John Aiken's Work Experience

1966: Errand Boy hour under US Air Force, Pacific Command, Department of Defense assigned to a Fighter Squadron at Kadena AFB, Okinawa. I had to get a Social Security card identification number for employment. Worked part time doing light clerical work in a medals and citations office, domestic duties like washing cups and ashtrays for fighter pilots, and some incineration duty of disposing sensitive material under armed guards. Worked part time 4 hours per day due to my being a minor in age, five days per week for the summer at $0.50 per.

1968-70: Grocery Sacker for Fairchild AFB Commissary, Fairchild AFB, Washington 99011. I had a Military Dependent Identification Card that allowed me on Fairchild AFB and worked part-time after school and weekends sacking groceries for tips that varied from $0.25 to $1.00 per loaded cart(s).

1970-71: Military Student under USAF, Department of Defense by Congressional appointment at the USAF Academy Preparatory School, USAF Academy, Colorado 80840. I had to be investigated by both Federal and Military bureau investigators for Top Secret clearance and go through Basic Training at Lackland AFB, Texas prior to going to the Academy. Assigned to Red Squadron, promoted to squadron sergeant, and honor guard leader. Full time student studying mathematics, literature, English composition, military sciences, and physical training. Varsity NCAA wrestling and Wing wrestling champion (118LB) at $2.00 per hour with room, board, and uniform allowance.

1971-72: Dishwasher and Assistant Cook for Fairchild AFB Officers Club, Fairchild AFB, Washington 99011. I had to get a food handler’s permit. Worked part-time as a dishwasher and promoted to a full time assistant and breakfast bar cook. I assisted the chef in cutting, preparing, mixing, baking, boiling, steaming, frying, basting, icing, carving, decorating all kinds of foods and pastries. I learned how to cook for a banquet of 100s of people with the chef from $2.00 to $3.50 per hour, hours varied, 40-50 hours per week.

1972: Farm Laborer for local farms in the Medical Lake and Cheney community for summer employment, hours varied from part time to full time work and work duties also varied from fence installation, cleaning pens, milking goats/cows, shearing sheep, slaughtering fowl, butchering and cutting meat, moving irrigation lines, plowing, disking, harrowing, seeding, spraying, harvesting, baling hay, delivering hay/wheat by haul truck, operated tractor, auger, and drill for $1.50-2.50 per hour.

1972-73: Student Custodian under State of Washington for Eastern Washington University, Showalter Hall, Personnel Office, Cheney, Washington 99004. Worked 4 hours per day, five days per week doing custodial duties at Martin Hall and Campus School cleaning, vacuuming, sweeping, waxing, buffing, sanitizing, classrooms, offices, bathrooms, windows, doorways, and halls at $3.00 per hour.

1973: Mine Laborer for Bunker Hill Mine, Gulf Resources, Kellogg, Idaho. I join the United Mine Workers Union, take a physical examination, and get a Mining Safety and Health Administration Certification in surface mining for employment. Worked full time 8 hours per day, five days per for summer employment in yard crew cleaning sludge tanks and at the zinc plant as a zinc plate stripper at $3.57 per hour.

1973-74: Service Station Attendant for Mike Byrd, owner of Mike Byrd’s Thunderbird Station, S1309 Geiger Blvd, Geiger Heights, Washington. Worked part time 4 hours per day and weekends pumping gas, filling propane bottles, changing oil, selling auto parts, doing minor auto tune-ups, tire repair or replacements, and opening/closing station at $4.00 per hour.

1974: Well Driller’s Helper for Columbia Basin Drilling for Dick Morarity, owner, Moses Lake, Washington full time 45-50 hours per week for summer employment. Work on cable tool and rotary drill rig maintenance, roughneck, welding/grinding pipe, pipe fitting, installation of water pumps, and truck driving for $4.00 per hour.

1975: Ranch Hand for several farms in the Cheney and Medical Lake community for summer employment full time for 40-50 hours per week installing irrigation ditches and ponds, drain fields, and septic tanks that was inspected by Spokane County permit inspectors at $4.00 to $5.00 per hour.

