From airlines to hairlines, Unifi ready reserve agent shares his eclectic career journey

A barber, a bowler, and a ramp agent…no, it’s not the start of a joke, but they are all roles that Unifi’s Garrison Finkes embraces.

“I was 19, maybe 20, when I started working on the ramp at Oakland Airport and cleaning planes at night,” says Garrison, who joined Unifi, then DGS, 20 years ago.

“It [the job] was kind of a shock at first because instead of going out on weekends, I was cleaning flights Friday and Saturday nights,” says Garrison. “But I worked hard for four years, and it paid off – I was promoted twice – first to Lead and then Supervisor.”

By 2013, flight volume in Oakland began to slow, operations were downsized, and Garrison’s second career took off.

“I had been apprentice-barbering for years and got my barber license in 2009,” he says. “I went from working full-time at the airport to switching to part-time, and in 2015, I opened my barbershop.”

Garrison says the period when he was straddling aviation and running his barbershop was among his favorite years.  

“It was a great time in my life. I had my own business, working at the airport three nights a week, traveling a lot, and using my flight benefits,” he says.” It felt like my life aligned in many ways. I was even a little league coach! I took on everything and just stayed busy.”

But along with the rest of the world, everything came to a screeching halt with the arrival of the global pandemic.

“It hit travel, my barbershop business, and afterward, I had a tough time getting staff to return to the barbershop,” says Garrison, echoing a challenge many businesses faced. “So, when the lease was up, I decided to close after a great nine years.”

Garrison says he still cuts hair but without the pressures of running his own business. He also continues working for Unifi as a Ready Reserve agent, primarily serving charter flights.

“Twenty years have flown by, and I’m just enjoying myself right now; I’m enjoying doing the charter flights, especially the sports charters,” says Garrison. “I feel like I have the best of both worlds now – I get to cut hair, work at the airport, and have time for hobbies and other interests.”

Those “other interests” include caring for his animals – Garrison has two cats, one dog, a parrot, and two horses. He also has ambitions to become a professional bowler.

“I want to be pro-bowler,” Garrison says with enthusiasm. “I have a great average. I don’t know if I’ll be able to win, but being a pro bowler is a big goal, and I use flight benefits now to travel and bowl in tournaments. I’ve been to New Orleans and Las Vegas.”

Garrison says after 20 years, the travel industry still calls to him.

“I love Unifi since it took over. The company is more organized, and I love Work Jam [employee mobile app],” says Garrison.

“I just see how much more hands-on they are with operations, and my boss is awesome. The company just feels a lot more awake. I am super happy with how Unifi is doing with everything.”