50th Anniversary with Steve Contardi

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hello, friends, Henry Flowers here powerful Living Outreach Ministries. I
got an exciting treat for you today, my friend, mister business,
owner of the club at Harper's Point, one of the
best clubs in the greatest Cincinnati area. I know I'm
biased because I'm a member of this club, but I

(00:23):
want to introduce you to him, the man, the myth,
the legend in his own mind, mister Steve CONTARTI, good morning, brother.

Speaker 2 (00:31):
That's pretty tough to live up to that, but I
leave my best. Thank you, sir.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
Good to be here, good to see you.

Speaker 1 (00:36):
So you are celebrating fifty years of business owning Harper's
Point Tennis Club.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
We're in our fiftieth year and that's correct, huh.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
And what we just alluded to is the fact that
not only have you been running this small business, but
you've also been doing it with family. Correct employees as family.
Talk to me about that dynamic.

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Well, first of all, the kids grew up here playing tennis.
They both played. I have four children, so I'm talking
specifically about my younger children, Mario who is forty four,
Katie who is forty three. My older daughters are fifty
four fifty in their in private business. But the younger ones,

(01:29):
we grew up here playing tennis on a very regular basis.
Both played in Division one college tennis and it was
and they grew up teaching tennis and camps when they
were in school and around the atmosphere their entire life.
So it was natural for them to major in sports

(01:52):
administration in college and then segued directly into the business
when they got out. So you know, there there are
a lot of dynamics to family business. I'm happy to
say that we have experienced all of the good stuff
that comes along with us and and thus far in
my blun would we haven't run into any of the

(02:15):
negative dynamics that have that can certainly creep in and
complicate uh uh family run business.

Speaker 4 (02:22):
Uh.

Speaker 2 (02:22):
And I do have to say this the the the
big father of our entire business. My business partners are
Tom Properties. Tom Properties are real estate developers here in Cincinnati,
primarily apartments, uh, condos, et cetera, et cetera.

Speaker 3 (02:38):
And your partners they have sponsors, they are my partners,
they have.

Speaker 2 (02:42):
They are they are the principal owners of the club.
And I am an operating partner. Okay, okay, And that
having said you know, they can pretty much give me
cart launche to to do what we want to do.
So I uh, they are part of the family without question,
and that's that's that's that's a big daddy who is said, Okay,
you know, do what you do, do your thing. You know,

(03:04):
there are no boundaries, just you know, you know, keep
it going and do what you want to do. And
as long as we like what we're doing, just keep
it up. And so they've given us the card blanche
to do that. Well incomes of the next generation with
with my children, and it's it's really I mean, I'm
almost I'll be eighty years old on my next birthday,

(03:27):
and I'm still working seventy hours a week.

Speaker 1 (03:31):
Because eighty years old, not quite almost eighty years old,
and still working seventy hours a week.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
And it's and it wouldn't be if my kids weren't
in the business with me. But that puts a, like
I said, a whole another dimension on it in terms
of mentoring, okay, but also in terms of satisfaction sitting
back and watching them do what they do and see

(04:00):
the adults that they've become and see that you know,
the passion has gone into the next generation as well.
So that that that that that makes me smile when
I come to work every day and I can come
in and and my kids come in and I'm here
with them, and then their kids, the grandkids, et cetera,
et cetera. I mean, this is, this is, this is

(04:22):
I can't say it was my dream, but it certainly
is a dream. Okay. It didn't really plan it this way,
but it worked out this way, and I'm delighted and
I'm happy, and you know that that's that's what makes
me tick at this point.

Speaker 1 (04:36):
So tell me about the moment where you said yes
to being owner operator of Harper's Point.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Well, I was. I was the test director slash manager
my partners Town Properties. And if we go back to
nineteen eight, if we look at the financial history, so okay,

(05:05):
that's when the bottom fell out of you on a huge,
huge recession.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
And my partners called me in one day and they said, look,
you know you gotta handle on this thing. Okay, we're
gonna make you a partner. Okay, And they threw the
keys at me and they said, you're a partner. Just
just do it, just do your thing.

Speaker 1 (05:26):
So was this club already operating cub was well, I
was already here.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
I was here as a tennis director. I was here
as a tennis director. So they basically said, here here's
the you know you've You've done a great job. Okay,
economy is really bad. We have to concentrate on other things.
We want you to concentrate one hundred percent. You're an honor,
do it, okay, And they've been wonderful, wonderful partners. They

(05:52):
handed you the keys to any keys right exactly. Nineteen
eighty Yep, the gas tank wasn't filled up. Okay, it
was my job to fill up the gas tank. Okay, Okay,
we got it filled up.

Speaker 1 (06:04):
So let's let's talk about the gas tank and what
it takes to fill up the gas tank of a
tennis club. So from what I know, and I'm obviously
i'm a novice, I.

Speaker 3 (06:16):
Just tell you what.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
I'm pretty good tennis player.

Speaker 1 (06:18):
Well, you play tennis, but you just really really good
about that part. If I could play tennis the way
I can sing, I would be here, and I'm enjoying
being here. So let me just tell you what I
know about operating a tennis club from what I have heard,
and I want you to speak to this. It is

(06:41):
it is a very difficult business to turn a profit.

Speaker 3 (06:49):
I'll just leave it like that.

Speaker 2 (06:51):
Well, I think I think that that summed it up
pretty good. Okay. It is labor intense in low margins.
If we're gonna use business terms, okay, And my approach
is is different. Okay. I'm not in the tennis business.

(07:14):
I'm in the hospitality business. Okay, that's the business that
I'm in. Okay. I like that when you walk through
that door, Okay, you are a guest in my home. Okay.
And that's how we approach everything.

