I decided to write a synopsis of my friendship with Ron Bilodeau in my journal, and I figured this was a good place to share it.
I met Ron for the first time in a secondary job interview for JungleToy, in October of 2005. During the time I worked with DaRon, and later while working as the store manager of the Tempe JungleToy, there was no doubt in my mind that Ron Bilodeau was the best district manager, boss, and mentor I could have ever asked for. At the time I was attending MCC to pursue a degree in business management, and the textbooks would give examples of effective management, and poor management. Ron was the only manager I've ever had, from any job, who actually matched the good examples in those books. He understood that he was running a business of people, not just walls of inventory. He genuinely cared about both his employees and his customers. A lot of the business ethics I hold today, as well as some of the habits I exhibit in my business now, come directly from the example that he set for me. Ron complimented us regularly for our good work. He also had a talent for reprimanding us in a way that motivated us to do better. He helped us solve problems, instead of blaming problems on us. One time, after really drilling DaRon and me for getting behind on inventory reports, he came to our store and stayed up until 1am, helping us catch up, guiding us through the whole process. He was always patient with us. He proudly stuck his neck out for us many times, after unwarranted complaints from both customers and corporate office. I remember two occasions where corporate office called him and instructed him to fire me immediately, not even giving him a reason why (yes, that’s really how corporate was in that company). He said he absolutely would not, and demanded a good reason. Both times he called me and got my side of the story so he could call them back and explain what really happened. He wasn’t just a good boss, he was always a good friend and ally. He also had a vast amount of knowledge. He seemed to know all the ins and outs of airsoft guns, tactical gear, and small business. He had absolutely no reservations about sharing his knowledge with us. He wanted us to know all the things that he knew. That, by itself, says a lot about what kind of a leader and mentor he was.
In 2007, JungleToy laid me off, and soon after closed its doors. Ron made it clear that he was available to help me find a new job if needed. I went to work for Batteries Plus just a few months later. I heard Ron had bought the lease to the Tempe store I worked at, and had decided to start Gearbox Airsoft. After about a year, I quit my job at Batteries Plus and began doing tech for Gearbox. I got to be pretty good friends with Ron during those years. I repaired and upgraded literally hundreds of guns. Sometimes it was overwhelming, and customers' guns seemed to keep inventing new ways to break themselves. He always listened to my rants and complaints, as well as my accomplishments. Ron was the kind of person that made you want to run to the front of the store and say “Dude, you gotta see what I just did to this gun!” He had a way of making us feel like a million bucks when we accomplished something great. Coming up with solutions to problems and new inventive ideas to make airsoft guns awesome was always easier with Ron's help. He was the ultimate in third party perspective. He always seemed to see the one little detail that I missed. I was convinced that there was absolutely no airsoft project that we could not conquer in that store.
I miss listening to his stories. He had a rare ability to recount almost any event in such a way that made it sound considerably funnier that it actually was. His movie reviews were always epic. His facial expressions were always priceless. His vocal sound effects were straight out of childhood memories. He did an awesome airsoft gun sound effect, which also conveniently doubled as a miniature helicopter sound. Parking lot syndrome was a very normal occurrence at that shop; I can’t measure how many hours we spent talking while standing next to our open car doors, as though we were actually going to end our conversation and go home shortly. He had a very obvious talent for making people feel welcome. DaRon and I used to joke about how every time he would come to our store with inventory, crowds of people would follow him. It’s not much of an exaggeration; everywhere he went, people wanted to talk to him. I think people genuinely felt as though simply being associated with him was a great personal accomplishment.
He was one of the most generous people I have ever known. He gave and gave, and never asked for anything in return. I have met very few people like that. You could see it in his face when he gave someone a free bag of BB’s, or spent 30 minutes fixing someone’s magazine at no cost. He loved helping people. He bought us SO many lunches at Gearbox. He offered almost every day. I always made it a point to look him in the eye and say “thank you, Ron.” He always responded so casually, as though the thanks were not needed. I went through some pretty rough financial times while working at Gearbox. When he heard I was struggling, Ron always offered to help. I didn’t even have to ask. Even though I always paid back every dollar he loaned to me, I will always be in debt to him for generosity. He helped me tremendously during I time when I needed it desperately. I will always remember that for the rest of my life.
During the last year and a half I have been working hard on other projects, particularly starting my own recording studio. I didn’t get to spend very much time at Gearbox, unfortunately. I don’t remember what the last conversation I had with Ron was, but I’m sure it ended like normal: laughing at something funny he had said, walking out the door with my toolbox in hand (that Ron gave to me as a birthday present), and saying “have a good night” as the gearbox cylinders clanked against the door. Those were some really, really good times. I learned so much from Ron. I don’t have a single bad thing to say about him. He was such a great friend, a great boss, a great mentor, and a really great man. I will never forget him and the exceptional example that he set for me during the 7 years I knew him. I look forward to seeing him again after this life, so we can play airsoft and tell jokes again.
-Jared
