Damir Ljubovic

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Our guest today grew up in Baltimore, Bosnia and Sarajevo and moved to America in 1995 as a refugee of the civil War. Starting over in America, he moved to Arizona in 2002 and in 2014 chased the American dream by starting his own business alongside his wife while raising three children. Today, he continues to operate 365 Mechanical, but considers the success of his children to be his greatest accomplishment. The Please welcome Demir Lobovich.

Hey, you got the name right. Look at that.

Well, I don't think you should be the judge of that. Actually. I don't know that I got the name right.

Did she get it right?

It's perfect.

Ah, see, there we go. Fantastic. Well, thank you for being here. Sorry that Sarah's here with you today, but that's what you get when you come to this little podcast show, so you're in for it today. You ready?

Thank you for having me here.

All right, well, let's start with what.

We call rapid fire. Okay. Would you rather host a party for all of your friends or enjoy a dinner for two?

Dinner for two, definitely.

Okay, here's one. Star wars or Star Trek?

Star Wars.

Cool.

Favorite color?

Blue.

This is gonna be an interesting one. Winter or summer?

Oh, summer all the time.

See, he's just thinking the money, raining the money. Come on.

I love cold. I love hot weather.

Okay, here we go.

What did your mom call you as a kid?

Son.

Wasn't like, hey, you or get the.

No, no, no. It was just son or by my name. Didn't have any special.

Okay. Favorite holiday?

Oh, definitely Christmas.

Good job.

There we go.

Would you ever bungee jump?

No.

Okay. In your teen years, long time ago, what was your favorite movie?

Mad Max 2.

Hey, I'm right there with him, so.

I don't know what to talk about.

Sarah, what is one thing you wish you enjoyed more?

Definitely Time spending with my family.

Okay.

And golf. Okay.

No family.

Okay.

Yeah. See, she's putting words in your mouth. Last question. Here we go. Glass half full or half empty?

Half full.

Nice.

All right, say Star wars one more time.

Star Wars.

I love it. That's awesome.

She's gonna have you be her ringtone voice for stuff like that now.

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That's 480-848-30378. All right, let's go back to the beginning days. Let's talk about childhood. What was that like?

It was actually very, very happy childhood. I just wish them that my kids and probably from what I hear from my American friends, people same age as me, all the kids had the same childhood. It was very, very handy, happy, no worries. You know, I would literally, you know, my mom would, my parents would let me go out play and they didn't have to worry about stuff that we worry today. Yeah. So I just wish that my kids or our kids would have a 50% of, you know, really that worry free childhood and being a child enjoying childhood.

So it wasn't a bunch of your mom saying, son, get outside and play. It was just free to go?

No, no. As a matter of fact, it was opposite. Like she had a problem and just not my mom. But all parents like getting us back in the house because we really enjoyed playing outside. And we lived in a neighborhood that was somewhat different than here in America. It was typical urban area, you know, big building. We had over 100 apartments and ton of kids and same age. So we would play a football or like we say here in America, soccer. And just what a free childhood that was.

Did you have siblings?

No, unfortunately I don't have any siblings. It's just me.

I'm in the only child club too. It's a great club.

It didn't work. My parents tried, but my mom had a couple of very, very difficult miscarriages and they decided not to do anything. And here I am by myself.

One is all I needed, I guess. There you go.

I guess. I don't know.

Okay, so let's go to mile a little bit longer. Like high school age. What was that like for you guys again?

You know, everything, everything boils down to this. I would Call that true freedom. We didn't have a buses. My school was probably like 15, 20 minutes away. So a bunch of kids, you know, walking to school. And I remember when I grew up, we had a true four seasons. So even winter, I remember going to school with the snow up to our knees and like, you were first in the morning, trying to make a path for everybody else. But it was really, really happy time in my life. And not just my life, I mean, everybody's life. We really, looking back, you know what kind of childhood that was. I would just wish everybody to experience the same thing.

What about things you did in school? Were you like, in sports? Did you do basketball?

Was my thing always. I mean, I know Europe is really big with. With the soccer, but basketball was always my thing. And generally speaking, society itself pushed that really big time. So in our neighborhood, they built like these basketball field, soccer field or handball field, which we mainly used for. But it was constant. You go to school, come back home, you do the homework out, just out with your friends. It was constantly out. I mean, you know, earlier I talked a little bit of my childhood, but my mom would call me, just, hey. Or she would actually bring me some sandwich. That was it. You just go on and play with your friends. But the sport was really a big part of my life.

Do you have any teachers or coaches that you think back on that, like, were instrumental in the growth of your life back then, like inspiring you and mentoring you?

