Clovis resident Langdon Brown says his niche is in sales

Everybody has a niche in life and Langdon Brown's is sales. The adopted father of three works 60 hours a week, loves working on cars, attending drag races and snow boarding and skiing with his family.

How did you come to live with your grandparents? My mom was kind of in and out. She kind of did her own thing. Maybe she wasn't ready to grow up. So my grandma and grandpa adopted my sister and me when I was young. My grandma and grandpa are the only parents I ever knew. My mom was around from time to time, but she always told me my dad was either in jail or dead. So I was out of contact with my dad's side of the family my whole life, until I was 28 years old.

How did you get in contact with them? My family searched for me for 26 years and finally found me in 2010 on Myspace. My wife called me at work and said she got a friend request from somebody saying he was my brother. She said, "You keep getting this message on Myspace from somebody in Baltimore, Md. They've left 10 different numbers they want you call." So I went home and made a phone call. Instantly they said, "You're our brother. You look just like our dad and we've been looking for you." It was unreal. They called me about a month later and said they were coming to visit. I was nervous. I didn't know what to think. But when they pulled up it was like we never missed a step. It was like we knew each other all along. It was awesome. My dad apologized for not being there for me growing up. I told him, "It is what it is. You're here now, so let's work on a relationship that will last forever."

What's some of the best advice your grandma gave you? When my wife and I found out she was pregnant, I said, "Babe this is me and you. There's no turning back." Roads get rocky and times get tough but I don't believe in divorce. We've had our trials though. I went to my grandma and she told me, "You better iron through that, don't nobody want her and don't nobody want you. Ya'll are right for each other." That being said, I told my wife, "Babe I'm sorry, is there anything I can do to make this right?" We never had to go as far as getting counseling. We just put everything towards God. We treat other as we want to be treated. You have to make mistakes to learn.

How did you get into sales? When I left school I delivered pizza for three and a half years, then worked on base cleaning buildings 12 hours a day. It wasn't working for me. I later got a job at a car wash and as a lot attendant at a car lot. I've always loved cars. I started out shuttling people home and I worked my way up to a sales position when one became available. I've finally found my niche in sales. I've been selling cars for five years now and it makes me happy. There's nothing else I'd rather do, but it's not for everyone. I have the kind of personality that can make a friend with anyone. You are going to have a bad month — it's a given. There's no way around it. You have to come back from it. You have to bounce back. You can't let yourself get in a slump.

Tell me why you left school. It's kind of embarrassing. I didn't graduate and I'm embarrassed about that. It's a consequence I have to deal with for the rest of my life. I was held back in the eighth grade, so my 10th grade year I moved to Georgia with my mom thinking I could get a fresh start where nobody knew me. But when I got there, I didn't have enough credits to be in 10th grade so they put me back in ninth. So I was the oldest person in ninth grade and it really bothered me. I did summer school trying to get extra credit but I couldn't make it work. I am currently working on getting my high school diploma. My wife is my biggest motivator and my grandma tells me "get it done."

— Compiled by CMI staff writer Tonjia Rolan