Many years ago I was running my third apparel manufacturing plant. I had quit the first two for different reasons that aren't relevant to this post. What is relevant is the situation I found myself in. 

 

I had taken a job that the management had failed to tell me that the company was near bankruptcy. The production floor was full of cuts (orders) that were months beyond their delivery dates. So I went to work showing the supervision on how to get those orders out the door with stringent quality standards that I implemented. After all, if it's not right the customers will just send it back and you have spent money for nothing. Which I found out after some investigation was one of the reasons they were behind. Many people were spending their day doing repairs!!   

 

After removing most of the supervision for poor performance I promoted people that I knew could help me correct this joke of a production plant. My problem was that we did such a good job that we were working ourselves out of a job.  

 

Fortunately, there was a merger in the works with another company that again the management above me was not sharing with me. The company had a type A president and a great sales force. These were some of the things that were sorely missing with this company. The president of the company that had hired me was well past his prime and the sales force was virtually non-existent. Hence, why my people and I were working ourselves out of a job. There were not enough orders to supply the production floor with work!!      

 

The merger went through and things began a turn around that was a breath of fresh air. The company president and my boss, the VP of Manufacturing approached me and ask that I oversee the plant I had been running and the plant that was acquired in the merger. (Sidebar: One of the questions I was asked in my initial interview by that VP was what would be my goals if hired. I said to be sitting in that chair you are in. More on that later.)

 

We got on the fast track and in two years built a third plant. In a short period after the new plant started showing us a profit, it was decided to expand it and move corporate headquarters to it along with the embroidery department that I had established. I was made point man in refurbishing one of the older plants and doubling its size. In the next few months, I was contacted by that VP who had quit and offered a job with the company he had moved to. 

 

I accepted his offer and resigned. The company president tried to talk me out of quitting. He said he had big plans and I was a big part of those plans. He offered a big increase in my salary and some other perks. I left anyway and moved to Indianapolis to take over as Director of Manufacturing.        

After a year I decided that the move was one I regretted. I left and moved back to North Carolina and started my own consulting company. 

 

While staying in a motel waiting to sell my house in Indianapolis, the company there heard I was back in the area and started aggressively pursuing me to return as their Manufacturing Director. A deal was reached and I did return and started establishing more manufacturing plants. 

 

After a few years passed the company owners decided that they wanted to start up operations in Central America. Specifically in Costa Rica, Honduras, and El Salvador. I was promoted to VP of Offshore Apparel Manufacturing where I established plants in all three countries. (It was a different chair but I fulfilled what I had told that VP during the initial interview)   

 

 

 

Now you may be asking why I started this blog with the Calin Coolidge quote. It's because I started my business journey on a shipping receiving dock unloading trucks. I have met more than my share of those type of people he talked about. But my persistence and determination got me from that dock to VP!! 

 

As I look around at most of the young people today I have to hang my head and sigh deeply. If I had more of an emotional side I would also shed my share of tears.