This one is for two people who saw something in me that I saw in myself, when everyone else dismissed me as just “some farm boy from Iowa”.
The first is Beau Burgess.
After graduating with two internships from a premiere Fortune 500 consulting company, and two of the hardest degrees from one of the hardest schools, I had no job. Feeling hopeless I fled home to live with parents because I couldn’t afford to support myself. That was my first lesson in humility and I vowed that if someone gave me a chance, I would cherish it and work my ass off.
Beau hired me as a Sales associate for a clothing retail store in Dallas. He saw something in me and we became quick friends. Cut to a year later and after a few promotions I was the Store Manager of one of the top 3 stores in the company. I also met my first true love there. Beau taught me how to manage and motivate employees who didn’t care and didn’t want to be there.
After awhile at the helm I got a chance to interview for the Management Consulting job I was hoping to have coming out of undergrad and quickly was hired.
His name is David Seitz. He saw an energy inside me and helped point it in the right direction. On day 3, I was advising one of the top 5 senior executives of a $20 billion dollar corporation. David taught me about process, project management, do-check-review, and the subtleties of soft language when advising very important people not used to being told what to do. After a few short years I was one of the fastest promoted associates, rising from Analyst to Senior Analyst to Consultant.
I’ll never forget you both, because you took a chance on me when no one else did. So to you, I tip my hat, and if there’s ever a chance to repay the favor, I’m merely an email away.
You gave me hope at two points in my life when I had none.