1975-76: Real Estate Salesman for Sherwood and Roberts Realty, Indiana Avenue Office, Spokane, Washington full time for fall and winter employment by commission sales under a licensed real estate broker. I had to learn about real estate practices in the State of Washington and study for the Real Estate Salesman Test toward a license.

1976-77: Custodian II for six months temporary full-time work under State of Washington for Eastern Washington University, Personnel Office, Showalter Hall, Cheney, Washington 99004. Assigned under Fred Gramps and Morris Ribitt at Patterson Hall assigning and working with student custodians to maintain the building for daily usage cleaning, vacuuming, sweeping, waxing, buffing, sanitizing, classrooms, offices, bathrooms, windows, doorways, and halls. at $647 per month or about $4.00 per hour with benefits.

1977: Cash Register Clerk for 7-11, 3409 N Argonne Rd, Millwood, Washington 99212 at night shift full-time as cashier, stocker, and custodian for store at $3.75 per hour.

1977: Utility Technician II for six months temporary full-time work under the State of Washington for Spokane Community College, District 17, Personnel Office, N2000 Greene Street, Spokane, Washington 99207 assigned to Jim Ward at Community College Maintenance Building and worked with various trades doing electrical, plumbing, carpentry, painting, spraying, finishing, and used street sweeper, tractor, forklift, 3ton truck, and weed sprayer at $701 per month or about $4.50 per hour with benefits.

1978: Technician II for six months temporary full-time work under Spokane County for Spokane County Engineers, Spokane County Courthouse, Personnel Office, W1116 Broadway, Spokane, Washington 99201 assigned to Vernon Smyles as pen and ink drafter and plotter for road project design and cost estimates along with all county road condition inventory survey for estimating future maintenance, replacement, or resurfacing at $803 per month or $5.00 per hour with benefits.

1979: Placer gold dredge mine operator for Elden Dutson, Everett, Washington owner Selma Point Claim in the Liberty Mining District, Liberty, Kittitas County, Washington for seasonal employment suction dredging 60-70 hours per week, 6 days per week on percentage of gold recovery on Swauk Creek near Baker Creek, Washington.

1979-81: Grocery Night Stocker and Building Maintenance for Public Warehouse Market, Box 14558, Spokane, Washington 99203 assigned to Airway Heights Branch under Keith Weller and David White stocking grocery shelves with can and packaged foods for public sales and cleaning store including rest rooms and floors, windows, and entrances for the next business day open. Worked full time 45-50 hours, five staggered nights shift days per week at $5.25 per hour.

1981-91: Gem and Mineral Dealer, owner NW Gems-N-Minerals, PO Box 751, Medical Lake, Washington 99022 obtained Washington State Business license for all phases of retail jewelry manufacturing including design and casting in metals, lapidary and faceting gemstones, mining of minerals and gemstones, grading for resale or replacement, and retailing/wholesaling with much of my sells done in Arizona and California. I received my Jewelry Retailing Certificate from the Gemological Society of America, 1660 Stewart St, Santa Monic, California 90405 and studied pearl, diamonds, and colored stones for replacement value. I learn how to cast metal and grind/cut/polish stones from the Spokane Community College, Spokane, Washington 99207 by Chuck Roadruck. I often traded my skills and products for other types of minerals and gemstones to increase my own inventory. I also received my Mineral and Gemstone Wholesale Certificate from the Gemstone Dealers and Lapidary Suppliers Association, PO Box 2391, Tucson, Arizona 85702.

1985-86: Handy Man in the Medial Lake, Cheney, and Spokane community doing minor replacement or remodeling work with two part-time assistant helpers, work includes demolition, removal, re-wiring and plumbing, new outlet, fixtures, and insulating, carpentry, plastering, and painting for about 40 to 50 hours per week, five days per week at $8.00 per hour.

1986-88: Secretary-Treasurer for Calispell Industrial Minerals Corporation, W813 Cliff Avenue, Spokane, Washington 99204. Duties are to represent the company in business transactions with other companies, government agencies; write geologic and exploration, and development reports of company’s interest. Salary is based on royalties from mineral sales.

