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Storage Wars: Canada: Interview with Rick Coffill

November 10, 2014
He is a blue-collar worker who bears the soul of an adventurer.

Rick Coffill The Veterans from Storage Wars: Canada
Rick Coffill


OLN`s reality television series Storage Wars: Canada star Rick Coffill is the backbone of the “The Veterans” team. His hunger to find treasures welded with his sensibility to not overpay for a storage unit catapults him as a formidable competitor. Beneath his rock `n` roll persona you’ll discover a man who embraces hard work and thrives on adventure.

Rick took time out of his hectic schedule to answer a few questions for iBid4Storage.


Rick Coffill Interview


Q. What was life like growing up in Toronto, Canada?

A. I grew up very quickly. I have 8 siblings and money was always tight. But even back then I had an entrepreneurial spirit. I was making money before I was finished playing with toys.

By the time I was 14, I had 6 neighbour kids working for me. They shoveled driveways in the winter. They cut grass in the summer. Year round they collected pop and beer bottles for the returns.


Q. Who was the greatest influence in your life growing up?

A. I think that my father influenced me the most as he was always his own boss. Although he was not always successful in his endeavors, he wasn`t going to make someone else rich with his efforts.

Q. What was your childhood dream?

A. Of traveling and never having to worry about anything.

Q. After you graduated you skipped college and hitchhiked across Canada. Tell us about your adventures.

A. I hitchhiked across Canada a total of 8 times taking on just about any work that was available.

I cut wood, filled temp positions in factories, worked on farms contracting labour door-to-door sales, picking fruit and vegetables, etc. I learned a lot of trades and experienced a lot of life.

The travel was the most important thing to me - seeing the country and meeting the people.

My second trip I was in Saskatchewan and hadn’t seen a car in several hours when a pickup truck stopped. There were 3 men in the cab and 4 men in the back.

My instincts were to refuse the lift and make up an excuse, but that might insult them and could end bad for me; but on the other hand they might just get me a little farther down the road. I got in the back of the truck and was soon going down the Trans Canada Highway talking and having a good time.

Without warning the truck pulled into a wheat field where I was dragged out of the truck and severely beaten by 7 men for no reason that I could fathom.

I woke up in a Regina hospital with multiple broken bones along with many other injuries. An elderly couple had found me and brought me there. After that, I stayed with that couple until I could continue my travels.

The couple had gone back to where they found me and collected what was left of my belongings. They drove me to Alberta with a few bucks in my pocket. I couldn`t thank them enough.

I was on my way. I spent a lot of time hiking alone in the Rocky Mountains for more than a month at a time. Just living off the land I encountered all sorts of wildlife, some more scary than others, but wouldn`t trade it for anything.

Although I love the colourful cities on the east coast and the sheer majesty of the west; I always find myself back in Ontario where I get to settle down, for a while anyway.


Q. You also hitchhiked across America. Tell us about that adventure.

A. I hitchhiked across the USA from California to Florida. It was a totally a different trip altogether. The terrain was so diverse - wild, dessert, mesa gorges forever, the plains that go on and on, swamps and forests.

The people were the most fun. I always had long hair, so this became a constant hindrance. Most towns I would be welcomed, given work readily, stayed with good people who were just as curious about a Canadian traveler as I was about Americans.


Q. What type of factory work did you do once you settled after your travels?

A. I made fortune cookies at Wise Food products, but the smell drove me out after only 6 weeks on the job. (You wouldn`t eat them if you only knew what I know.) I also worked at Canada packers cutting the heads off live chickens. I endured that for only a month.

Thankfully I secured another job in a factory making clothes dryer vents. Very monotonous. There were scores of other factory jobs, none lasted long enough to document outside of printing which lasted 9 years in the union. I took several George Brown college courses and earned a handful of promotions.

Some call it stable or settled; I call it an anchor.
I worked the continental shift. At that time, at least part of it, I was with my second wife and a young son Lee. The marriage didn`t last and I was soon on the road again. I made my way back to British Columbia where I landed a job at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort.

I built bridges over the Fraser River gorge to connect the golf course. After I finished all that was required of me there, I went to the Alberta north to work for a seismic company. I was `stomping jugs` which were explosive charges that were used to test and search for oil. I worked 6 weeks on and took 2 weeks off.

