SOWPub Small Business Forums - Where is Michael Ross?

Hi Robert (and board)!

I have been - and am - flat out busy.

As you know, I am in the construction industry. And the range of things I get to do is phenominal. For instance, when the Dutch Violin Player Andre Rieu came to Australia I had the privilege of working on building and dismantling his stage. And created a short video of it here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twFHCAl86ys

Years ago a politician had a Grand Stand named after him at the city's main Trotting track. Over time the stand developed subsidence issues and needed to be pulled down. I was there. And this is a some of the stuff coming down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXu7oX8l2Ss

Wonder how Power Lines get put up? I was there again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYWa-4wALOM

In this city (Brisbane) we've had a major bridge project (New Gateway Bridge and Old Gateway Bridge Upgrade) which I was a part of - while the new bridge has been finished for a while, the old bridge upgrade is still going on. We had (and still have) a roughly 20km of highway upgrade (two lanes each way to four lanes each way) in progress, all without disrupting traffic.

We have just recently finished a 4.8km tunnel under the city (I have a bike ride video through it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wm_U2yktUc ) and are currently doing another tunnel to link the recently finished tunnel with the airport some 19km away.

Throw in the Busway Project which is a series of bridges over - and tunnels under - roads and buildings, and I have been very Very VERY busy. And the days can be quite long - for instance, today I was up at 4.am and knocked off at 7pm and spent the entire day underground building an Archform machine for the latest tunnel project (when complete this will be the largest transitional archform in the world. One concrete pour will consist of 500 cubes of concrete. As a single cube weights 2,400 kilograms {5,280 pounds), I'll let you do the math how much 500 cubes will weigh, all supported by the form)

I belong to two Motorcycle Clubs. One asked me to be their webmaster (a committee position), however, as I am unable to get to committee meetings due to my long work schedule, I have had to decline. Though I still do a fair bit for them. Like the Sunday just gone we had a Charity Toy Run...

Last Year (if you follow the left side line of bikes from the front you'll see a flag, then what looks like a rider with a green V on an orange/red shirt. That rider is me. I was one of the marshalls for this event which saw 750 bikes attend)

And this year...

I've become the chief report writer for both MC Clubs and the official unofficial photographer for one. With my pics and writing appearing in the national magazine one of the clubs puts out to its 50,000 members, as well as regular publishing at the branch level.

Both clubs bring me in to contact with a wide range of people. From common laboring type workers to small business owners, medium business owners, real estate entrepreneurs, engineers, high ranking police, people high in the oil industry, national TV news readers and retirees.

And this is the tip of the iceberg, Robert. Add my interests in music (playing it, that is), shooting (cause I'm a redneck and it annoys the PC crowd HA!), learning languages, the art of film making, and my ongoing health research (as you will have known from my extensive writing on this board about health and disease, etc.) and I am kept quite very busy indeed.

Michael Ross