Merchant of the Orient: An Enterpreneur's Journey in Life

By Don Battles

Merchant of the OrientAn Entrepreneurs Journey in Life is a must-read for every aspiring entrepreneur who ever dreamed of becoming his or her own boss and the master of their destiny!

Thailand, what a wonderful place to live and do business. After 30 years of operating my own business in Thailand friends recommended that I write a book on doing business in Thailand. This books covers my business and personal life and during 30 years of living in 9 provinces in Thailand.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: May 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781483633190

Don Battles

Don Battles is a self-made businessman who was tired of working for wages in a boring environment. He graduated from Auburn University in Aerospace Engineering and went on to do graduate studies in Computer Science at the University of Miami. After the Apollo Program ended he sought a different course in life as an inventor. He made his way to the Orient in 1984, which was the beginning of a new life in Bangkok, Thailand. "His travels took him around the globe doing business and enjoying adventures on six continents." From 30 years in the orient, Don has met thousands of people as customers and business associates. These relationships and experiences are brought out in detail in this book. From love to heart breaks in the Orient this book gives you the insight into both business and love life in Thailand. The lovely sexy women in Bangkok are captivating and can easily take control of your life. It happened to Don a few times. Currently Don is a semi-retired Fish and Mexican Pepper Farmer and also a small café operator in Chiang Rai in the North of Thailand. This retreat from the corporate world in Bangkok and the Middle East is his last stop in life. This is a long way from the excitement of Bangkok and other Asian cities. Be prepared to escape from the normal side of life with this true, unvarnished tale of the author’s life and the people and instances he experienced that built him into the man he is today!

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Copyright © 2013 by Don Battles. 503750-BATT

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013907734

ISBN:   Softcover    978-1-4836-3317-6

ISBN:   Hardcover  978-1-4836-3318-3

ISBN:   Ebook         978-1-4836-3319-0

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Dedication

The inspiration to write this book came to me one day while I was living in Thailand and reflecting back upon my friends’ and business associates. As a result of discussions of my experiences with friends and associates, and countless stories told over cups of coffee and mugs of beer, the chapters started falling into place.

My experiences in the steel industry reflect a great deal of my feelings and motivation for writing this book. Those experiences occurred after I left the manned space-flight business at NASA.

I’m certain I have mentioned people in this book who would be quick to accuse me of defamation and/or slander, and who would also try to criticize, censure, and condemn me for attempting to set forth the truth. While lies and mistruths always need to be explained away or justified with excuses, the truth never needs to be defended. For those who are offended by the truth in this book, I offer my apology.

Finally, this book is ultimately dedicated to those who are in pursuit of an exciting life in business and motivated by focusing on a mission; mine was to become a Merchant of the Orient. It is to those select few that I dedicate this book.

Acknowledgments

Many people assisted me in the writing of this book, but I would especially like to thank the following:

Dick Verdier—Dick was my former boss at Kobe Steel, Midrex, and a customer at Siam Strip Mill in Thailand. Dick advised me on many aspects of my business. Encouraged me and helped me write this book.

Sid Silk—Sid was a former customer at Allied Steel and Wire in the United Kingdom and BHP in Australia and Westralian Sands. I helped Sid get a job at Nakorn Strip Mill Steel Plant, and he was my customer for refractory. Sid is truly a great professional who believes that people make the difference.

Richard Hare—Richard is a personal friend from Phuket who assisted me in almost every part of Don’s Mall operation, including financing.

Joachim Burgers—Joachim is a personal friend and was a customer at Siam Strip Mill in Thailand.

Martin Leamon-Martin has been a great friend and helper over the years and has taken a lot of the load off of me in Chiang Rai while I could write this book.

Finally, to all the numerous behind-the-scenes people who assisted me in compiling this book, I offer my sincere thanks.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

