Rick Badillo’s fascination with the U.S. Navy began at an early
age.
Morgan Hill – Rick Badillo’s fascination with the U.S. Navy began at an early age.
Growing up in Texas, he loved watching old war movies with his dad, such as “Midway” and “In Harm’s Way.”
He also had a strong penchant for reading books on the Navy and memorizing the oddest details, such as how many eggs it took to feed the crew aboard an aircraft carrier.
In 1987, Badillo – a Morgan Hill resident – signed up for the Navy Reserve with gusto.
“I was excited, gung-ho,” he said, adding he used volunteer for “dirty jobs” no one else wanted. Eventually, his commanding officers would say “Get someone other than Badillo to do the job,” he said.
Now, once again, Badillo is asking for more work, only this time as a civilian.
The Navy petty officer last month returned home from 10 months of active duty in Kuwait, and hopes now to get his small Morgan Hill construction business up and running again.
But the trouble is, he’s losing his lease at 95 E Third St. later this month, after paying $8,000 in rent since deploying last August to keep the warehouse.
“I’m not upset, I just wish I had known,” he said, referring to the money he lost keeping his business in mothballs while overseas.
The reason Badillo is being booted has to do with the property changing hands. Currently, he shares the building with Bargain Hunters, which stands to be displaced by Book Smart when it moves from Monterey Road this fall.
Badillo said he didn’t know if Bargain Hunters plans to take over his spot, but in any case, he said his landlord has made it clear he wants a retail business to move into the spacious warehouse.
Part of the reason, Badillo suspects, is the City of Morgan Hill’s ambitious plans for transforming Third Street into a pedestrian promenade that would also serve as an upscale urban shopping area.
But the only thing Badillo knows for sure is he must move out by July 15.
It may be just as well.
Badillo’s business, Badillo & Sons, is struggling at the moment, and losing the overhead of the Third Street warehouse may be a silver lining.
At its height, Badillo & Sons employed 12 workers, all of whom were laid off when Badillo shipped out last summer.
Now working alone, Badillo is struggling to get things running again, picking up small jobs one by one and working out of his garage. He said he is skilled in small repairs, additions, remodels and concrete work.
His military pay won’t cover the bills for long, he said. As a reservist, he gets paid for serving one weekend a month and two weeks a year.
Beyond that, he must rely on his craftsmanship to support his wife and two young children.
“We’re OK right now,” he said, adding that he hopes word of mouth starts bringing him new customers soon.
Badillo’s service in Kuwait was not his first in the Middle East. During the Gulf War, he served in Iraq. He can be reached for contracting jobs at (408) 776-9900.
