities for the average entrepreneur have never been better. Interested in seeing which industies might be the best to consider for starting your own venture in?
This link is a good place to start!

I hope you've enjoyed the reading. Happy Mothers day to all of the Mom's out there!

How you can help create over 300 new jobs in Douglas County.

   For those that might be able to make it, I'm doing a presentation at the Tri-City Lions Club this evening. In it I'm going to show how a small shift in spending habits can have a profound effect on our local economy. When we add up all of the commerce in Douglas County excluding public spending, there is over $3.7B. I'm going to show how we can leverage that money into more than 300 jobs. No Politics, no infrastructure spending, no waiting. This is something we can do today!

Free equipment maintenance and rental equipment classes coming soon!

    We've been brainstorming some idea's to help bring more value to our customers. A thought that continually came to the top is to offer free classes on both small engine powered equipment maintenance, and how to use our rental equipment on a mock project.

    The small engine maintenace class will start by going over basic small engine maintenance, we plan to cover the following;

• Checking and changing oil
• Checking air filters and identify how to clean each type of serviceable filter
• Changing spark plugs, checking spark condition and plug gap
• Checking pull cord condition
• We will then discuss some of the more common repairs we do in our shop.

Following the basic engine maintenance class we're going to dig into specifics around certain equipment. Our thoughts so far are;

• Lawn mowers, both riding and walk behind.
• Portable generators
• Pressure washers
• Hand held equipment including string trimmers, chain saws, blowers, and hedge trimmers.

   We're open to other idea's as well, to offer or request something particular you can comment at our facebook page for Tim Allen Equipment, call 541-672-3409, or stop by and share your thoughts.

For our rental equipment we're going to be offering classes revolving around a project. Idea's so far include;

• A custom stone patio
• Gardening and soil preparation
• Trenching for landscape irrigation
• Hard floor refinishing
• Carpet installation

    The idea here is to help the customer guage the complexity of a project, and to get some hands on equipment familiarity on our time rather than having to learn it on your time at the project site. To comment or make a request for a project you can visit our Roseburg Rental facebook page, call 541-492-RENT (7368), or stop by and share your thoughts.

   All of these classes will be free and open to the general public. The value to the community wiill be greatest with your input, so please feel free to talk to us about these.
-Tim-