I wish you and your families peace tonight. Ah let me see, it has been nearly two months since I last updated this! So much for writing once a week. Ah well, I am going to try to be better about it from here (isn't that what I said last time?!). Okay, well here goes.... In my personal life: I am back at school, taking 18 credits, keeping busy with some freelance work for a venture capital firm, applying for new internships/jobs, working, starting a DECA club on campus, joining AIESIC International, and working toward my instrument rating (and I am doing better on my mileage this year than last!!)! Not to use all of that as an excuse, but it has been keeping me busy.
Ah, but I have some very intriguing news regarding the book! I have continued with the interviews and last week had the opportunity to interview Mr. Bill Smithers (who is the President of CBUSA - www.cbusa.us). Mr. Smithers has been an awesome resource in the past and offered a very unique perspective on several culture aspects on the "small company" side of things for the book. I am excited to share his perspective throughout the book, because in many ways, Bill thinks along the same lines as myself. His experience in the home building & buying group industries is unprecedented and it was great to see him again!
Okay, well before that, I was actually able to complete a variety of other interviews: Mr. V. Glenn Erickson - Former Vice President at JD Edwards & currently an Independent Marketer with the Trump Network, Franchiser, and entrepreneur. Mr. Erickson was kind enough to meet me for lunch on a very snowy afternoon in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. He shared some truly incredible experiences while working at Edwards, how he was able to motivate different teams and develop values within, what was, arguably the leading technology company of its time period. We also discussed America's future and the role in which culture will play in developing that future.
In the week before meeting Mr. Erickson, I was offered the opportunity to interview Mr. Richard Martinez, the President of Young Americans Bank in Denver, CO. Mr. Martinez provided incredible insight into the world of banking education, accounting, and entrepreneurship. The educational programs engineered by Young Americans will, in my opinion, are essential skillsets in building a stronger future America. I will be most happy to touch on the Entrepreneurship programs encouraged by Young Americans in the book and can't wait to explain in more detail how & why what these guys are doing is so incredible! Thank you so much Mr. Martinez!
Now, I must tell you about the interview I am most excited about: Mr. Martin St. George, Senior Vice President of Marketing at JetBlue Airways. Mr. St. George is a mover and shaker, he actively demonstrates the principles under which JetBlue has become so incredibly successful. Most notably, Mr. St. George said, "This is the easiest product in the world to market, everyone here is motivated to do their very best and they absolutely love their jobs." That is the kind of culture that I am seeking out, so thank you very very much to Mr. St. George and JetBlue for continuing to remind us why the very best companies are those that have developed the best corporate culture.
In one word, all of these interviews equate to one thing: passion. You see, at JetBlue, JD Edwards, Young Americans, CBUSA and I all have one thing in common: passion. The people at the helm are extremely passionate about what they are doing, as are the front-line employees providing excellent customer service day in and day out.... These companies perform well not because of their bottom line, or their investment strategies, but because their number one priority is finding the right people to share their passion for their work.
In addition to these interviews for the book - I have had the opportunity to meet two incredible people at Virgin America Airlines (for other reasons than the book), and I just wanted to quickly highlight how inspired I am by their passion, work ethic, and awesome sense of entrepreneurial & visionary development.
Thank you so much to all of those that have been so instrumental in the development of the book. As I continue to press on with the writing, I am simply in awe by the many accomplishments by these awesome people & organizations!
I wish God's blessings to you all, let us never forget how blessed we really are.... Thank you for reading. I wish you all the very best.
Matt
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