Chapter 2: The Next Big Move to Another Farm

Chapter 3: The End of World War II

Chapter 4: Another Move in 1948 and My First Step to Becoming an Entrepreneur

Chapter 5: A New Life in the U.S. Military

Chapter 6: Life in Anchorage

Chapter 7: Moving to California

Chapter 8: Starting College

Chapter 9: My Move to the Big University

Chapter 10: Life at the Big University

Chapter 11: Home for the Holidays

Chapter 12: Back to California Again

Chapter 13: Graduation from College

Chapter 14: Off to Work in Southern California

Chapter 15: Back to California Again

Chapter 16: Working at Vandenberg AFB

Chapter 17: Back to Cape Canaveral

Chapter 18: A Wonderful Wedding

Chapter 19: Back to California Again

Chapter 20: Work on the Apollo Program at the Marshall Space Flight Center

Chapter 21: Meeting President Kennedy at Cape Canaveral

Chapter 22: Back to the Marshall Space Flight Center and Life in Huntsville

Chapter 23: October 1962: My First Trip to Europe

Chapter 24: Back to the United States

Chapter 25: Edwards AFB Rocket Test Site, California

Chapter 26: Reassignment to Southern California, December 1964

Chapter 27: NASA’s Mississippi Test Facility (MTF)

Chapter 28: Off to Africa

Chapter 30: Working at Wyle Laboratories

Chapter 31: Off to Washington, D.C., for a Big Job Opportunity

Chapter 32: The Big Move to Atlanta, GA, July 1977

Chapter 33: My First Inventions and Commercialization, U.S. Patent 4229211

Chapter 34: Prototype Testing of My First Invention

Chapter 35: Legal Issues, Production, Marketing, and Sales of My Inventions

Chapter 36: My Second Invention, U.S. Patent 4582479

Chapter 37: International Marketing and Sales

Chapter 38: Trying to Sell in South America

Chapter 39: The Great Corporate Thief

Chapter 40: 1985: Thermetek, a New Company

Chapter 41: Starting a New Professional Life in 1987

Chapter 42: January 1988: My First Trip to India

Chapter 43: The New Zealand Connection

Chapter 44: A Big Personal Setback in Life

Chapter 45: Becoming an International Peddler for a Division of Kobe Steel, Japan

Chapter 46: Off to India Again

Chapter 47: A coup d’état in 1991

Chapter 48: Development of Thailand’s Steel Industry

Chapter 49: Social Set-Back in Bangkok

Chapter 50: Living and Working on the Eastern Gulf of Thailand

Chapter 51: Living a New Life in the Work-Fast Lane with Little Diversity

Chapter 52: Signing Out of Chonburi Province and Moving to the Island of Phuket

Chapter 53: The Beginning of Don’s Café and Market in Rawai on Phuket Island

Chapter 54: Food Manufacturing and Production for Don’s Foods

Chapter 55: The Beginning of Don’s Mall

Chapter 56: The Big Move to Don’s Mall

Chapter 57: The Powerful Tsunami that Hit Thailand on December 26, 2004

Chapter 58: Tsunami Relief Work

Chapter 59: Building Don’s Foods Factory in Bangkok

Chapter 60: Opening a Business on the Island of Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand

Chapter 61: Brother Earl has a Stroke in Samui

Chapter 62: Chiang Rai in the Far North of Thailand, January 2005

Chapter 63: Chiang Rai Operation at a Glance and History

Chapter 64: The China Connection

Chapter 65: Growing Jalapeño Peppers in China

Chapter 66: My First Chinese Pepper Crop

Chapter 67: Off to a New Chinese Venture in Shandong Province

Chapter 68: The Decision to Sell Don’s Mall

Chapter 69: The Greatest Party Ever in Phuket

Chapter 70: Business and Bangkok Riots

Chapter 71: Going to the U.S. with Nat

Chapter 72: Doing Business in Bangkok after the Last Riots

Chapter 73: Retirement in Chiang Rai, Thailand

Chapter 74: The New Life in Chiang Rai

Chapter 75: Summary and the Sunset of My Life

Introduction

Through the words in this book, I have tried to portray a life where standing still and meritocracy couldn’t be tolerated. As a businessman, I have always had a strong sense of the importance of freedom, free and fair trade, and the need for the private, capitalistic system of business. Government seems to cause more long-term harm than short-term good.

My experiences as an engineer eventually led me to a new and exciting life as a businessman. Not being a yes man, I was never satisfied dancing to someone else’s music.

I yearned to achieve and fulfill a lifetime dream of becoming a Merchant of the Orient and to live a life filled with excitement and challenges. There was never anymore a force of mediocrity.

From humble beginnings in a steel mill company house in Gadsden, Alabama, to military life and working as a NASA Aerospace Engineer for manned and unmanned space flight. Also, as an inventor of high-technology equipment for the iron and steel industry my work took me to six continents many different parts of the world. I later reached my dream of becoming a Merchant of the Orient, thanks to the encouragement of a man I met in Hawaii during the transition to Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands. Eddie Sullivan was doing a similar thing but living in Hawaii. He shared with me his wisdom: Go home, make a plan, and start working toward it. I followed his advice.