I returned to Ontario after 2 years, at which time I got a job at another print shop. One more year and then back to the West coast. This time I made a bet with a friend and hitchhiked from Vancouver to ST. Johns, Newfoundland.

I put my feet in the Atlantic Ocean and hitchhiked back to Prince Rupert, British Columbia to put my feet in the Pacific Ocean within two week`s time – a very proud accomplishment.

I was in the west only one year this time and then back to Ontario. I managed to take a course in firearms repair and got a job at a magna plant producing power window regulators for various makes of cars.

I stood in one spot doing the same exact thing over and over 8 hours a day for more than a year. I thought that I had lost my mind. I met Cindy during this time and she unknowingly helped me get through that time.   

Q. How did you get into health care working with Alzheimer patients?

A. Cindy was working at a retirement home in Richmond Hill, Ontario at the time when I was working with a tent company. I would often meet her at the end of her day and sometimes help with larger functions. I assisted some of the seniors or just spent time with them.

I spent a little time with one gentleman, Orland Myers. I talked to him, although he couldn`t return the conversation due to his advanced condition. One day, several months later, I was waiting outside for Cindy. A caregiver came outside with Orland. He helped her with the trash. I said "How ya doing, Orland?" And he said, "Great. How are you Rick?"

Orland hadn`t spoken a word for three years.

I applied for a job and within a week I worked at the retirement home with Alzheimer and dementia residents.

I did my Personal Support
Worker training. I took lead hand, medication administration and wound care courses. Within two years I became the coordinator for the department. I took great care of all the seniors in my department. I showed them my utmost respect and offered them the dignity they deserve.

I helped seniors feet that they were still living in whatever part of their life that they still remembered. I was their husbands, sons, cousins, brothers, the doorman waiter at their favourite restaurant - Hell, I was even their father if that was who they wanted me to be.

For people that couldn`t remember their closest loved ones; I became that person they could call by any name and they knew that I would be there for them.

Gertrude Gross came to our home like a ball of fire. She could barely walk and she didn`t trust anyone to help her. Gertrude refused to speak to anyone without using extreme profanities.

I sat down in a chair right in front of her and talked to her and ignored everything she threw at me. I stayed with her for 9 hours until she finally had to go to the bathroom.

She insisted that I help her and from that moment on, my name came out of her mouth every time she needed anything. I had to get her up in the morning and put her to bed every night. She was 92 and bored. I taught her to knit, which she did constantly. The first thing she knitted was a scarf for me. I still have it.

Q. How old were you when you became a picker?

A. I made my first pick at a garage sale when I was 5 years old. I bought a ring for my mother`s birthday for 6 bucks and negotiated for a small brass box to put it in. The ring turned out to be gold. I cannot remember a time when I was not a picker. I have looked for things that I needed, or anything that I thought was interesting and picked just about anywhere.

Junk yards, farm dumps, yard sales, flea market auctions, garages basements, attics, burned down or abandoned houses, beaches with a metal detector, ventilation grates in the sidewalk and yes, even dumpster diving. There is nothing hard about treasure hunting when it is your passion.

I have to stop this interview for now because I spotted a chimney poking out from a cluster of trees on the way home and I can`t stop thinking about what may be hidden in there waiting for me to pick up.

(Interviewer laughs.)


Q. How did you get into storage auctions?

A. Number of years ago I saw an ad in the paper while searching items for sale (just looking for a bargain). I read that a local storage facility was having an auction of delinquent accounts.

I wondered why I didn`t know about this sort of thing already. I decided that this was a great way to up my game. I had an eye for antiques and knew quality when I saw it which made going to the auction a no-brainer. Cindy and I came out strong and quickly earned respect in the game. There weren`t a lot of players at the time, so good lockers were quite a bit cheaper than they are now as it seems that everyone wants in on it.


Storage Wars: Canada



Q. How did you get cast on the show?

A. See Cindy’s response.

Q. Cindy can bid like a runaway train - what goes through your mind when she just takes off like that?

A. I get upset. We set a cap for a reason and when she blows it and ignores me, I see our profit turn into a loss and I don`t like to throw money away without a good reason.