Speaker 1 (07:33):
So let me testify to that then, especially for those
of you who are enjoying this podcast.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
You know I have I spent two.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
Years living in this area. Let's say three miles from
Harper's Point. When I was living here in Mason, Steve,
there was a tennis club less than a mile from
my house. There was another tennis club about one mile

(08:04):
from here, and then there's Harper's Point. There's another one
royal tennis court Queen City, right not long not far
from here. So the twenty minutes that it would take
me to get here to Harper's Point, Steve, I had
access to three other clubs I came here.

Speaker 2 (08:23):
This was not the least.

Speaker 1 (08:27):
Let me be honest, since we've been honest, this was
the most expensive membership. Okay, y'all listen to me. Okay,
Out all those clubs that I just mentioned, this was
the most as far as membership fees, court phse. This
this is the one. I come here, and I have
been here since nineteen No, I've been here since twenty
sixteen when I first moved to Cincinnati, and I continue

(08:50):
to be here because of professionalism, amazing facilities, and be
here is to be somewhere where someone obviously cares about
this business, about tennants and about team.

Speaker 3 (09:09):
That's been my experience.

Speaker 2 (09:10):
Well, you know, and and and therein lies the wisdom
of my partners. Okay, big real estate developers. Okay, they
by handing me the keys, Okay, they involved me at
a level that most club operators are not on. Okay,

(09:33):
it's not a job. It's not a job. It's it's
my business. It's my business.

Speaker 5 (09:40):
So and you know, in in in in fairness to
all these other facilities, and and and part of the
reason Harper's is successful is because we're surrounded by other.

Speaker 2 (09:50):
Successful tennis clubs. Success brings success. Okay. So other clubs
are They're all my friends, they all do a good job.
We all have a little different niche okay. And ours
is unique to us, but one of the unique keys.
And again, the wisdom of my partner used to say, Okay,
if we want somebody to be involved at a level

(10:13):
above just business, let's make a partner. Okay. And it's worked.
And that that certainly appealed to my interests and to
my personality and to my passion. Okay. And then add
to it and this dis cousin and you know this
an a ven here. The average tenure of our full

(10:36):
time employee is like twenty four to twenty five years, okay.
And my manager in the office, Laura, has been here
for forty years.

Speaker 1 (10:45):
Wow, your tenure here, yes, not average tennis in general,
but at.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
Your this club. To put that in comparison, the average
tenure of a tennis pro at a club throughout the
country is one point nine.

Speaker 1 (10:59):
Years one day point nine.

Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah, Ali Ismail has been here. He was a tennis
director until he he decided he wanted to back off
a little bit a couple of years ago. Been here
for fifty years. Every single year. Okay. So all of
that adds to this quote unquote family. The family goes

(11:22):
beyond just the blood of the Contardi family. It goes
to people that have been here and share the passion
that we have and Q frankly just like to be
around people. So now that that's a combination that is
just you know, you nurture it as you go and
and this is the way it worked out. So and

(11:42):
again hats off to partners who recognize that and make
sure that we are taking care of our people. Town
Property slogan and I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm gonna give
Town Properties a big Marvin Roseenberg, Neil Boorts lamberta again
started Town Properties sixty five years ago. Okay, mister Egan
has passed away, mister Bortz is ninety one, still goes

(12:05):
to work every single day, ninety one, all right. But
their slogan, their slogan is because the apartment's a great
place to live, okay, you know, and shopping said, it's
a great place to shop, and tell us a great
place to play, all right. So that that that's that's

(12:26):
the whole thing, the whole thing of the company, all
the way across.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
Yeah, I love that because that's you know, when we
talk about this podcast. In our ministry, you know, powerful
living ministries is about people living the level of life
that Jesus talked about from John ten and ten he said,
there's a thief.

Speaker 3 (12:44):
He's only coming to do three things.

Speaker 1 (12:45):
He wants to kill you, steal from you, and destroy
your life. But Jesus said, I've come that you have
a rich and satisfying life, life more abundantly.

Speaker 3 (12:55):
That's where we get the idea of powerful living.

Speaker 1 (12:57):
Right, So we're talking about people walking powerfully in peace,
having financial strength, right, good family structure. Into where your
faith shows up in all of those areas including your
your your business, and and and where you work. How

(13:18):
has your faith played a role in making all of
those things work together for you?

Speaker 2 (13:23):
Well, I mean the the the course of of my
faith is few people the way you want to be
treated and always do.

Speaker 1 (13:32):
The right thing thro under others.

Speaker 2 (13:34):
I like it.

Speaker 1 (13:35):
It's just it's it's it's it's not it's in the
Bible somewhere, the Golden Rule somewhere in there.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
And I'm not going to be able to cite any
scriptures or anything like that, but that is how I've
tried to lead my life, and I think it reflects
in our business with the people that walk through the
doors and the people that work for us. Obviously some
of that is coming through because of the tenure of
our employees.

Speaker 1 (13:59):
So yeah, nobody stays out of business for forty years
where they hate the boss.

Speaker 6 (14:09):
There may be days, okay, Okay, there might be days okay, no, no,
that Italian comes out, that Italian temper might come out
a little bit nothing, But I reserved the right.

Speaker 2 (14:20):
To do that occasionally.

Speaker 3 (14:22):
Okay, I like it.

Speaker 2 (14:25):
It says the golden rule.

Speaker 1 (14:26):
The other part of the golden rule is, yes, treat
people the way you want to be treated. But if
you flip the other side of the golden rule, it
says he who has the gold makes.

Speaker 2 (14:36):
The rules, trust them to make the right ones.

Speaker 1 (14:41):
So tell me about those times where we're tell us
about one time where you've had that tough situation with
an employee, whether it was friend or family, and you
didn't know how things were. I go, but this was
a moment there was a confrontation needed with this employee.

