Thinking Outside

The Dilemma

Note: We are incredibly busy at the nursery now, so I am taking advantage of having nearly 4 years worth of archives to draw from when I'm in a pinch. So here you go, from June 2012, one of my favorite stories: A real life lesson from a true event I call the Lou Forman story. 

The late Lou Forman was my sister's father-in-law who passed away just a few years ago somewhere deep into his 90s. Lou was a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania except for a brief stint at the University of Alabama, of all places, back in his youth in the early part of the 20th century.  But I digress; that's another story for another day.

Lou spent the better part of his adult life as President and CEO of Michter's Distillery (named for his sons Michael and Peter) in Schaefferstown, PA. It was Lou who breathed new life into Michter's.  He secured its rightful honor on the National Register of Historic Places, capitalizing on its claim to be the oldest distillery in the country with its origins documented back to 1753.  In the process he  made Michter's whiskey a respected brand and its location a destination for Pennsylvania tourists.  But before all that, Lou set the tone for what was to come, with his first job interview.

I will preface this account by saying that the best part of the story is that it is true.  I first learned about this through an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer highlighting Lou's life and accomplishments many years ago.  I loved the story and was fortunate enough to have Lou actually tell me firsthand on one occasion a few years later. 

Around 1920 or so, Lou was a young man who had a passion for life, but felt that life would pass him by if he didn't get his act together soon. It was a tough time to get started as jobs were scarce and wages were low.

As Lou scoured the papers looking for an opportunity, he found an ad for a copy boy at The Philadelphia Daily News.  It wasn't much but it was a start and so he hustled down to the address where the applications were being taken only to find a line of applicants ahead of him that went out the door, down the street and around the corner.  All for this lowly job.

Lou quickly realized that going to the back of the line would be futile, but he also realized that this was not the only option, only the most obvious one. So Lou made a plan.  He went to the nearest public restroom and grabbed a paper towel.  He then returned to the applicants line, marched past them all and knocked on the door.  When someone opened the door, Lou offered a glimpse of the paper in his hand and announced that he had a message for the boss. 

He was immediately ushered in and sent straight to the boss's office where he found the boss reared back in a swivel chair, feet on his desk, chomping on a cigar and talking 90 miles a minute on the telephone. He was told to "sit down and shut up" while the boss finished his conversation.

When the boss finally ended his phone call, he looked at Lou and said, "Who are you and how the Hell did you get in here?"  Lou introduced himself, and explained how he got in.  After a few seconds of utter silence while he absorbed this information, the boss said, "OK, you're hired.  Now your first assignment is to go out there and tell all those other people to go home!"

It was not the most auspicious beginning , but it was a start.  Lou went on to become a very successful and respected businessman who never lost his passion for life and for pursuing his dreams.  There is a lesson there for all of us.