Well, I mean, I remember a couple of them and something that I'm taking, I guess, for rest of my life with me. One of them was not necessarily that he influenced me, but there was something that our history professor said. I think I was in the sixth grade in elementary school. And he told us something that kids remember that any war was, is and it will be it. Just because somebody's trying to gain something. It might be called civil war, it might be world war, might be this war, religious war. But everything boils down to. And now, you know, just throughout my 50, 40 years of my life, like, everything. I kind of see through that he's taught that he's saying. And the second one, believe it or not, I was really bad with the math. This was in high school. I didn't like the math. It's just. I don't know, it wasn't my thing. But everything else was. Let's say I had A's or B's, but the math was like strictly D. D, like just enough to. And ironically enough, he was my favorite teacher in high school because he told me at the very beginning, I can tell you're not stupid because you're other grades. You're just lazy. You don't want to. And I was honest with him. Like, I am so sorry, but this is not my thing.

And I find your class to be an inconvenience. Is that what you said?

You know, it's not that really. It wasn't everything. I really enjoyed geometry. And our high schools are set up different way or at least when I was in school, because our high school is a trade school. So I was following my dad's steps who was economist. So high school was just like teaching all the kids at least the school food economy that I was attending. We had three different types of math. So it was something what everybody has. But back in like 80s, I knew how to convert American standards to metric systems. So I guess it helped. I like that a lot. But all those calculus and wasn't my thing.

All right, so now we're going to 95.

Okay.

And so we're talking about the Civil War time when you guys escaped. Talk about that a little bit.

Too many people. This might come like, I don't know, strange maybe statement. But as much as this experience. Three years of war was extreme situation in anybody's life, right? Just witnessing pretty much killing and dying on a daily basis. It was absolutely huge experience how I perceived the life. And I think pretty much that's more or less a human nature, ironically enough. Not that we necessarily have to experience some hardship, but I guess teaches us about life. So me living in that three years in that really mess and experiencing something that I don't want anybody to experience. 95, I'm moving to United States and I literally. My story is a typical. That immigrant story that I show up here with my mom because my dad was killed in a war. Water. We had some suitcases with us. And at that time my family lived in Cleveland and came here as a refugee. I didn't even have a green card. I promise I was here legally, but we had, I don't know, permission to stay here and work. And that's all I needed. Just like another shot in life to start do something with my life. So first seven years we lived in Cleveland and I think maybe third week of me being in America, I was already working. Rolled up my sleeves and, you know, started working.

Can we. I'm really curious and I'm gonna just ask that you excuse my ignorance. But how do you. If you go back to the moment, how do you find the opportunity to come To America. And what are those? What are you processing amongst, I'm sure grief with the loss of your dad and it's just you and your mom. What does that look like for you during that time?

But I actually told this story to my kids so many times and this was probably breaking point in my life. So I have a family who lives in Ohio, right. I think they moved like 70s, 80s, so now going back to war. This was late or early the mid-90s. And at that time I was 22 years old, 23. And I was very, very upset and very mad that we are on the kind of verge of 21st century and we have this biggest war in Europe since World War II. And while rest of the world is, you know, thinking about bigger and better things were just kind of live in a cave age, right? So December 31, 1994, that's a new Year's Eve, right? I was laying in my bed, it was probably around 10 o' clock and crying. And the reason I was crying because we didn't have electricity, we didn't have a water. And like rest of the world is celebrating and we live in a cave age. And I told myself that I was basically ready to put everything on, you know, in a gamble, everything. If I have to die, I'll die. But I don't have, I won't live like this anymore. So at that point I contacted my family in the United States, in Cleveland, and they obviously decided to help me out and be my sponsors to move to United States. So they sent me papers and I just decided, like I said, to gamble everything and take a chance. And it was. I don't think we have enough time for me to tell you about that night that I basically escaped my country. But it was very, very, very dangerous. Not one, but multiple situations. But you know what they say, if you don't gamble, if you don't risk, there's no rewards in life. And you know, it worked. I just waited a couple of weeks for my mom because she was old enough that she can leave the town. The reason I had to escape was because I was still young, you know, I could be a soldier and use me. And I just didn't want to, didn't want to participate in that nonsense in that war. So yeah, that said, it was simply I made the decision basically overnight. I'm leaving everything behind because I truly did see myself to start my life from zero, then stay behind. And you know what, it turns out that it was actually a really good decision. I mean, here we are probably 30 years later, I mean, there's no war, but countries economically devastated. And many, many, many young people, even after me, just left the country looking for better, better life. So I found mine.

Did your mom know of your plan?

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Do you remember what she was feeling during that time?