Speaker 2 (15:05):
I'll take the biggest one of all, okay, which involves
not one employee but all employees covid hits, shut down,
shut down everything, the whole thing, Okay, all over the place.
Now one employee lost one penny pay. We carried them all.

(15:28):
You paid all of you. We carried every one of
our employees through the thirteen weeks that we were closed,
carried them off. That's a tough decision, but it wasn't
a tough decision. It was a tough financial decision, but
it was the right decision. It was the right thing
to do. Would it have been easier to do it

(15:50):
the other way? But you know, look out just for
number one. You become number one because you've got a
whole team behind you. I don't care if it's Aaron
Rodgers or Tom Brady or whoever it is. Okay. If
you don't have that team, you got nothing. Okay. So

(16:14):
could have taken care of number one real easy. No
one missed a paycheck. Okay. And I again I applaud
my partners for supporting that. I love that. And you
know what happened. We came out of that pandemic. Our
business skyrocketed, absolutely skyrocketed. Okay, do the right thing even

(16:40):
when it's hard.

Speaker 3 (16:42):
Your employees could have like many people that did. They
could have just gotten unemployment.

Speaker 2 (16:51):
Yeah, it wouldn't have been as much as they've got
to regular paycheck. But again I will applaud our employees
because they came here. We spit shined everything. We did
things that on time or manpower to do in the
course of being opened three hundred and sixty five days

(17:13):
a year, fifteen hours a day, I mean. And they
came out and we got on scaffoling, We cleaned the rafters,
we did this, we did that, we wrote curriculum, We
spit shined this, we did things. They came out, they
came out, and it wasn't eight hours a day, assumably
wasn't forty hours a week. But the team kept together.

(17:35):
The team kept together, and they said, let's make the
most of this situation. Okay, So I love it. Yeah
it was. It was the worst thing that could ever happen,
but probably the best story that. You can't make up
that story. You can't make up that story. And only

(17:55):
crisis brings out stories like that and happenings like that.
And I'm sure it's happening down in North Carolina right now.
I'm sure it's happening in bunches and in little things
the same way it happened here when we got to
bet a tornado in ninety nine, okay, which, by the way,
our clubs suffered severe damages at the time.

Speaker 1 (18:18):
As Okay, do you have a connection to what's going
on in North Carolina and the flooding.

Speaker 2 (18:28):
No, I really don't. I mean, I know some people
that their own business down there, the Cincinnatians, by the way,
they just built a boutique hotel down there, and I
did talk to them last night. Their hotel that's right
downtown Ashville was not damaged. Consequently, they're using it as

(18:50):
checkpoint Charlie, all the all the police officers, all of
the rescue people that are all staying at the hotel.
They don't have water use of that nature yet, but
people over there and then they're they're they're they're pitching
in and getting things making sure that you know, they're
getting things done. Okay. Obviously the police force needs to
be there to prevent the re looting and all of

(19:10):
that stuff, so they're taking care of all of that
stuff that's going on. Again, A reals a Cincinnati connection
that's doing the right thing, okay, And many people are
doing the right thing down there. So that's that's I
thought of that. I thought of our situation with not
only the tornado, but with them with the shutdown, with

(19:33):
with COVID, when I thought of my friend's down there. Good.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
So you talked about team and doing the right thing
for the sake of the team. Talk to me about
the sacrifice things that you have given up for this venture.

Speaker 2 (19:51):
Well, you know, if you work, if you work seven
hours a week, giving up a lot in terms of
your family. Okay, are you I am married?

Speaker 3 (20:01):
How long have you been married?

Speaker 2 (20:03):
Forty six years? Now?

Speaker 1 (20:04):
Seventy hours a week? Does your wife invest that much
time here or is she No, she used.

Speaker 2 (20:11):
To spend some time here, but she's got some very
much time now.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
Okay here, But so you get seventy hours a week
you're up here.

Speaker 3 (20:18):
You know, how'd that affect your marriage?

Speaker 7 (20:21):
Well?

Speaker 2 (20:21):
You know, first of all, she my wife was in business.
She understands, she understands. Okay, And the beauty of that
is you still make time for the things that you
need to make time for.

Speaker 1 (20:39):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
Kids are going on a field trip in her fifth grade. Okay,
I can go in a field trip. You're there, Okay, fine,
So that means I do peril until midnight the night
or so what I did. So you know, kids are
gonna play tennis tournament Detroit. Okay, fine, okay, just make

(21:01):
it up over here. That that's the beauty of you
know that being your own boss. Okay, you don't, you
don't take that time away. You just restructure things so
you know, I yeah, routine becomes different. And that's probably
the biggest sacrifice.

Speaker 3 (21:21):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (21:22):
And obviously if if you if your if your life
partner doesn't buy into that, and then there's potential for conflict.
But you know, I've been I've been supported by by
a wife that that understands okay, that she understands and
uh and she pitches in wherever I need her, if
I if I need this or that or whatever. And
she's been very very helpful through the years and and

(21:43):
used to when she when when we were younger, she
was you know, very visible here and very involved in things.
She might be able to tougher boss than I am,
no doubt, no doubt many times they are.

Speaker 1 (21:59):
What kind of things would your children say about you
as a husband, a father.

Speaker 2 (22:07):
And a boss. Well, you know that's that's a that's
that's a good question, okay, And obviously you'd have to
ask them, but uh, you know, we're we're very close.
I think they would say that, certainly as a father,

(22:28):
you know, they've always come first. As a boss. They
would probably say a couple of things. Number one, you
work too much. Number two, you bend over backwards for everybody. Okay,

(22:52):
And and they're they're a little protective of Daddy. They're
they're they're a little bit protective of Daddy.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
So I wanted to dig in there, becau because this
this idea that your children would say, you bend over
backwards for everybody. Would that be a commendation or a
complaint from them?

