View from The Corner Booth
Good Day to All!
Who watched the game? Super Bowl that is. Somebody did, I heard a record number of people tuned in, more than any other time in history. Congratulations to the New York Giants team, and all their fans. It was a great game except for the outcome for all of us Pats fans.
We had a very nice time at the Super Bowl party I held at my camp. About 20 people attended, we enjoyed each others company and had lots of good food. Hats off to Bill Sawyer who is a Dine-ah regular, (who I didn't have a relationship with outside of the Dine-ah) for joining us in the festivities. Bill fit right in and actually knew some of the people at the party from his days at Maine DOT prior to his retirement.
Talking about relationships, I went skiing at Sunday River this past Tuesday with a good friend Haskell Dearnley. I first met Hack in 1978 when I was 24 years old. Hack owned (and still does own) the old mill building at the end of Maranacook Lake in Winthrop. He called G & E Roofing to look at some of his roofing issues. I had only been in business three years at the time and was still pretty "green". We started working for him and he liked what he saw and put all his faith in us. Each year we would do a fairly significant project until the entire mill was re-roofed some 15 years later. Today we perform yearly inspections and regular maintenance to the entire facility.
Over the years Hack and I have had many great talks about business and what he liked about me. In many ways, Hack was a mentor of mine. He would be the first to call and provide a compliment when projects were going well and I can think of at least two times when we had an issue. Hack would call and ask that I come see him in his office, in the old mill building. I would drop everything and run to see him because I knew the problem would only get bigger the more that time passed. (Great lesson right there!) Some people think that if you ignore an issue it will go away. Fat chance, never in my business career did that happen. We would talk through the issue, with Hack telling me how he felt we should have handled it and I agreed and apologized if appropriate. I did know and still realize today, a good business person must work under the premise, that the customer is always right. I always do, but sometimes it is tough to swallow, no pun intended, now that I run a restaurant!
Today Hack is 93 years old and when we first met he was 59 years old. How funny, that is almost how old I am today. I thought he was old at the time we met, but then again, I was only 24!
Hack, I want to thank you so much for the last 34 years, both as a customer and mostly as my friend. I have benefited so much from our talks. You are fair, loyal and always brought issues to my attention. I know you have appreciated how I handled each situation because you have told me so and continue to work with us today. You have been someone who demanded high quality and good service and was willing to pay for it. I will be forever grateful for our relationship and really enjoyed getting back on the slopes with you.
This recent ski trip is an annual trip that Hack and I have taken together for the past 15 years. It is the only time I go skiing each year and somehow, I haven't lost my ability to get down the slope in one piece, without falling or drawing too much attention to myself. I think it's the new equipment that I rent each year that makes me look so good!
If I had one wish in life, it would be to have the longevity and the ability to enjoy life as Mr. Haskell Dearnley has and still does in his 93rd year of life. Thanks Hack, Luv ya man!
Hack Dearnley (in white shirt) with his son Mert and two other gentlemen
enjoying the G & E Roofing 2011 Customer Appreciation Golf Tourney
In closing I would like to wish everybody a Happy Valentines Day. I would also like to thank all of you for reading our newsletter and for your continued support. Trivia Night is growing with 51 participants this past Wednesday night. We will be going each Wednesday night up until April 18th, which gives us ten more nights of fun!
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