Find Your Legacy
Reflect, Appreciate and Breathe
Over the past weeks, I have taken a few moments and thought about this past year (thinking back to March of 2020 when Covid really took hold here in the U.S.) and it’s hard to try to sum it up. It has been challenging, heartbreaking, tiring and bewildering just to try a few […]
D=>K=>I=>A/A/A…. A foundational “formula†for success!
As a guy that does gravitate to formulas, processes and repeatable management disciplines, this essay has been brewing for a while. A few weeks ago, I had a great conversation with a young friend who was interviewing for a number of very different roles. In that conversation, we focused in on the fact that while […]
A “Virtuous Cycle†in the Pivot to Growth
Like so many companies and organizations, this past year has been incredibly challenging. Leading a company through the reality of Covid has been so intense and difficult, certainly the most difficult challenge of my 35 year career! Here we are as we enter May, we are finishing up our on-site vaccination clinics over the […]
It’s been too long old friend !
We have all shared quite a year, so much loss and so many sacrifices. It will probably take years for us to really understand the impact of the pandemic on our families, our society and our future. Now that vaccination trends are accelerating (I am one shot in, my second scheduled for 3/31!!), we […]
Work the process & work ON the process!
It’s been a wild ride over these past 20 months since we bought Bolthouse Farms back from Campbell’s. The challenges of turning around a business in steep decline, executing a “carve-out†of a business that had been integrated into a bigger entity, rebuilding a team across all functions/levels … and then Covid hit! In the […]
A fresh start for spring… Again!
As many of you know, I have grown up in a family of keen gardeners. My grandmother (Mama) raised a garden her entire life, and one of her biggest gardens was when she was over 90 years old! My brother is a master gardener (and quite a “cannerâ€) and my sister is often working in her […]
In honor and memory of Dr. King…. His “challenge†for our future!
Since my earliest postings on this blog in 2009, now 200+ essays ago, I have shared a deep inspiration (in good times and bad) that is rooted in the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech that Dr. King gave in Stockholm in 1963. While Dr. King’s writings and speeches are broadly inspiring, I continue to […]
a message at a troubled moment in our history
Early this morning, I sent the following “note” to my team at Bolthouse Farms. Its rare that I post these types of communications but at a very challenging and troubled moment in our country’s history, I wanted to share these thoughts…. Early this morning, I got up with a fresh cup of coffee and reflected […]
Jane’s Yum Yum Yams!
Over the past 11+ years since I started posting essays on this blog, I have often shared favorite family recipes as we head into the holiday season. If you dig around, you will find recipes for MaMa’s buttermilk yeast biscuits, her “Corn Oysters,” Aunt Lorraine’s Jelly Tarts and my grandmother “Kuni’s Chocolate Cake.” This […]
The trail back from Yellow Mountain…. A lesson for a new year with Covid !
The Yellow Mountain Hike in the mountains just north of Highlands N.C. is a real “ass kicker!†It’s an out and back hike, with the halfway point being a fire tower built by the C.C.C in the 1930’s on the top of Yellow Mountain (not quite 6000 ft. above sea level.) The hike is […]