Speaker 2 (23:13):
I don't think it would be a complaint. I don't
think it would be a complaint. I think I think
it would. I think it would be a commendation thing.
You know, you're you know you do sometimes you do
too much, and you know you're you're you're taking something
away from yourself or doing like I said, they're.

Speaker 8 (23:32):
Looking up for Daddy a little bit, and they see
the sacrifice, you know, I mean, on a on a
on a more direct basis, for instance, Okay, if and
I travel a decent amount.

Speaker 2 (23:44):
We do some international events with and my son travels
with me. Okay, Dad, don't look the twocase, okay. Okay,
so let's get to that point. Okay, And of course
Dad says, hey, I'm not at all man, I still
you know, I'm still in the gym every I can
look my own damn suitcase. Okay, but no, don't do that, okay, Okay,
then you don't have to take that call at ten

(24:06):
o'clock at night. Well, you know that they can away
let me do it that I sell. You know that
that type of thing. Okay.

Speaker 1 (24:14):
So they want to not only ensure that you're okay
and that you're doing well, but they want to relieve
the burden when they can't.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
They do they do, they do want they do want to.
I'll give you a perfect example, Okay, after fifty years
in all the automation, that there is one thing that
I insist on doing. I just did it finished just
two minutes ago before you and I started this payroll. Okay.
It is I hate doing payroll. M I hate doing payroll,

(24:51):
but I do it because I need This is something
that I need to be directly informed with and know
everything about it. Okay, that's just it's just me, okay.
And in a sense is that I'll do peril, I'll
do care and when when I'm gone and here he

(25:11):
does be but you don't. You don't have to step
to peril. I'll do the pa, I'll do the par
so here that type of thing.

Speaker 1 (25:21):
So I want to stop there because because I definitely
want to go back to this this idea about balance,
because you're talking about seventy hours a week, I mean,
and people and especially in ministry. You know, people talk
about balance, you know, work life, home life, personal life,
and people say, strike a balance. I'm one of the

(25:42):
ones who believes that that that balance is over.

Speaker 3 (25:46):
Really.

Speaker 1 (25:47):
I think that when you have chosen something and and
it is your life and you give yourself to it,
there's there's there's not a lot of balance, you know,
when it comes to ministry. I think I spend more
time doing the work of the ministry then I spend

(26:09):
time with my wife and children. Now I think the
wife and children time is quality time, and I think
that matters a lot.

Speaker 3 (26:19):
But there's no balance in that.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
So if you're spending seventy hours a week as compared
to the time that you spend with your wife and
with your children and one on one personal things that
doesn't seem like balance.

Speaker 2 (26:34):
What do you say to that, I said, balance is
over ready?

Speaker 3 (26:38):
You agree with me?

Speaker 2 (26:39):
I agree one hundred percent with you. My balance is
my balance. And you know one of the this is
kind of funny, but it I see this all the time.
You want to talk about balance? Okay. So a proctor

(27:00):
or gene executive retires age fifty six, age fifty seven.
The wife has been here playing tennis when they're working.
He said, how's retirement going. She says, Oh, he's messing
up my routine. I gotta worry about him now.

Speaker 3 (27:20):
Okay.

Speaker 4 (27:20):
So we develop our own niche and our own thing.
And balance is a lot up here. It's up here,
and sometimes it's a cop out. Sometimes it's a total
cop out. And I think, and I'll be maybe crucified
by some for saying.

Speaker 2 (27:39):
This, but I think it's been drummed into younger generation
balance balance. Don't tell me what my balance is, okay,
And don't convince somebody that this fits all. It doesn't
fit all. It doesn't fit all at all. My balance
is my balance, okay. And the time that I spend

(27:59):
with my children. It may not be you know, Okay,
I come to work every day at six thirty, I leave.
I leave for work by six thirty. Okay, which means
when my kids were little, guess what, I didn't breakfast
with them. Okay, I didn't take them to school.

Speaker 3 (28:18):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (28:20):
Does that mean I short change that my partner head?
Then that's part of the balance. Okay, that's part of
the balance. Okay. The family unit works as a team
to Okay, I fine. You know what, my wife can't
go on this field trip, Okay, I can go. So
you balance comes in a lot of different their role.

(28:45):
Everybody's playing their role.

Speaker 1 (28:46):
Every one does their parts, so every joint supply.

Speaker 6 (28:50):
It's what the person say, yeah, exactly, that's my idea
of bat it's okay.

Speaker 2 (28:55):
And and if somebody else likes to go on a
two hour bike ride a day or whatever it is,
well they want to read for two hours, Okay, that's fine,
that's what they want to do. I'm going to spend
that time on my passion, which is my business. It's

(29:17):
my balance. Okay. Now, I may be a dinosaur, and
I'm a dinosaur in a lot of ways. Okay, I
don't have a computer in my house. Okay, I have
my cell phone, which is which but but you know again,
my thinking is seventy hours at work, okay, whatever I

(29:39):
want to not you know, so when you're home song, Yeah,
my wife, my balance is my balance, okay, my and
and uh so I've got I've.

Speaker 9 (29:49):
Got real Some people would call archaic ideas about all
of this balanced stuff, about all of this, you know,
and I and I understand that our society is.

Speaker 2 (30:04):
Far more complicated now than it was in the fifties
when I was a great school. I understand that. I
understand that.

Speaker 10 (30:12):
Okay, but I think people play to it a lot
and say that, oh, you should we should have these
problems again, you can do I mean, don't tell me
that I should be depressed after this happens.

Speaker 2 (30:28):
Okay, Okay, maybe some people are, but don't convince everybody that, okay,
when this happens, you should be depressed, because it's not
necessarily the case. Okay, Okay, so you're again different people.

Speaker 3 (30:40):
Plan don't talk me into a condition.

Speaker 2 (30:44):
That that that doesn't necessarily exist for everybody. Okay.

