EDITOR'S NOTE: Face Time is a monthly feature profiling local business people in a first-person format.

A small farm in Moxee: A strong work ethic

ZILLAH -- I grew up in Moxee, in the East Valley area on a small farm out there and attended Moxee Elementary School. We went through everything from changing sprinklers to cleaning barns to feeding cows and horses.

By the time I got older, dad had sold the bigger farm and we grew up on about 5 acres -- just enough for a handful of cows and a couple of horses.

He worked construction and did farming on the side.

We played a lot of sports and did our chores. We worked hard and had a good work ethic. Dad was in the Marines for a few years. He toed the line, that's for sure. What I take from it now: You do your job and you do your best and you bust your butt to get it done.

High school: Baseball and girls

During high school, sports and girls were about the main hobbies. Once I got into high school, I mainly played baseball.

I was a third baseman and pitcher from Little League on up.

I graduated from East Valley High in 1979.

I never quite made it to college. I was accepted at WSU. I wanted to go up and play baseball. I blew out my shoulder pretty bad at the beginning of my senior year (of high school). I finished out my senior year, but I knew it wasn't there. I wasn't going pro.

I was going to head up to WSU, but my sister had just recently gotten married and his family, they owned lumber mills and they asked me to come on up and work in Julietta, Idaho, at the lumber mill (Gem State Lumber Co.) for the summer.

After school: Keeping all his fingers

I started out as a lumber stacker, then you go to a forklift driver. I spent five years at that lumber mill and worked my way up to millwright, then transferred from that mill to the White Swan Lumber Mill.

I got married in 1980, so I spent four years in Idaho.

I ended up with about 10 years in a lumber mill -- still got all my fingers -- that's my trophy out of that.

Not many guys come out of an old lumber mill with all their fingers.

A second business: From candles to trophies

I've always had a business on the side. I could never just sit still. I started at age 13 with the Candle Shack. I think that lasted probably until I was 18.

I did carbon dipped candles and ice cream cone candles. I made them then took them to the arts and crafts shows every weekend and sold candles.

While I was in Idaho, I learned taxidermy up on the Clearwater River and I started doing taxidermy on the side.

When I came back to Yakima, I opened Tony's Taxidermy in Union Gap.

I did taxidermy all together for about eight or nine years.

They eventually shut down the lumber mill in White Swan, so I went to Perry Tech for graphic arts.

After six months at Perry Tech, I went to work at Weyerhaeuser in Union Gap.

I spent 31/2 years basically running equipment and stacking boxes at Weyerhaeuser and went from Weyerhaeuser straight into Kaz Trophies.

Shifting gears: Trophies, security, working with inmates

Mom and dad bought Kaz Trophies in Yakima in 1982, and I worked there part-time while I was doing the other jobs. It was later moved to Union Gap.

Finally, it got too big. So, I quit Weyerhaeuser and went full-time with the trophy shop.

And from there, I opened up a store in Ellensburg and a store in Zillah.

I had three Kaz Trophies and then we had Vintage Valley Grill in Zillah as well.

Twelve years ago, I sold those companies.

After I sold the trophy shops, I started TSR Marketing. I started doing Web site design. I also starting managing Inter Tribal Sportswear in Toppenish.

I brought in embroidery machines and taught them silk screening and did that for about six years.

After six years, I ended up working security for a period of time.

From wearing a badge and doing security and from doing the T-shirt stuff, I ended up going to work for the Washington state Department of Corrections and running the correctional industries program out at Ahtanum View.

Basically, inmates came out to the shop. We had a lot of equipment and we did all the state contracts -- Lottery T-shirts, sheriff's hats, jackets and a lot of stuff for DOT.

Buying old property: Back in the trophy game

I bought this business back about two months ago. (The shop known today as TSR Sports in Zillah was once Kaz Trophies, then it was sold and renamed Mid-Valley Trophies. Reise recently bought it back.)

It's just basically a challenge. I didn't want to see something I started 12 years ago go under. Even though I didn't keep the Mid-Valley name, it was my little baby 12 years ago, so I didn't want it to die out.

So, now we're back in the trophy engraving business plus we do the T-Shirts, the embroidering and the vinyl signs. I'm here and I take it as a challenge to get this little trophy shop back going.

I brought mom and dad back out of retirement. They're helping out part-time. They were both kind of excited about it.

I like Zillah. That's why we're back in Zillah. It's a good little town with good people.

-- As told to Assistant City Editor Scott Mayes

Tony Reise

AGE: 48.

BUSINESS VENTURE: Owner of TSR Sports, specializing in trophies and custom T-shirts.

CONTACT: 509-930-3122 or www.tsrsports.com.

EDUCATION: Graduated from East Valley High School in 1979.

FAMILY: Two grown children, Bridget and Jared.