I said I wouldn’t write again, but I felt compelled to, at the very least, commemorate the passing of a great human being.
In the past few weeks, many of you have read articles about the passing of Dwight Hikel. Dwight was something pretty special. Not just as a businessman or component manufacturer, but he was truly a great human and left quite a mark on all those he came in contact with. It is the kind of imprint that changes you forever.
I had met Dwight in passing over the years, but never really got to know him until 2001. I was trying to capture new business for the hardware company I was working for. My first impression was that he would be a hard sell. He was, but not for the reasons you may think. Dwight wasn’t challenging me to reduce prices or increase service. Dwight was challenging me to be a better version of myself. The only way I would get a win with Dwight was by going to a place I had never been before. I have had great mentors over the years, but my interactions with Dwight forced me to think in a way that was different. He wanted to do business with people he liked and that were like him. I had to be more confident and more knowledgeable than ever before. Dwight wanted my best effort.....every time.
Dwight set the stage for me to use my new skills in every facet of my life, as he had. Be better at everything you do and be confident that when you make a decision that it is the best decision. Embrace that decision and fight for your ideas and ideals. I learned to do that. Sometimes it shocked people. Sometimes it was on the unpopular side of an issue. Sometimes I had to endure negative reactions, but I would stand for what I believed regardless of the consequences. Dwight instilled in me through our business interactions a new way to be me.
Dwight was a leader in this industry from the beginning. I have friends who worked with him in his earliest days in the industry and all have said the same things about him. His energy was the highest, his passion never waned, and his joy was unquenchable. Dwight found joy in many things. Dwight worked extremely hard to move a fledgling industry into the mainstream. Then, with the help of his wife and son, he built the prototype truss plant that all truss plants aspire to be. Dwight took chances and the new plant was a chance taken based on his decision to try something new. He stood by the decision and made Shelter Systems the greatest show on earth. Things weren’t always easy, but he stuck with his plan and made success bend to his will.
I attended the 40th anniversary of Shelter Systems. My take-away may have been different than some. While important people with titles were pouring accolades on Dwight, he was recognizing all of the people who helped him achieve his dreams. He talked about his employees most fondly. Dwight expressed that, without all of those people who did the hard, daily work, Shelter Systems couldn’t exist. Dwight had inspired each of them to be the best they could be. Each employee who I spoke with cared about Shelter Systems and cared deeply for Dwight.
Last week I attended the memorial service for Dwight. It was an event Dwight would have been proud of. The room was filled with friends, family, employees, competitors, customers, and industry leaders. People traveled from across the United States to pay their last respects to Dwight Hikel. The service is one that won’t be soon forgotten. Speakers took the stage to talk about first meeting Dwight and the impact he immediately had on them. Each story sounded so much like my own. Dwight had drawn the best out of each of them, convincing them that his idea was the right one and how we could all be successful together.
A video created by Dwight’s grandsons told his story. Images from his childhood touched everyone. Images from his early adulthood revealed the same determination that we had all experienced. The video showed many times with family and friends cashing “fun tickets” as Dwight referred to the good times. Dwight’s son, Joe, told stories of many fun tickets being cashed. Dwight worked hard, but loved to have fun.
Dwight always expressed the greatest pride when talking about his family, his business, and his fun! That light in his eyes never dimmed. He was always looking for the next excuse to promote someone else. Dwight treated everyone with respect. This came through in everything he did. It was one of the many ways he disarmed people to win them over to his ideas and gain their respect.
Dwight was the man who got SBCA involved with Operation Finally Home. Dwight had many passions and this was one of them. He was a believer that we owe a debt to these soldiers who fight and die for our freedom. His enthusiasm was relentless and I soon found myself deeply involved in building a house for a wounded veteran in Texas. Even though it was all Dwight’s idea, he pushed me into the front of the line. That man knew how to get the best out of me and make it fun at the same time.
What a man! Dwight Hikel was Greatness. The title above may have mislead some of you. “The Passing of Greatness” does not mean that greatness died when Dwight passed. It means that Dwight has passed greatness on to all of us who knew him. He made each of us a little greater than we were. He left this earth better than he found it, making it greater through all of the people he inspired to be better human beings, better friends, better parents, better spouses, and better at what we do.
In closing, thank you, Dwight, for your friendship and respect. You will be greatly missed…Oh, and thank you for passing some of the greatness on to me. I hope I use it to inspire others as you did.