Speaker 1 (30:50):
Well, I just heard some wisdom right there, wisdom the
Italian stallion coming out don't.

Speaker 2 (30:56):
I like it. I like it. Let's go deeper.

Speaker 1 (30:59):
So when you're doing paywork payroll, you're saying to me
that it's something that you hate doing.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
Now.

Speaker 1 (31:09):
One school of thought says, focus on your strengths and
the things that you aren't good at or don't like
to do.

Speaker 3 (31:22):
Write the check.

Speaker 2 (31:24):
Let someone else do it. But you're saying, because you want.

Speaker 1 (31:28):
To know the information, maybe that it's done, that people
have gotten this, there's something part that you want to
know that you get out of doing payroll.

Speaker 2 (31:37):
Now you're willing to do the thing that you hate
to do for Yeah, And first of all, you know,
I was a math major in college. Okay, So I
was a math teacher. Okay.

Speaker 1 (31:45):
So so numbers are your thing, whether you enjoy them
or not.

Speaker 2 (31:48):
Numbers are my thing, okay. And when I say I
don't enjoy it, I get tremendous satisfaction out of seeing
this person and looking at the bottom of that and saying, Wow,
this is what they're getting paid this week. I get

(32:11):
tremendous satisfaction. I'm very, very upset with current practices where
nobody gets a paychecker it shows up in their bank account.
One of the greatest things. I always tell a story. Okay.
I had a young kid that worked for us. I

(32:33):
came to work in summer. He was fifteen years old,
came from a very wealthy family. They wanted him to
do the right thing and learn how to work and
be responsible at a young age. When I handed him
his first paycheck, his eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

(32:59):
That is, I mean, this was thirty years ago, and
it's still very significant to me. Okay, and I'm going
on a little bit. But we're deprived of that now.
With the automatic you put it that you put it
in the in a bank accountany Okay, nobody sees nobody
sees the paycheck anymore. So you are doing direct deposit

(33:21):
though we are doing director because our company has a
thousand employees and we have to do that. Okay. But
but anyhow, so I'm getting so even though I don't
like doing peril, I get tremendous satisfaction out of seeing. Wow, Okay,
I just I just I just did perot and one

(33:42):
of the people gotta sizeable bonus. It makes me so happy. Okay.
So there's because it's just it's just the tedium of
the whole thing. Okay, and again because of my thing,
I do it, you know, I do it at ten
o'clock at night at home, and then whatever isn't done

(34:04):
hasn't been turned in, and then I come in early
in the morning and finish it up. So the the
it's it's the It's not the process itself, it's the
it's the inconvenience of the probably Okay, when I give
tremendous satisfaction out of seeing these people, knowing where they were,
where they are. Okay. And of course I can monitor

(34:27):
and find out when when you're dropping down and what
and what peril is important. Okay. I don't want a
computer telling me what peril is. Okay. I want to
know firsthand. I want to know first one. And I
see this guy's off. I know he's off, Okay, so
I can I can direct it right away. Okay. If
I'm looking at a print out sheet, it's not as

(34:49):
impactful as when I when I've done it myself and
I see the ups and the downs. Okay.

Speaker 3 (34:57):
I want to press you just a bit, Okay.

Speaker 1 (35:00):
I want to I want to speak to the employee
that is dissatisfied with their pay, and I want to
come from it. I want to come from this perspective
because you've been sharing stories so much.

Speaker 3 (35:16):
Share a story.

Speaker 1 (35:18):
So I came to you not long ago, and without
mentioning any names, I had a problem with one of
your employees, one of the instructors here, and that instructor
felt the need to be rate a guest that I
had bought, brought in my teammate. I felt they were

(35:40):
being berated and one of the one of the angles
was a complaint that the instructor had about how little
they get paid as compared to the frustration they're now
dealing with with us not following a rule that was
implemented during the practice. And this kind of turned.

Speaker 2 (36:03):
Into a thing and a thing.

Speaker 1 (36:06):
Remember the where I came to you and talk to
you about it? How did it?

Speaker 3 (36:12):
How did it impact you?

Speaker 1 (36:14):
This idea that employee of yours was dissatisfied with their pay.

Speaker 2 (36:19):
Well, first of all, let me back up, and I
will say this, that employee makes more money than I do.

Speaker 1 (36:29):
Now without hating rewind on this podcast, I'm gonna ask
mister Steve Contarti to rewind and please say that again, sir.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
That employee makes more money than I do. Did y'all
hear what he just said. Now let me say something else. Continue.
That employee earns every dime, so no be grudge it.
Long hours, a lot of work employeed. Okay, but part

(37:01):
of your person. I gotta be careful. Okay, that's my response. Okay, and.

Speaker 1 (37:09):
I love the response, by the way, Continue, and.

Speaker 2 (37:15):
This happens on more than one occasion with this particular employee. Okay,
this is not the first time that probably is said
to somebody at least a half a dozen times a
year over a period of twenty five years.

Speaker 1 (37:35):
Just once a month for twenty five years. Okay, that
this particular employee that we're talking about has a complaint
to somebody else about their pay while making more than
mister Cantarti does.

Speaker 2 (37:48):
Let's wrong. So again, with all employees, you weigh positives
you way they gives Okay, Okay, I address the situation
of how she handled the situation in terms of her remark.
All I do is again high road. Okay. When I

(38:12):
do that payroll, I always send that note that says nice, God, congratulations,
you are our top earner.

Speaker 3 (38:21):
Again, So I love this.

Speaker 1 (38:24):
So what you're doing right now is in that scenario
you let the numbers.

Speaker 3 (38:31):
Tell the story.

Speaker 1 (38:33):
You're actually actively refusing to believe the story of I
don't earn enough. You're letting the numbers tell you what's
going on in that employee's life.