Living and working out of Bangkok, Thailand, for 30 years has been exciting and dynamic. There’s never been a dull moment. The territory I covered in my travels ranged from Alexandria, Egypt, the Middle East, and the Sub-Continent, to New Zealand and Europe.

I have taken the liberty to use direct quotes in my book from friends with whom I have worked and known during this period of time. Additionally, I have related truthful, personal experiences I have had with many of the people whose names I mention. Those people reserve the right to refute these quotes, but they are truthful and without personal regard.

I must say, however, that one of my major pitfalls in life was the fact that I sacrificed everything for my love of work. This surely was a mistake.

CHAPTER

1

Humble Beginnings

I was born in a steel mill company house owned by Gulf States Steel in Gadsden, Alabama, on May 16, 1934. I don’t remember much about life prior to 1940 except for an occasional trip with my Dad to the company commissary, where he would buy me an ice cream cone. I recall one time in particular when he had to work a double shift, and I wandered into the plant looking for him. The workers were scared to death I was going to get run over by a steel train, so they promptly took me to the company office where my mother was quickly contacted to pick me up.

A similar incident happened to me when I was about 5 years old. I went shopping with my Mom, and she somehow lost me or I lost her. It seemed I was forever wandering off the beaten path and the straight and narrow. Life has been like that ever since.

My Dad would sometimes take me to a Friday night steelworkers’ union meeting. I didn’t understand much about what was being discussed, but my Dad explained to me that if the plant owners would pay a decent salary to a man so he could take care of his family, there would be no need for the union.

I was probably 4-5 years old when I first saw a car—a black, noisy Ford ModelT that nearly frightened me to death.

In July 1940, my Dad moved our family out of the steel mill company house in Gadsden to the small and somewhat isolated countryside village of Tillison Bend, where we had no electricity or running water; of course, neither did anyone else. My brother and grandfather drove his horse and wagon over to move the few personal things we had, after which we all traveled together by horse and wagon to our new home. As our destination was approximately 15 miles away, the journey took several hours.

We never had enough money; the company store and the rent for the company house took all of what my Dad earned. We truly were victims of the old adage I owe my soul to the company store.

My first year in school began at Glencoe School in 1940. Fortunately, they had a dependable school bus that would pick us up and bring us home each day.

Early one morning in April that year, a huge tornado destroyed our dairy barn. My Mom and I were in the bedroom when it hit. She grabbed the bed mattress and pulled it over our heads and held on tight. The force of the winds ripped off a part of the roof and sucked out a lot of our furniture. We somehow managed to safely ride out the storm, but every new storm after that would find my Mom frightened to death for fear it would be another tornado.

My Dad somehow managed to acquire a 1932 Chevrolet coupe with a rumble seat in it. I recall how wonderful it was that my Dad now had transportation to get to and from work at the steel plant. He previously had had to walk or hitch-hike to get there.

My grandfather, who lived two miles away, had a battery-powered radio that he wouldn’t allow anyone to use much for fear the battery would die. We borrowed a mule and plows from my grandfather to start farming; needless to say, the poor mule worked a lot of overtime.

As truck farmers, we were soon selling produce to the country store. The ‘32 Chevy served us well with its spacious rumble seat and big front fenders, to which we would lash a bag of potatoes to one fender and a bog of onions to the other. The rumble seat would be loaded with greens, carrots, eggs, and milk. We would sometimes barter-trade eggs, chickens, and milk with the rolling store for salt, sugar, and other spices. Our family never had any money until we started selling to the country store.

This was truly the beginning of a new and wholesome life for our family. Living in the country, fishing, rabbit hunting, farming, and being able to grow our own food was a big plus. We were never hungry again after that. We had cows, hogs, and chickens. A cold-water well allowed my Mom to lower gallons of milk into the well to keep the milk cold and fresh.

Our first Christmas in the country was one I’ll always remember. My Dad bought small gifts for all of us and put them under a tree that actually had ornaments; it mattered little to us that the tree had no lights. This was also my first year to learn about the visits by Santa Clause. Although I’d been a good boy, I didn’t expect that Santa would leave additional gifts.