She was scared. She was super scared because she knew, like I said, it's a really long story what had to take place that night. But. But she was basically my biggest encouragement as any parent that wants to push you out of that hell on earth. And that evening or that night, she was just waiting for me next morning to call to say, hey, I made it. I'm out here. And it was a huge relief. But, yeah, she knew. And she's the one who kind of encouraged me and pushed me even more.

Amazing. Okay, well, now let's jump back to the U.S. here you said you got work right away, like three weeks. Here you're working. What were you doing?

Well, I actually found a job in machine shop. It was, you know, as you probably know, Northeast after World War II is the big time automobile industry and the steel mills. So there's actually large communities in the northeast of people from Eastern Europe, you know, that immigrated after World War II, but especially now after this war that we experienced. So there was a job available. Like I said, my family waited for me. So my cousin's husband, he helped me get the job. And I mean, my first job was extremely, I wouldn't say difficult, but it was a heavy labor. You know, I had to do cut some steel and it's big, big heavy steel bars. And. And then, you know, I was just watching other guys working on, on the machines and I'm like, I think I can do that. And then I asked the owner and everything naturally progressed. And probably three years later I was working on these CNC computer numeric control machines. And I don't know, the one thing that I'm also teaching my kids and generally speaking with people, the success comes from struggle. As long as I'm healthy, I don't have problems in life or my family is healthy. So the way I feel, I always say that as a joke. I probably couldn't be a space shuttle pilot, but the way I feel, I can do everything. So in Cleveland, I was just. I wouldn't say jump. I had only three jobs in those seven years, but every time it was like something bigger and better. Interestingly enough, first job was, I would say 150 people work in this machine shop, really big. And I was making a decent money. But the One thing that I really didn't like most of people was speaking my native language and I didn't speak any English. So I realized that in order for me to succeed and be more successful in this country, I have to speak English. I have to learn English. So I literally took a pay cut. I think six, seven dollars left that place. But just to work with people that they just speak English. At that time I was still single and I don't know, I consider myself low maintenance. I don't need a whole lot, so money was fine, but my goal was just to learn English and many doors will open up for me. And that's actually exactly what happened. So, yeah, that's what I was doing for seven years in Cleveland. And then I moved 2002 to Arizona.

What, what drove you to Arizona?

Well, my, my wife lived down here in, in Phoenix. And like I said, there's, there's large communities of these Eastern European nations. So she has a lot of family in Cleveland. That's where we met, fell in love and decided to get married. And I'm like, okay, I'm coming down to, to meet my in laws. And I think it was either October or November, Northeast, like cold, snow, rain. And I show up down here, it's beautiful, warm. I'm like, I want to live here. You asked me earlier do I like cold or summer or winter? Summer all the time. So we're moving. It took a few years, but 2002, we finally pulled the trigger and moved down here.

Okay, all right. And so when you get down here, what are you doing?

Well, I was good with what I was doing, you know, a machine shop, working on these CNC machines. And I was looking for, at that time, 2002, economy wasn't great and basically because of my father in law, he was also in the same industry, but he's the one who probably gave me one of the best advices in life. He asked me if I'm ready to go to school a little bit. But air conditioning is the thing here in Arizona. It's like unlimited source of work. So I decided to switch and just graduated from the local school, found the first job and again worked my way up from like a, you know, lowest paying guy down on the bottom. And I guess here we are, 20 plus years later, I own my company.

Yeah, it strikes me that you're not afraid of hard work and you have an intrinsic ambition you're not willing to give up. And I'm curious where along the way, where does that come from?

But I would again, I Would say it boils down to this hardship, right. Once nobody wants to go back, I just am like a very. Not necessarily sad or angry, but like everything what's going on in our society these days, it makes me wonder how come people don't see how beautiful this place is. Because once again, success comes from struggle. And they call this country land of opportunities. Long time ago, but I think today is even more land of opportunities. Because somehow mankind evolved in this, I don't know, not necessarily lazy, but you know, I guess to answer your question, where it comes from is just I don't want to go back. I don't want to go back to the way I lived. And the reality is that nobody moved to this country because you left something better behind. Everybody moves to America because you left something that is not so good, not so pretty for whatever economical or political reasons. So then when you just move here is like all you see are opportunities all over the place. And especially, especially when it comes to roll up your sleeves and work hard. I mean opportunities to me are limitless. So it just didn't want to go back to what I was experiencing before I moved here. So. And I guess, you know, I want to show my kids, give them be a good example. Nothing's too difficult. Nothing's too hard. So just if you keep working hard, you'll be fine.

Yeah. All right, so. 365 mechanical.

Yes.

How did that get started? Where did that come from? And tell me the journey on that.