Speaker 2 (38:48):
And look, it's because that person knows. That's not a truism. Okay,
that person knows. The violin is just out.

Speaker 3 (39:05):
Okay, I'm playing this one.

Speaker 1 (39:06):
You pull them out the big violin, and I'm pulling
out the small one.

Speaker 3 (39:10):
So you know, that's.

Speaker 2 (39:14):
And and again it's it's as a as a boss,
it's something that you deal with, Okay, And and I
address the problem. Okay, that remark.

Speaker 7 (39:29):
You know, it's like I said, it's just it's just
just as it's a it's a knee jerk, and it's
just a you know, I mean, how many times do
there somebody something happens and somebody says, I don't.

Speaker 2 (39:39):
Get paid enough of this? Okay? You know which is
you know, who's to say whether you get paid enough
or not? Okay? But in this particular case, So that's
it's it's it's it's unfortunate at any time that an
employee would talk to a client or even make any

(40:03):
reference to a client. A client about if you're unhappy,
you go through the boss and you take care of
But you know this is to get it. There's there's
there's a there's a there's a history, and it's such
and it said something. It's it's not like I said.
The main issue, as far as I'm concerned, is not
that flipping remark. The main issue was how the situation

(40:27):
was not properly handled with our guests and our members.
I appreciate that on so many levels. I appreciate your
honesty and your transparency. Thank you for that. Thank you.

Speaker 1 (40:42):
I want to talk about the work that you did
in letting the numbers tell you what's true in that
scenario with with with the employee, because to say they
make more money than I do. It's one thing to
say it, but to actually see it with your own

(41:04):
eyes means that you're not just saying something because you
want to believe that it's true. You can actually see
the numbers. So how that translates with our ministry and
powerful living ministries, we teach a distinction that's called.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
Not believing stories.

Speaker 1 (41:24):
So if I have a confrontation with someone and the
person says something about me, here's a good example.

Speaker 2 (41:36):
Someone wrote a comment.

Speaker 1 (41:39):
In one of my videos and says, blah blah blah
about this person that I was discussing with my video,
and he says he did the right thing. You're just
trying to be nosy, that was said about me. You're
just being nosy is what was said about me. Now,
when I read that comment, I got two options. I

(42:01):
can either take offense to someone saying to me, you're
just being nosy, or I can own it.

Speaker 2 (42:13):
So without going through.

Speaker 3 (42:16):
The whole thing.

Speaker 2 (42:17):
The idea that I don't believe the.

Speaker 3 (42:19):
Story is first and foremost.

Speaker 1 (42:23):
Being nosy is not a bad thing unless I believe
it's a bad thing. I'm going to do the work
for me and just to make sure my heart is right,
my mind is right, because I don't want to receive
the shame unnecessarily.

Speaker 2 (42:41):
I don't want someone to create an atmosphere that doesn't
exist for me.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
You don't get to create shame in me. Am I
supposed to be a shame of being nosy? No, I
don't think so, because I read somewhere in the scriptures
where it says that people who require or desire to
have certain offices ought to have these kinds of things.

Speaker 2 (42:59):
Going going in their lives.

Speaker 1 (43:01):
They shouldn't have these kinds of things going.

Speaker 2 (43:03):
On in their lives.

Speaker 1 (43:05):
And how in the world would we know what kind
of things are going on in their lives? Steve Contardi
unless we begin to be nosy.

Speaker 2 (43:14):
What's the line between being nosy and being knowledgeable?

Speaker 1 (43:18):
Yes, I think I think the line is the the
the the motive, right, So motivation to be knowledgeable and
to be informed requires being nosy, digging into it right,
gathering the information is being nosy, unless unless I believe

(43:40):
the lie that says being nosy means something else. Being
nosy means you're a gossiper. Being nosy means you're trying
to discover.

Speaker 2 (43:53):
Dirt on somebody.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
Why does being nosy mean I'm just trying to discover dirt?

Speaker 3 (43:57):
How about?

Speaker 1 (43:58):
How about being nosey means I'm trying you discover, discovered.

Speaker 2 (44:03):
During or like whatever comes up. That's it.

Speaker 1 (44:08):
How has that to desire to gain knowledge showed up
for you as a struggle with these kinds of scenarios.

Speaker 2 (44:18):
With your people. Well, you know, when you manage people,
everybody is different. I had a very good friend who
was a extremely successful coach, and that was that was my.

Speaker 3 (44:39):
My, my primary.

Speaker 2 (44:41):
My my first ambition was to be a high school
football coach. Okay, that was your first join, first design.
And I did coach. Okay, I coached, I taught, I
taught high school, I taught mathematics, and I coached football, basketball,
and tennis. But the tennis business took me in this direction.

(45:01):
But my my, my, my friend is a very very
successful coach. Uh he had a fifty six game wind
streak in high school in Wisconsin.

Speaker 1 (45:14):
That's a lot of games.

Speaker 2 (45:15):
It's a lot of games. Yet uh huh. And he said,
you don't treat everybody alike. He said, there's kids that
I have to baby, there's kids that I have to explain.

(45:38):
There's kids I gotta root 'em in about, and there's
kids I just leave them. Everybody's personality is different, everybody
reacts differently. If I treat everybody this way, then I
I'm on the same level with one third of the people.

(46:01):
I adapt, okay, and if I'm good enough at adapting,
And the key there is how do I do that
and not have somebody say you don't treat us all
the same. But uh so, anyhow, that's the same in business, Okay,
so the you don't treat us all the same, that

(46:22):
could come across as an accusation. It could treat them
all fairly. Okay, there's a difference. Uh huh, there's a difference. Okay,
this may require a firm talking to for this personality.

