Disaster Reserve Specialist 2000-2011 for Small Business Administration

In Spring 2000 Maria called me and said she had found the perfect job for me.  Richard had died bankrupt in 1996 and I had to sell my house, store my furniture and was living first with Linda and then with James.  I worked as a Temp Loan Processor for awhile and then became the office manager for a business that James and Kent had gotten into and miracle of miracles when Maria called in 1998 and said she had found the perfect place for me to live, it had actually all worked out and in March 1999 I moved to Lake Almanor, Ca 30 miles from where Maria and her family were living in Susanville.

The problem was I did not have enough income.  When I left San Diego I supposedly had a job doing online work for James' business but that didn't last very long.  I had a lifetime teaching degree, a real estate license, a securities license but no real income besides my social security and that was about $1000 short of what I needed every month to make it.  I had landed a job finally with a title company by walking around Chester and handing out flyers and then interviewing.  I had the experience needed but it was full time and not that much pay. That was in late spring 2000.  

The job Maria had found on line was something new the SBA was trying.  They were looking for retired, experienced loan professionals who could leave within 48 hours of being called and be on assignment anywhere needed for three to six months at a time..  The position I applied for was called a Disaster Reserve Specialist and the salary range was ($26,470-$39,178) depending on experience.  The positions were temporary with an intermittent work schedule and so no benefits.

SBA provides low interest, direct loans to homeowners, renters, and businesses in declared disasters. I was a perfect candidate and got the job.  However, it was not until September of 2000 that I was called to Fort Worth, Texas for training.  Then it would not be another year before I was called on a disaster and actually make money. I did tell the Title Officer I was currently working for that if I was called I would need to go.  Besides the salary, there was overtime, per diem, hotel and plane points and of course, all transportation and lodging was paid for.  It turned out to be a perfect job even though I was now almost 69 and about 20 years older than most of them I was working with.  Luckily I did not look my age most of the time.  But when we introduced ourselves at the training I was the only one with a lot of grandchildren.

I was hired as GS 9...those who were the technicians who worked for us were hired as a GS 5/6/7.  Before I had worked two disasters I was able to get raised to a GS 11, the highest you could be in this particular work.

TROPICAL STORM ALLISON-June 11, 2001

I was on a plane to Dallas, Texas on June 13, 2001 to work for the Forth Worth Area Office.

They had us working in a really large warehouse type building and it would be hot summer.  I learned right away that any rayon or nylon type clothing was too hot and I was soon shopping for cotten and linen clothes.

We worked in a Pod with a Supervising Loan Officer and seven of us.  There were four ladies in our pod Joyce, Julia, Julie and Janet and three guys Leo, Randy and Dick.  Some of them had worked for SBA previously, three were from Texas, the other four were from Georgia, South Dakota, Hawaii and California.

Randy was from the Atlanta SBA Office and he was so pissed at Julia and I when he found out we were getting loans approved with less stringency (do more loans faster) than he was used to in their office, thus we had a higher production number than he did.  

JULIA

 

Dell was a great first leader for us to have because he taught us well.  I tend to ask questions however, and soon one of the guys was pulling a zipper across his mouth to tell me to shut up so we could move on...but questions is how I learn and to my credit, I was the first woman reservist to be awarded $50 as a Top Reservist!  I bought Kreme Doughnuts for everyone.  

This was my first day and one of the woman leaders took a liking to me and got me a SBA jacket.  Everyone did not get them at that time unless they were going out on a disaster location and people were always asking me how I got it so I always told them I would share.  Sometimes the air-conditioning would be so cold and sometimes we had rain, so I always had my jacket.

 

Randy liked to tease the ladies with his teeth but someone wrote him up for sexual harassment, which was ridiculous.

Julia and I became good friends and usually ate lunch together.  Ken, one of the young guys in my van liked to eat with us.  And one day, Julia said, "Now isn't this nice, A Jew, A Baptist and A Mormon all having lunch together."

John had told me to be sure and visit the Stockyards so I thought they would be like the stockyards in Glendive but it was a great entertainment center.

This was Ken, the Messianic Jew from Florida.  He was very smart and when one of the former SBA guys told me I should be able to get a raise because I was much more experienced that most of them, Ken helped me change all of my non-government words into government words showing the experience I had, in my resume. I got the raise to GS 11.  No one cared until Beaumont, Texas when one of the old leaders found out two of us ladies were GS 11 and he was only a 9.  He gave us a bad time and I told him off.  Probably gave me a bad write up but that was in 2007 and I did not care if he did, he was not the greatest leader I had, in fact he was prejudiced against women.  One of the ladies reported him.

This was Leo, a really quality guy from South Dakota, had a lovely wife and home.  A real gentleman.

Julie had a crush on Randy.

This was my last day on August 25, 2001 and I was so tired.  My files were all completed so I was helping Leo and Randy finish their files.