ABOUT TABLE TEK

Thank you for visiting my company's website today. In my last update we took some of the "personal" items off the page, including my "About Me" page. As we know, life and business is all about achieving a proper balance. As my company grows it is a fine line between the one on one customer service I pride myself on, and servicing the large accounts where you need to spread the labor. Below is a little about me, Robert Kay, and why I have made this my chosen career. Feel free to send any questions or comments to me at any time.

The most commonly asked question by my customers has to be "What got you into this business?" As an up and coming pool player in the early 90's, it became quite expensive to pay the hourly rate at the local pool hall every day. As a barter deal, I helped the local pool table guy with the room's many tables in exchange for unlimited free play.

The better I got in pool, the more I realize how little I knew. It is funny how that translates to life in general! At the time, I was finishing a journeyman program to become a machinist. Working all day and playing pool all night, I don't know how I did it in retrospect.

By the time I had 8 years in the Machinist workforce, I was bored and looking for something new. This brought my attention to returning to school. In 2002 I returned to full time college in pursuit of a degree in Engineering. During this time I was working heavily on pool tables, for not just pool halls but for professors' and classmates' parents. Up to that point, I had never considered it would become a business. It was great flexible income at the time.

Long story shorter, college was enlightening to say the least however I left before getting to the blood and guts of the higher mathematics. My interest was so far reaching that I found a singular course of study hard to follow. I still take classes during the slower seasons, I still have a thirst for knowledge that hasn't been filled. Out of college, I worked outside my specialties and went to a labor position at a local moving company. The stress level was non existent and I was able to work on pool tables unhindered on nights and weekends.

It is funny how unpredictable life is, as I found out in my second year at the moving company. Dating a local woman, I traded her a pool table for a basic website. Never even considering the ramifications, we set up a basic advertising program through Google and away it went.

Now, over 4 years later and I have not looked back. For the first year I was working out of a Jeep Cherokee tools and all. In the second and third year I was in a 3 bay garage and a basement, taking on more specific repair work. About a year ago, I found a great commercial property in my town. With just under 5000ft3 it is a home away from home. Over this last year I built a full machine shop along with many pieces of specialized tooling for pool table repair. We also have plenty of room to refinish and store tables for customers.

So, that is my business in a nut shell. Who knows where it will be next year? There is so much possibility and I am thrilled to be on the path to success. I hope you have taken some insight into my love of the game, it would be tough to be in this business without it. Though I don't have the pool skills I used to, it is very fulfilling playing reasonably well and working in the business of play on a daily basis. Now if I could just find a partner to open an all-you-can- eat Steakhouse! I look forward to working on your pool table, and if you promise to take it easy on me (J/K) we can even test it when done.

Sincerely,
Rob Kay
Owner, TABLE TEK