(46:46):
For this personality, I might have to handle it with
kid gloves a little bit more. With this personality, I
can say, let's b s. Okay, So the result is
all intended to be the same, So the same across
the board. But but okay, it's okay, I can, I can,

(47:11):
I can. How do I get a product of eighty one?
I can say nine times nine, or I can say
twenty seven times three, or I can say forty five
point five times two. Wow, okay, okay, I get the
same result.

Speaker 1 (47:33):
Okay, So you own the mantra of you don't treat
everybody the same.

Speaker 2 (47:42):
You just own it.

Speaker 1 (47:43):
Yeah, because because it's true and it's factual.

Speaker 2 (47:46):
Uh huh, exactly, Okay, I treat everybody fairly. The result
is the same. The way I get there, some it's
a direct route, some it's around the block. Some of
it might be circle of block A couple of times
before I go a knock on the door. Okay, makes sense,

(48:08):
It makes sense to me. Okay, nobody's ever gonna put
that in the book. Nobody's ever gonna put them. But again,
that's also my personality. Okay, that's my personality.

Speaker 1 (48:25):
So let's wrap it up then, mister Cantardi almost eighty
years old.

Speaker 2 (48:32):
Yeah, you get to.

Speaker 1 (48:35):
Speak to all of the people who are going to
be watching the Powerful Living Outreach Ministries podcast and you
get to sign off with famous last words words of
encouragement with my average age group.

Speaker 2 (48:59):
Probably say, my.

Speaker 1 (49:00):
Average age of my listeners and ministry partners is I
will probably say average of thirty five to forty years.

Speaker 2 (49:09):
What would you what would you say to us?

Speaker 1 (49:11):
From the lessons that you've learned from being here at
Harper's Point Tennis Club, and your age and the things
that you've experienced, how would you sign off on?

Speaker 2 (49:21):
What words and encouragement would you have for us? Wow?
And and and in a couple of words, probably impossible,
but the the the big, the number one, live your life.
Don't be afraid to fail. Okay, better to try and

(49:46):
fail than not try. You can't reach potential. Okay. Next
would be take a good look at the things that
really matter on her. No, you know what I drive.

(50:07):
I drive a fifteen year old twelve passenger van. Kay.
I don't care.

Speaker 3 (50:16):
Uh okay, I don't care.

Speaker 2 (50:18):
It's a club vehicle, but I didn't feel like it.
I don't care. Okay, I've been there, done that. Okay,
I want all the smoke players. Doesn't matter. I had
a good buddy that was a very very big time
football player, made a lot of money, and when he
was playing, he drove fancy cars. When he quit playing,

(50:42):
he was smart enough to know that doesn't matter. And
I don't have the financial wherewithal now going forward to
do that, So it doesn't matter. Been there, done that, mkay.
So take a look at what really really matters. Okay.

(51:02):
Next it would be the globe, the room, okay, because
you don't want to look back when you're my agent,
say jeez, I screwed that guy over. Feel bad about that? Okay,
I guess it's it's good if they do recognize that,

(51:23):
as opposed to having done it did not recognize it.
And then the next thing would be, you know, I
guess I I guess I cover what really matters, yes, okay,
And and and the next would be more to people
my age, and I will.

Speaker 1 (51:45):
Quote Clint Eastwood, get off my lawn almost, don't let
the old man in.

Speaker 2 (51:56):
Don't let the old man in. Toby Keith rest this
so wrote a song about don't let the old man in.
It's just a number. It's just a number. Unpack that
for me. Okay, age, age, don't let the old man in.
I don't care. Clint Eastwood is you know what? And

(52:18):
he and he keeps going. He's still going because it
doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Mm So anyhow so that
that so I I I kind of probably a lot
of last couple of words wisdom to live by. But uh,
you know, life is, Life goes through different stages. But

(52:39):
the big thing is is is do your own thing.
Don't be afraid to fail along the way. Make sure
you treat people and yourself right way.

Speaker 1 (52:54):
That is a mantra of this ministry. Love others as
you love yourself. That means you take care of yourself,
You treat yourself well, you admonish and nourish yourself, do.

Speaker 2 (53:08):
That for other people, exactly right. That's what the scriptures say.
A and and that's true. And you have to take
care of yourself, and and and and and you know
I I say that in business too. If if I
don't take care of the business, I can't take care
of my employees. Okay. So you know so in business,

(53:30):
profit is not a dirty word. Mmkay. Profit allows you
to do the other things. Okay, take care of your employees, okay,
take care of other things that you do with with
your money. Yeah, okay. Uh and that's good. So anyhow,
so I I rambled a little bit on that, but uh,
you know, look, look I it's hey, and you you

(53:53):
can look at life as yeah. Ah, life is hard, yeah,
but it's it's what we make them too. Okay. I
tell my employees it's mind over matter, no matter what
goes on in your life. When you want you're on

(54:15):
Harper's point, you put a smile on your face. This
is everybody else's happy place. Okay. And again it's you
figure out how to leave your baggage outside very good
when you come to work. And that's true in life
in general. We have problems. Put that in this little

(54:38):
compartment over here, okay, because the truth of the matter
is answer no matter where we are in the United
States here, we're pretty darn lucky. We're pretty lucky now
we we we we don't have a bad could we

(54:58):
all have it better? Yeah? But it starts starts right here,
starts right in your break. Find joy in the little things, okay,
find joy and the people. Okay. This has been really
really fun for me. Okay, this is this has been
a very very fun power here talking with you and

(55:19):
talking about these things and quite frankly making me stop
and think about some of the things that you know.
I don't think of the questions you ask me. I
don't think about those things, okay, but when you ask me, yeah, okay, yeah,
so maybe I found out a little bit about me too.
It's good. Yea.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
I'm hard to hear. First from mister Steve comes Target.
He says, leave your problems at the door. They will
be there when you get back.