You know, but I mean again boils down to what we're talking about my ambition. So prior to starting company, I was, I wouldn't see entirely running the company that I work for, but I was a major part of that, their success. And you know, we had a. Some disagreement or whatever and I didn't see eye to eye and I decided to start my own company. So it made me basically, excuse me, dealing with the customers. I realized how much they appreciate what I was doing for them. And it just made me believe that I can do it. Dealing with other contractors and other companies that they were not doing so good. I just told myself I think I can do a lot better than this. And I decided again to gamble. I'm a very confident person. Like if I put my mind to something and I'll make it happen. And I had a huge support by my wife and the kids. They believed in me and that's all I needed. And honestly, it just really didn't take a whole lot for customers to call me once they find out. And here we are 10 years later, we're still in business.

Yeah. So for those listening, they probably heard that you were doing air conditioning work and stuff like that. Explain what 365 mechanical does.

Well, 365 mechanical is commercial and residential. Primarily commercial. We're trying to make some move on residential field as well. But from the very beginning I was very fortunate to get involved in a very unique type of industry which is they call that critical environment air conditioning. Phoenix is very, very a popular spot in the United States for data centers and computer rooms because of our climate here. So I was very fortunate to get involved in that. So most of our business is in that world. But yeah, we do commercial as well and helping customers with their AC needs.

So I want to reflect on your journey a little bit because along the way there's people who obviously stand out. I would assume your family in Ohio were pivotal in your life. It sounds like your in laws. Are there other people along the way who stand out as really influencing your journey or your success today?

I mean many people really. It's too many to name but I would single out my best friend Marty's husband Rick Tom Leonovic, who was instrumental in. I always need a validation for my thoughts because I'm a really good with my hands. But when it comes to running business, not. Not so much or at least initially. And that's what his role was very instrumental to continue and. And not fail. Usually all businesses fail first three, three to five years. Right. But in guiding me in. In the running the business and making right business decisions. So it was very important to me and even today his guidance and friendship means a lot. So it was absolutely instrumental to be where I am today.

That's good. Well, okay, great. So where are you going now? I mean if you think about the future, what's the future look like for 365 mechanical and you for that matter?

Well, right now, you know, we have seven employees. And honestly like I mentioned before, I have, I wouldn't say low expectations, but I'm a very low maintenance guy. What I would like to take this company is I would like to. Can't remember what was that musician's name but when he started his band he said something like I would like to make a Disneyland for my band. So I would. Being somebody who was born and raised in Europe and seeing like a little bit different things, how workers kind of enjoy their benefits, I would like to create place like that. That's honestly what I'm going with this that you know, being probably 10 to 12, maybe 15 employees. And having these guys stick around, you know, with me till the end and enjoying. I want people that they work for 365 to wake up every morning and go happy to work. Because I tell everybody that they don't have to work for me, I don't have to employ them. But we all have a bills to pay, so why not make this like something that is really enjoyable? So I'm going a above and beyond. It's not my thing to say. Probably they should tell you more about these things, but to make them welcome to Waterford365 Mechanical. And just recently I had a brief conversation with one of our customers that basically they did some. A short video for us and we happened to do prior to that some work for them. So this was, I promise you guys, really spontaneous. It wasn't fixed. But she asked me, how would you describe 365 mechanical in one word, right. Or one sentence? And I was thinking about that for a second and then I remember her expression, like happy face on that, you know, in the customer's face when we finished. Like, how happy she was. I'm like, that's 365 mechanical. As long as I guess I can spread a little bit happiness, even if it's air conditioning, my mission is accomplished.

Yeah, that's great.

Tamir, I'm curious. What is it that you hope your kids know about you and your legacy?

I believe that every person carries with them something, a thought or sentence or growing up that there's something they heard or advice from their parents. And one of those things was from my dad, who basically told me once that the most difficult thing to be in life is to be a good human being. So I would like my kids to remember me as a good human being. 2018 when we. It was the first time I took my kids back home where I came from and we were visiting my father's grave and they actually asked me. I wasn't crying or I wasn't emotional, like, you know, they asked me, dad, are you sad? And I said it just a little bit. But I'm more overwhelmed with the sense of like a pride, like who I became. And it was because of my parents. So what I would like my kids one day, you know, that for them to say the same thing. I'm very, very happy. I'm glad who my father was. So that's what I would like my legacy to be.

That's cool.

I love that.

Yeah, I like that. Well, this has been a great conversation. Thank you for sharing your story with us and kind of the journey that you've been on and a lot of the people that have been in your life along the way, it's been really interesting to learn.

Well, thank you for having me. I hope I'm, I don't know, made somebody's day a little bit better.

So I think you have. And I also think that we have a lot to learn from you. So grateful for your time.

No problem. Thank you. Anytime. Indeed.

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