CALVIN... THAT IS MY MAN!

Father follows in son's footsteps to L.A.

by Emily Miller

Provo UTAH - You've heard the story a thousand times. A father enjoys a successful and rewarding career and watches as his son takes a similar path.

But this story has a twist. In this story the roles are reversed as a father watches his son make a great living with Apx and decides to give it a shot himself.

Calvin Newby is a retired military medic and fresh off an LDS mission with his wife, Joan. The couple served in the Marshall Islands Majuro mission where they spent their days on the remote Christmas Island. They have been back home in Idaho for just over a month.

But Calvin's not making himself too comfortable. In the next couple weeks he'll be on the road again as he goes to L.A. to work for Apx this summer, under the leadership of his son, Jason Newby. Calvin says he has seen his son find great success within the Apx organization and he'd like to do the same.

"One of the things that I'm seeing is the success that Jason has had," Calvin says. "And as my son he's got a lot of faith in his dad."

Calvin has never done door-to-door sales, but he believes that his experience in other areas will give him the confidence and skills he needs to have a successful summer and make a good living. He has previous experience in retail sales as a manager for Radio Shack, but what he believes to be more valuable is his experience dealing with a diverse group of people within the military and in the prison system, where he worked after his retirement from the military.

"In all of those years I've been able to meet and deal with a lot of people," he says.

He says his experience talking with prison inmates could actually be very helpful in selling security systems this summer. He worked at the state penitentiary in Boise for 6 years after retiring from the military.

"I talked with a lot of the prisoners who said, 'We didn’t mess with anybody that wasn’t an easy rip off," Calvin says. He's been told that a home without a security system is an easy target.

Besides his extensive experience dealing with people, Calvin believes the encouragement from his son and family will help him have a successful summer. "He (Jason) has always said I could go up and talk to just about anybody about anything," Calvin says. "So we're hoping that will make it a success."

Jason is looking forward to having his father on the roster.

"He was coming back from his mission, he’s retired from the military, and he heard about the success I'd had, as well as my brother-in-law," Jason says. "He was free for the summer since he just got back and didn’t have a job, so he just thought about it and he decided to give it 100 percent--to go out there and get ready."

Calvin knows he's coming to the table with a different perspective than his fellow first-year peers, who are mostly young enough to be his kids. He believes the things that will make him stand out from the crowd are the same that will propel him toward success as he knocks doors through L.A. this summer.

"Being around as long as I have, I have something that I need to accomplish," he says. "I won't run off to the beach. I want to be as successful as I can. I want my family to be proud of me. Jason's dad needs to set an example."

Calvin says the time he recently spent on Christmas Island as a missionary has also given him tools he can use as he gives this new career a shot this summer.

"I think I’m able to deal with all kinds of people and I think I learned a lot of patience," he says of his mission. "We were doing a lot of leadership training, and training people about the church. That helped me, in a sense, to set the example and try to do all I can so other people will see my example. As a missionary, there are certain rules you have to abide by and keep, just like Apx. If you want to succeed and do well you’ve got to to do what they’ve put out there to help us."

Calvin has put a lot on the line and has some added motivation to get the job done. He and his wife sold their home prior to serving their mission, and now it's time to set up house again. They'd like to begin building a new home, but until Calvin's got proof of a solid income, he doesn't foresee the bank wanting to make the loan.

"We're homeless right now," he says. "But in four months when I come back I’ll say, 'This is what I’ve been doing.'"

Hopefully it will be enough to get the ball rolling. In the meantime, Joan is living with and caring for her mother who is battling cancer and is likely in the last months of her life. Joan Newby had planned to join her husband and sell for Apx in L.A. this summer, but has decided to spend all the time she can with her mother.

But Calvin won't be without family nearby. Besides Jason and his family, Calvin will be selling alongside his son-in-law, Tyler McAllister, and Calvin's daughter, Kindra, will be working in the office in L.A.

Two cousins are also selling in L.A. this summer, so it's guaranteed to be a family affair.

"I think what’s kind of neat about this is that there’s a lot of family involved, and as a family we believe in each other and we’ll support each other," Calvin says. "What’s neat about that is you’re not out for number one. You’re out to help everyone succeed. That’s what I see in my son. He wants everybody to succeed. He’s not just out for himself."

Put it all together and it's a recipe for an enjoyable summer that will likely go down in the family history books.

"I think we’ll have a lot of fun," he says. "And hopefully we’ll be very successful."
Do you have a story to tell from Dave Allred's region? Contact Emily Miller at mlemiller@yahoo.com.