Speaker 2 (55:53):
And enjoy it. And by the way, he's got a
wicked left headed foreheads? Yeah? Is that that? He was
me to speak to the character Henry's got a wicked
left headed forehead? It really does. Okay, And he does
a great version of my way, which he did just
specially for me, and I thank you. Did we not that?

(56:17):
Let's start a bed.

Speaker 1 (56:22):
Handy Clower's here with Steve Kuintardi, Powerful Living Outreach Ministries.

Speaker 3 (56:26):
Y'all you already know it.

Speaker 1 (56:27):
I ain't going to where I'm coming back.

Speaker 3 (56:31):
Hello for him.

Speaker 1 (56:32):
Thank you so much for being with us in this
podcast over the airwaves of YouTube or wherever you find
your podcast. Thank you so much for being apart. Make
sure to subscribe, turn on notifications, and feel free to
share this information with anyone who you believe could use

(56:52):
a little bit more power in their lives. Speaking of power,
be sure to join us on Sunday mornings as we
get together in the Cincinnati area at five six one
six Wolfpen, Pleasant Hill Road in Milford, Ohio. We will
be in the upper room at General Dentistry. Ten thirty

(57:14):
am on Sunday mornings is when we gather together.

Speaker 2 (57:19):
We have an.

Speaker 1 (57:20):
Empowerment session immediately after the broadcast. This is where the
true powerful living is put into practice. If you want
to come together and work on something with me one
on one coaching in a group setting, then you want
to be a part of the empowerment sessions. I cannot

(57:42):
tell you how many testimonies and how much transformation has
occurred as a result of these empowerment sessions. You want
to be here the church being the church, people coming
in with their stuff, working on it with me, using
bi biblical principles and getting real transformation in real time

(58:05):
so that we ourselves can be empowered. Then we can
be able to go and empower others. My friend, that
is what powerful living is. So you definitely want to
join us in the empowerment sessions in person, and also
you can.

Speaker 3 (58:20):
Join us live via zoom and the zoom.

Speaker 1 (58:24):
Information is in the description box. Join us ten thirty
am every Sunday, Eastern Stattard time. Look forward to seeing
you there. Many of you have been asking how you
can give and support Powerful Living ministries. I have a
few options for you. I often go and speak to

(58:47):
our young people who are just living in desperate times.
Not really sure if I would want to be a
young person living in these times with these societal norms
that are just banging, banging, bang at the door of
their moral houses and they need help. So the help
that I deliver when I go and speak to these

(59:07):
young people are through powerful testimonial speeches, motivational speeches, whatever
you want to call it, but biblical principles and same
things I deliver in the empowerment sessions and in the
podcast is what I deliver when I speak to colleges
and high schools Now, I often go and speak about
what I wrote in my book, which is titled Board

(59:28):
to Death Five Steps to gear Up and be about
that life. This is a pulling together of personal stories,
things that I have lived through and how I went
from where I was living on the streets of Detroit,
and how I survived the streets of Detroit and created.

Speaker 2 (59:49):
A life that I love.

Speaker 1 (59:51):
When I had all of the obstacles in my way,
I had the perfect recipe to become a statistic How
did I overcome?

Speaker 2 (01:00:00):
What did I do well?

Speaker 1 (01:00:02):
Those questions are answered in my book Bored to Death
and five Easy Steps. I share these steps with young
people and I get transformation, and I see transformation. Their
lives are empowered on a daily basis. This is powerful
Living in action.

Speaker 2 (01:00:18):
When I go and speak to these young people.

Speaker 1 (01:00:20):
Now, how you can come alongside is a.

Speaker 3 (01:00:23):
Couple of ways.

Speaker 1 (01:00:24):
You can obviously give directly to this ministry. If you
want to reach out to us Powerful Living twenty twenty
two at gmail dot com. You can reach out to
us directly and just say, hey, Henry, how can I
support your ministry financially?

Speaker 2 (01:00:40):
Also you can.

Speaker 1 (01:00:41):
Text us or call, but likely a text would be
better At five one, three, four, zero, four, seven, seven
nine three, leave us a message and just tell us
I'd like to be involved financially. How can I support
your ministry and we'll give back to you there as well. Also,

(01:01:02):
you can contact us about purchasing copies of my book
so that when I go and speak to the young
people in high school. Sometimes I'll do middle schools, but
most of the time it's high school and college and
those who are usually financially conscerned and don't have the
opportunity to purchase my book. If you purchase my book,

(01:01:23):
every book that you purchase will be an opportunity for
me to put another one copy of my books in
the hands of our young people, and so they can
take home the message that I deliver in person, and
they can be empowered and study and see what I
did to create a life that I love, and therefore
they'll be able to see themselves doing it as well.

(01:01:46):
That's powerful living, and my friend, that is powerful giving.
And I hope you will take us up on that opportunity.
If you have feedback and you'd like to suggest a
shelter topic, content ideas, If you have questions, if I
said something that you don't agree with, whatever it is,

(01:02:10):
whatever kind of feedback that you'd like to give, bring it.
You can email us Powerful Living twenty twenty two at
gmail dot com. You can call us at five point
three or as the Report seven seventy ninety three. However
you get your information to us, just understand I will
respond to you directly. I am open questions, concerns, show ideas, topics,

(01:02:36):
anything you have in reference to feedback. You let me
know and especially tell us how this ministry has powerfully impacted.

Speaker 2 (01:02:45):
Your life, and I will likely share that on.

Speaker 1 (01:02:49):
A live broadcast. Thank you so much for being a
part of this ministry. I can't wait to see these
empowerment sessions pop up.

Speaker 3 (01:02:59):
All over the country, all over the world, and all.

Speaker 2 (01:03:01):
Over the lives of people.

Speaker 3 (01:03:03):
Powerful Living is there for you and me.

Speaker 1 (01:03:06):
Thank you, my friends, God bless you.