1986-88: Senior Geologist and Sales Agent for Pend Oreille Silica Corporation, PO Box 134, Granite Creek Marine Route, Bayview, Idaho 83803. Duties include mapping and exploration, geochemical surveying and prospecting, report writing and presentations to potential buyers, investors, co-ventures, and government agencies. I also helped with the company’s environmental impact statement and delineating potential ore body for claims staking. I also helped with their core drilling to prove their reserves and estimate the value of the ore body from data. Salary was based on royalties from sales of minerals and metals recovered that buyers or processing companies paid.

1987-88: Vice-President and Registered Agent for Calispell Resources Corporation, PO Box 751, Medical Lake, Washington 99022. Duties are to represent the company in business transactions with other companies, government agencies, general contractors, and venture capitalists; deliver presentations, company annual and quarterly reports, and filing of corporate functions; and to write corporate prospectus. Salary is based on royalties from sales of mineral products, metals, and compounds.

1987: Laboratory Technician for John Treclen, owner of Treclen Laboratory, N1403 Greene St, Spokane, Washington 99207 for part-time summer employment working as a sampler preparer sorting, categorizing and labeling incoming samples for heat drying, jaw crushing, milling, pulverizing, splitting, and bagging samples for fire assaying tests at working 25 to 35 hours per week at $5.00 hours per hour.

1988: Sampler and Driller’s Helper for Cactus Gold Mining Co, Star Rt. 1, Box 52W, Mojave, California 93501. I had to join the United Mine Workers Union, take a physical examination, and get a Mining Safety and Health Administration Certification in blasting, surface, and underground mines for employment. I collected samples on an open pit mining site and chip samples from underground tunnels that I bagged and delivered to mine’s assaying laboratory full time, 50 to 60 hours per week at $8.40 per hour.

1989-91: Engineering Technician II for the City of Spokane, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, Washington 99201 for Public Works Department under Brad Blegen, PE and Jerry Sinclair, PE. I had to take a physical examination, drug test, and join the American Federation of State, County, and City Municipal Employees union for employment. I did computer aided drafting with Autocad and Softdesk where I took surveying data to design capital construction projects under the direction of an engineer and made estimated bid list quantities by Lotus and Excel software for spreadsheets. I also did As-Builts of finished projects and updated the city roads & utilities data base along with new construction assessment value on property owners within the project limits for taxation purposes. I worked full time, 40 hours per week and started at $8.40 and ended at $10.50 per hour with benefits.

1991: I qualified to take the WA ST Professional Engineering in Training test, take the City of Spokane’s Associate’s Engineers, Engineering Technician III, and Public Works Inspector’s tests and I passed the Public Works Inspector’s test.

1991-92: Public Works Inspector for the City of Spokane, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, Washington 99201 for Field Engineers at Normandie Street Complex under Angelo Bomben, PE and James Laughtland, PE. I had to have a valid driver’s license and demonstrate that I have the physical condition to perform tasks and was assigned to Dean Kabanuk, Field Engineer’s team where I inspected asphalt plants, foundry metal and concrete precast companies for quality control that I stamped for acceptance under city and industrial standards; I did soil, concrete, and asphalt sampling and testing with Washington State Department of Transportation and AASHTO approved methods and devices; I did high and low pressure air testing of installed wastewater and water pipe, connections, and manholes for leaks with ASTM approved methods; I tested soil, gravel, and asphalt compaction for density, and moisture content for acceptance on road projects with a nuclear surface gauge; I took tickets and proof of sources of materials being brought to a project to verify approved materials that can be used on projects; I monitored temperature of paved hot asphalt mix and hot inlayed road striping and symbols for acceptance; I assisted and helped with my team’s survey crew; I measured bid item quantities on each project and recorded progress with As-Built drawing; I wrote daily reports for each project I inspected; I submitted tests, samples, and ticket sources for each project I inspected with each report I wrote; and I worked under and with a Public Works Lead Inspector. I worked full time, 40-50 hours per week and started at $12.50 and ended at $13.50 per hour with benefits.

1992: I passed the City of Spokane’s Engineering Technician III, Bridge Inspector, and Public Works Journey Level Inspector’s tests.

