I had a meeting – my first scheduled walking meeting. The organizer just wrote, “Walk at 10:30 AM – Freedom Park.” No written agenda, no coffee served, no “death by PowerPoint,” just fresh air, exercise, and conversation.
Work
The Perfect Person for the Simplest Job Is You
Can something like delivering bread be the key to business success? You bet! Sometimes, you may be just the person to do the simplest job. Case in point. Even though every customer was important, it was always special when I got an appointment with the president of my largest distributor customer. Those meetings could turn to gold – overnight. That day, Howard, Jr. was giving me his complete attention, at least until his phone rang …
When Rules Go Bad
Business was old school in 1963 … no calculators, no computers, no cell phones. Always at-the-ready was my monthly planner and my P&G mechanical pencil. The planner was for appointments, phone numbers…the pencil was for …well, you know what it was for. With no laptops or smart phones, we carried a Fact Book to organize everything. Think of it as a primitive Google ..
Paradigms Matter
I wanted a forever home, a spot in the community, not just a seat on a plane. I wanted to control my life and have time for my wife and children – to attend school, religious, scouting and sports events. I wanted them to grow up in the same house and not move every few years, the way I had as a child. All of these thoughts made Charlotte the ideal location for our final move.
Chasing the American Dream.
From Coal Mines of Illinois to Gold in Alaska (almost).
Armed with only a grammar school education my father was off to Alaska to find Gold, leaving his parents, sister and brother behind. Bold for any boy of only 17.