Woman who backed up oil patch gym worker gets job

WILLISTON, N.D. (AP) — A Florida woman who was waiting in line to take a shower at a fitness center in the North Dakota oil patch says she was offered a job at the gym when she scolded a man who refused to remove his dirty work boots.

Barbara Hylick, of Orlando, Fla., later found housing, a car and new friends through connections at work, and now she's making Williston her home.

"I knew with so many things falling into place for me that it was a confirmation I was supposed to be here," Hylick told The Forum (http://bit.ly/POWH5X ) in a story published Sunday.

Hylick, who came to North Dakota when a restaurant she managed in Florida closed, was living with a friend in a recreational vehicle and showering at the club. The practice is common in oil country, as the the housing market is tight and many people live in campers or vehicles.

The man in the line ahead of Hylick claimed his boots cost $700 and refused to leave them in the entryway. Hylick reportedly came to the aid of the gym employee behind the desk and told the man, "Take the boots off or leave."

The owner of Elite Fitness center offered Hylick a job on the spot — and made her a manager.

Within a month, Hylick found a two-bedroom, one-bathroom basement apartment to rent from someone who works at the gym. She later bought a car from a co-worker.

"I'm blessed, and I am surrounded by some of the greatest people on earth," Hylick said.

Hylick's 18-year-old daughter, Jacquelynn, came to North Dakota in June expecting to spend the summer and return to Florida. But she decided to stay and plans on enrolling at Williston State College.

"I've always really liked a smaller town because I get to know people faster," she said. "It's not as overwhelming as a big city."

Hylick hopes her husband, Charles, a truck driver in Florida, will join her in North Dakota, but so far he's been afraid of the cold weather.

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Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com

Tags: north dakota, oil patch, news