It snowed hard that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, blanketing the countryside in a magical kind of beauty. I recall my eyes being drawn to fresh rabbit tracks in the snow. That first Christmas seemed like the beginning of a new life for all of us, more so, though, for my parents than me. They had lived during the Great Depression that lasted from 1929 until 1939 and had reared and taken care of a family during that time with virtually nothing in the way of income.

On Sunday, December 7, 1941, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and the United States was thrown into World War II in the Pacific. We didn’t have a battery radio—let alone electricity—and didn’t hear about the bombing until we were on the school bus the next morning. My brother Earl and some of his friends left school that day to enlist in the U.S. Merchant Marines. They left home for basic training on January 2, 1942. This left me, my sister, father, and mother to tend the farm. Because I was still very young, my work contribution to the care of the farm was limited.

Seven days after the declaration of war against the Japanese, President Roosevelt met with Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, and agreed to enter the war in Europe. The entire country was now mobilizing for two wars—one in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic.

The war changed everyone and everything in life. The steel plant was hurriedly thrown into full production, and defense plants seemed to spring up overnight. My Dad had to work a lot of overtime that ultimately took time away from his family and farming but also helped us get ahead financially.

Rationing of gasoline, sugar, and many other items was implemented; the country was in full-force mobilization to conserve in order to supply things needed to fight the war. It didn’t make a lot of difference to us, though, as we had little money to buy things anyway. We learned to use our own sugar cane to reduce to syrup as a replacement for sugar. Fortunately, the gasoline allocation was enough for my Dad to get back and forth to work at the steel mill.

Going to school and studying at night using nothing but candles and lanterns for light was difficult. When we finally received electricity, it opened a new world for us. Although we had enough money to purchase a Frigidaire refrigerator, we continued to use a big saltbox for storing our pork. Our protein consisted mostly of chicken, fish, and some salted pork. Our big fish pond provided not only fresh fish, but also the fun of the thrill of the catch. Using worms and green grasshoppers for bait, I started thinking like a fish and could catch several in one day. Little did I know that many years later, this sport would become a very important part of my life.

The war moved along without us knowing much about it. We were too busy working the farm and just trying to make ends meet.

CHAPTER

2

The Next Big Move to Another Farm

In 1944, my Dad moved our family to Sand Mountain, a plateau area atop a mountain near the city of Boaz, AL, where most of his relatives lived. We soon settled into living in the community with my grandparents.

The soil at Sand Mountain was a sandy loam and suitable for farming. We continued to sharecrop but raised more corn, hay, cotton, and soybeans than vegetables. The vegetables we did grow were mostly for our own consumption and to stock a small produce stand that I operated on the side of the main highway.

When it was time for my Dad to change rented farmland, we moved again; this time, to a location approximately three miles away. We moved into a stand-alone house that was owned by a rich uncle who lived in the city. This house was in much better condition than the one we had last lived in. As sharecroppers, we had to share a fourth of the money earned from the things we grew with Uncle Sam.

There was no school bus in this area, so walking two miles to school in snow and rain was difficult, let alone very uncomfortable. To make matters worse, I didn’t like the school or the teachers. My thoughts were that if I graduated from college, all I could do was become a teacher, which I didn’t want to do. I managed to earn and save enough money to buy a set of roller skates and skated back and forth to school a lot. Although I didn’t like skating uphill, skating downhill sure was a lot of fun.

Money was scarce, and the farm work continued to be very difficult and demanding. With my sister in college and my brother at sea in the war, the work was left mostly to my Mom, my Dad, and me. Dad worked swing shifts at the steel plant and sometimes doubled back and worked two shifts without a break.

Getting up early each morning, rounding up and milking the cow, and feeding the pigs and chickens before heading off to school was a difficult and demanding routine for a boy my age. The monotonous practice of coming home from school and plowing until after dark seemed never-ending. Some morning, I also had to take a wagonload of cotton to the cotton gin to have it ginned and baled, then rush home to catch the school bus at 7:30.

During the summer, I built myself a watermelon stand on the side of the main highway. I was making reasonable money until one rainy day when a car skidded out of control into my stand. The force of the impact rolled the stand and me several times.

Although I wasn’t hurt, I sure thought I was. I could get up and walk around and had no broken bones, just a few cuts. The man who hit my stand was so thankful I wasn’t seriously injured that he bought all my melons.

This ended another chapter in my life of being an entrepreneur. Including the money paid for the damaged melons, plus what I had previously sold, I was delighted to discover I had enough money for a few movies and some ice cream.