1992-98: Public Works Journey Level Inspector for the City of Spokane, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, Washington 99201 for Field Engineers at Normandie Street Complex under Angelo Bomben, PE and Malcolm Bowie, PE. I was still under Dean Kabanuk’ team, worked alone on my own projects unsupervised, and given more complex public works construction projects such as major arterial projects, large building complexes, airport fields & hangers, and bridges. I also spent a year inspecting private contractors’ project under the City of Spokane permit and contracts to verify materials, methods, and quality control. I did similar work as I did when a Public Work Inspector along with marking removal of structures on a public or private construction project under contract or permit. I worked with the public, owner, contractors, sub-contractors, developers, private engineers and architects, Federal, WA ST, and Spokane County representatives of various agencies including archeologists, Native Americans, and insurance company investigators that were involved in the projects I was responsible for. I also was elected to be the union shop steward to represent employees who had grievances or had infractions. I worked full time, 40-60 hours per week and started at $14.40 per hour and ended at $17.50 per hour with benefits.

1998: I passed the City of Spokane’s Engineering Technician III and Public Works Lead Inspector’s tests.

1998-2016: Public Works Lead Inspector for the City of Spokane, 808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, Washington 99201 for Field Engineers at Normandie Street Complex under Elden Brown, PE and Malcolm Bowie, PE from 1998 to 2006 and Ken Brown, PE and Joel Graf, PE from 2006 to 2016. I worked under Field Engineers Bill Giffin from 1998 to 2000 capital projects, Barry DeLong from 2000 to 2004 private projects, Gilbert Hart from 2004 to 2009 private projects, Steve Sather from 2009 to 2012 capital projects, and John Hogberg from 2012 to 2016 capital projects. I continued to do the same duties that I had as a Public Works Inspector and Public Works Journey Level Inspector except I trained new inspectors to qualify for their next tier in the inspector series. I was given more responsibilities where sensitive projects required a liaison between local government officials, city and private engineers, private architects, private owners and developers, other higher government agencies, other city departments’ inspectors or agents, general contractors, sub-contractors, material suppliers, and the public for continuity and instruction. I was the one that had to make the projects meet deadlines, settle disputes, and make alterations to approved plans when a problem occurs to keep the project flowing. In 2008, I resigned by position as union shop steward due to the work load upon me and I also passed the City of Spokane’s Field Engineer’s test and turn down the job to stay where I am, where I felt I would learn more applicable engineering in the field than in an office. Some of my projects include Spokane Airport Control Tower; major government and private facilities like National Guard Armory, Veteran’s Administration building, Gonzaga University’s Martin Stadium and Athletic Facility, Joe Albi Stadium, USPS Building, Spokane Airport parking lot and car rental building, Spokane Falls and Spokane Community College science, music, and library buildings, Mukogowa University, Spokane Convention Center, Spokane Trade Center, Spokane Inter Modal Building, Spokane Combined Emergency Building, several Walmarts and Shopco developments, Cyrus O’Leary Pies plant, BF Goodrich tire and brakes plant, and a multi theater building. I worked with electrical, plumbing, and other technical city employees and private contractors. I also inspected many major housing developments from the ground to finished product under city permit. I also did concrete intersection inspection and bridge deck refurbishing inspecting. I also inspected drainage ponds, swales, and park trails/paths in sensitive wetland areas and archeological sites. I also inspected major trunk sewer and storm lines that required pump stations. I worked full time, 40-80 hours per week and on emergency call and started at $19.25 per hour and ended at $32.50 per hour.

2014: Cryptocurrency Producer, self-employed. I produce cryptocurrencies from equipment that I build and program myself. I am not selling what I produce and hoarding cryptocurrency to have ownership rights of their blockchains that will be the next computer technology advancement to create new software programs and to store data securely that is slowly being developed as more people learn how to program the blockchain to replace personal computers. I am in this group learning new programming language to write my own software programs to run in my own blockchain.

2016: Futures Commodity Trader, self-employed. I have traded the futures market since 1979 part time during the non-construction months when work was light and freezing temperature stops work. I now can trade full time and my broker is RJ O’Brien in Chicago. .

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