On the other hand, I don`t so much mind taking a locker for too much money if I`m taking it away from someone who is being a complete ass-h***.

Q. Describe your dream locker.

A. I don`t know what a dream locker will look like or what I would like to see from the door, because everyone else would see it too, and then the price would get too jacked up to make it worthwhile.

Q. What items have you found that you can turn into a profit the easiest and what items do you find are difficult to sell?

A. Tools, jewelry and electronics seem to be the easiest thing to move. Large furnishings and dishes are a hard sell.

Q. Describe your cast mates:

A.
Storage Wars Canada cast outside
Cast of Canada`s Storage Wars

Bogart
: Young and impressionable. Bogart is still learning the game.

Paul: He is an impulsive buyer with a keen eye for the worst lockers.

Don: I like Don a lot and respect him as an auctioneer and the good man that he is - a good ol’ country boy.

Roy: He is unpredictable and tries to throw you off with his one-liners. He sometimes gets my back up, but in the long run he isn’t a threat to anyone.

Ursula: She is a true newbie and is still trying to figure it out. I think she has the potential to become a serious buyer.

Cindy: She is a tiger at auction and will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Don`t get in her way when the door goes up.


Q. What surprised you most about working on a reality television series?

A. Is it a surprise that a large number of people want to talk to me, take my picture, be my friend, because I am on TV? No. I can understand that as it is to be expected. The biggest surprise is that this is really happening and that there is no turning back... And I don`t want to.

Q. Where did you get that badge you wear on the show and why do you wear it?

A. I have a picker brother-in-law in Las Vegas who found the badge while picking. He recognized me as a passionate treasure hunter and sent it to me. I wear it to show people that there is a treasure in every junk pile and I am the guy to find it.

Q. How would you describe the show?

A. I like the show. My opinion is that it is well put together. The whole crew do a fantastic job putting all of that footage together and showing all the cast in their appropriate light.

The cast was chosen well to set the stage for the perfect balance of drama, comedy and action needed to paint a great picture as well as to keep the audience watching.



Keep up with Rick through his social media accounts. Follow Cindy & Rick on Twitter @TheVeterensx2 or `Like` their Facebook Fan Page http://www.facebook.com/cindy.hayden.148. You can also shop on their online page http://www.facebook.com/UnforgettablesStoreTreasures.


Rick Coffill places his arm around Cindy Hayden
Rick & Cindy
Q. Cindy told us in her interview how you two met. What can you tell us about Cindy?

A. She is very caring, generous and loving. What can I say about Cindy? I love her.
 
Q. What was it like for your family and friends when they saw you on that first episode?

A. I`m pretty sure it was a big shock. I`m not sure how they felt, but suddenly I have a lot more of both (family and friends) than I ever imagined.

Q. What are your pet peeves?

A.
1. I can`t tolerate tardiness.
2. Time is important in life and wasting it is like taking life for granted.
3. Don`t make me wait.

Q. What are your hobbies?

A. Fishing, tinkering with engines, creating new ideas reading and enjoying a good cigar with a quality glass of scotch. But everyone knows that my favourite past time is hunting for treasure any way I can.

Q. What’s on your bucket list?

A. I am a recreational certified scuba diver and I would like to explore and seek treasure in the Caribbean Sea.

Q. What mottos do you live by?

A. Enjoy life the way you want and live life to its fullest.

Q. How would you like to be remembered?

A. If I am remembered - that would be enough.

Rick Coffil
Star Rick Coffill

He works hard for a living and is living hard for love and life.


Check your local listing on the OLN channel for times on episodes for Storage Wars: Canada.

What did you think of Rick`s interview?

Be sure to connect with us on Twitter @ibid4storage or Facebook.


Also


Paul Kenny`s Interview


Ursual Stolf`s Interview

Cindy Hayden`s Interview

Bogart Kenny`s Interview

Don Reinhart`s Interview


About the Author...
Chuck G. is a freelance blogger and celebrity interviewer based in Southern California. She`s quite the geek who likes to play arcade games and writes/produces short films. You may follow her on Twitter @chuckgwriter.

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