Image4618.tif

Don, at age 14, wearing his Future Farmers of America Club Pin

While living on the farm, I was a member of the school Future Farmers of America (FFA) and had a project of raising a beef cow. This involved following recommendations of keeping good records on the amount and cost of feed, weight over time, and health condition. I also raised chickens in a special pen so they didn’t touch the ground. Both of these projects were successful, and I made good grades on them.

There otherwise was never any money for me. There was no such thing as a child’s allowance from his/her parents because poor sharecroppers simply didn’t have any money to spare.

CHAPTER

3

The End of World War II

In 1945, the war in Europe and Asia was drawing to a close. Rural Southern America had become industrialized with plants turning out war machinery and ammunition.

Living remotely, our communication with what was going on in the outside world was very limited. We sometimes heard stories in the barbershop or local stores about the war. We had no newspaper or radio. We did, however, have electricity.

One day, I remember drawing a can of gas to fill up the farm tractor when my Mom came rushing out the back door and excitedly yelled to me that the war was over. This was a prayer that was answered for the world. We could now look forward to my brother Earl coming home to return to high school along with many others who had left to serve their country.

I became what was called an assistant student high school football team manager and could go to the games and help bring water to the players on the sideline using a big bucket and one dipper during timeouts. I soon became the number one water boy for the team. Football was exciting, and watching the crowds and cheerleaders made it a lot of fun for me.

CHAPTER

4

Another Move in 1948 and My First Step to Becoming an Entrepreneur

After WWII ended and we moved off the farm, life opened up and became exciting for me. I was never satisfied with mediocrity and was always reaching for something beyond my grasp.

Little did I realize at the age of 16 that this was the beginning of a new life that would take me to the Korean War in the United States Air Force (USAF) and afterwards to a career as an aerospace engineer of both manned and unmanned space flight.

My rich Uncle Sam was a land baron who traded in land and also owned a large department store in town; he also owned a big house in the small town of Boaz. He had never been married and had no one to take care of him, so I went to live with him. It was now much easier for me to get to school, which was no more than a 20-minute walk across the small town.

By this time, my sister had finished two years of junior college. She moved out, married her high school sweetheart who had come home from the war, and they started a family.

I had decided I would never work on a farm again. Farm life was hard, and involved working in both extremely cold and very hot temperatures. The idea of living in a big city that had about 600 people seemed much more enjoyable to me, and the future started looking brighter.

I was always interested in the movies and Hollywood. At age 14, I was lucky enough to get a part-time job at a movie theatre, where I operated the projectors and the popcorn machine. The movies taught me to dream a lot about what life might be like off the top of the mountain.

The theatre owners also owned a soda fountain and sandwich shop adjacent to the theatre, where they allowed me to work part-time. Learning to cook in a fast-food place was a lot of fun, and my burgers and shakes soon earned reputations as the best.

The sandwich shop was also a good place for socializing with girls from the local high school. As was typical anywhere, the intelligent, good-looking girls didn’t like to socialize with anyone from a poor family, so the possibility of my meeting any of them was limited. This was a family-influence issue; parents feared their daughters might end up marrying into a life of poverty. Little did they know, however, that they didn’t have to worry about me; I wanted to see the world and become a Merchant of the Orient.

In 1949, my brother Earl came home from a long voyage at sea. One Saturday night, he got into a poker game in which he won a small jewelry and gift store. The store was located in the middle of town and didn’t really amount to much. Since he had to ship out to sea the very next morning, he gave the store keys to my Mom and told her to take over.

I soon started helping my Mom with this new venture. As there was virtually no store inventory and very little business, the first month’s total sales was only $80. Fortunately for us, we were able to get credit from suppliers in Birmingham, where the distribution houses were.

My love of music led me to proudly open Don’s Record Bar in the back of the store. This became a popular spot for young people to listen to music because there was no other source of music records in town. Thanks to the credit we were able to get from suppliers in Birmingham, my Mom and I started to turn this venture into a real business.

My Mom was very friendly and kind; a lot of people knew her from church. We introduced a quality line of tableware to the stock, including good china and silver. For weddings, customers would come and pick out a place setting as a wedding gift for the couple. Records were also selling well.

Time was marching on. At age 15, I was plagued by poor grades in school and endless days of waiting for my brother to come home from his long voyages at sea. His stories and international adventures continued to thrill me. It seemed he always had money when he came home and would give me $10 at each visit; this was a lot of