It is with a great deal of thought and careful consideration that I am thinking this may be my last story. I have enjoyed being back in this game and offering perspective. The strong, positive responses to my stories and articles is making this decision that much more difficult.
First, let me apologize to anyone who felt I took personal aim at them in my articles. That was never my intent. I always tried to offer something fun to read, but occasionally, usually in a moment of levity, I apparently offended a few people. I’m sincerely sorry. I do at times offer opinions that may not be in alignment with those of other people. But, that is how this country and this industry has always worked. We disagree on issues. It isn’t personal. When we lose the ability to have differing opinions and still work together for the greater good, then we have lost this industry. As with all endeavors, trying to silence those who don’t go along with every position will lead to stagnation as an industry and as a culture. After all of the discussion on a topic is done and the majority has spoken, we have a duty to support the decisions and assist in the implementation of plans and goals. But supporting decisions does not mean that all discussion must cease, nor should it. In fact, it is our passion for the industry that compels us to speak our minds, because we are a part of this great and wonderful group. I have always held a great passion for this industry. I have been on all sides of it and have generally referred to my experience in this industry as “having it surrounded.” I will take strong exception to anyone claiming that I don’t have the industry’s best interest at heart or that I don’t understand the position of component manufacturers. I HAVE BEEN A COMPONENT MANUFACTURER! I still believe I am a component manufacturer, but now working on the supply side. I have written for a number of print outlets over the years and rarely did I mention the company I worked for at the time. I have always tried to remain “business” neutral and provide the reader with another perspective.
So, here we are. Over the years that I have been engaged in this industry, I have always tried to offer my contributions and “leave it better than I found it.” Along the way, I made many dear friends and gained a great deal of knowledge and insight. I’ve worked in just about every aspect of this industry and it has always been fulfilling to me. This industry picked me up in my greatest moments of need and I have always tried to repay that debt.
I spent a great deal of my career as a component manufacturer. It was a grand time. We dealt with the market peaks and valleys much as manufacturers are doing today. I’ve always told people that this industry is incredible. You meet lots of great humans and the customers become your closest friends. I still have former customers who stay in touch, and when I am in their area we arrange to have lunch or dinner and catch up on all of the goings on. My most critical customer at one plant became one of my closest friends. Because he demanded excellence, he made me a better component manufacturer. I learned things by doing. How to be successful in this industry can be challenging. It takes a lot of hard work and extreme focus, but the rewards are very enriching.
I look back and realize I had opportunities that I might not have appreciated in the moment as well as others may have in the same position. With time and perspective, I would change some of my actions as BCMC Chair. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate being the BCMC Chair, which I did, but it was just one of those times where I did a lot of reacting to things rather than giving a great deal of thought to them while in the moment. Through that experience I learned a great number of things which I would be pleased to pass on to others though. But, in an effort to not offend anyone, I will save those thoughts and comments for a time when I’m asked for input on what should be done. I just don’t want anyone to think I am suggesting that the current method is less than right, which I am not. And I remain grateful for all of the help I got. Jill and the committee members were awesome to work with. They all seemed to be “idea people” and just needed someone to wrangle all the ideas into one corral. It was fun and there was room for everyone and every idea. We argued, don’t get me wrong, but at the end of the day we laughed, had a beer, and moved on to more important topics……like who would buy the next round.
I had the unique opportunity to be on the ANSI/TPI 1 project committee years ago. At the first meeting, I was consumed with self-consciousness. I was in a room full of many of the brightest minds in our industry. I also soon realized that getting 40 engineers in a room and trying to agree to anything was going to be tough. Sometimes it seemed they couldn’t even agree on what to have for lunch, much less the industry work that was being proposed. I will say that there was as much work done at the bar after the day of meetings as was done during the meeting. In that relaxed atmosphere, all ego was set aside, and we could talk about the issues and arrive at a solution that would receive an affirmative vote the next day. We were able to move the industry along and we were all proud of the effort and the result. I haven’t seen many of the committee members in years, but we have all remained friends and still speak……not as regularly as I would like, but we speak.
It seems I have spent a great deal of time attending WTCA/SBCA quarterly meetings. There was a time when I hadn’t missed a meeting in many years. We lobbied in Washington, D.C. where we managed to get some important work done and someone thought it would be hilarious to capture a picture of me speaking with Senator Feinstein and put it on the cover of a magazine. She and I disagreed on almost everything and that is probably why everyone thought it was so funny. But, during those years we spent the afterhours exploring the Capitol and all of the oddly enjoyable places most people don’t generally have on the tourist route. I had an excellent guide, Jack Dermer. Jack had grown up in the area and knew many of the best places to enjoy the colorful sights and sounds of D.C. The Brickskeller is one of those places, located in a basement and serving a selection of over 1,200 different bottled beers. Heady times indeed.
Moving back to Texas in 2003 brought me back to my roots and gave me a chance to engage on the chapter level. WOW! The Texas Chapter knows how to have fun. They always seem to get a lot of great work done, but not without having a great deal of fun along the way. Moving back also gave me the chance to spend more time with my Dad during his last few years. My Dad was a great man who always tried to impress on me the need to stand for your beliefs and fight the good fight. That might have been instilled too strongly in me….lol. In addition, I spent a lot more time playing golf and traveling with Jack. Jack has become such a great friend. We talk about a lot of industry-related stuff and a lot of stuff I promised not to mention. On a recent trip, Jack, Norm, and I had the chance to really discuss chapter issues and, thanks to Norm, it is all down on paper. I keep wondering how in the world we managed to discuss all of those topics in one day between cocktails and the celebration we had just attended.
And, I guess that is what I really wanted to talk about. The three of us attended to the 40th Anniversary Celebration of Shelter Systems in West Minster, MD. We saw a lot of longtime friends and met a few new ones. Dwight, Joe, and Linda really know how to celebrate. There were government officials in attendance along with Shelter employees. It is a remarkable feat for any business to be that successful for that many years. We talked about it, and there is less than a handful that have been around that long, been profitable, and still maintain the same ownership. My most sincere congratulations to Shelter Systems. Being invited to that event is humbling. Shelter is a very special business. They now have third generation employees working and moving the business forward. It is so unheard of and rightly recognized by the Maryland Secretary of Commerce. I sat front row as Dwight gave a tearful, moving speech about how he managed to get into the business and the people who supported his efforts (many were in the audience). But, Dwight recognized that his part was overshadowed by all of the great people who work for him and have worked for him in the past. Dwight called them the “Starting Lineup” and said without them he couldn’t have made it. The commitment of everyone who has been associated with Shelter Systems made them the incredibly successful and resilient company they are. Certainly Dwight, Linda, and Joe made all of the pieces fit together and worked really hard to make Shelter what it is, but I thought it very gracious for Dwight to recognize his employees for their efforts. That is the kind of people we have in this industry and what has been the greatest pleasure for me.
I have enjoyed every experience in this industry and know I will continue to do so…..I just don’t know that I will be writing about it any longer. So, if in the future you want to hear stories, it may have to be when I visit your area, attend a chapter meeting, at BCMC, or at a quarterly meeting. The first round will still be on me!