So, as always I was having way too much fun talking to friends on the very busy show floor in Myrtle Beach yesterday evening. The fun ended abruptly when I glanced down at my phone and a saw a reminder pop up. It said: "Newsletter Column Deadline."
Crap. So much for the fun. I said my goodbyes and started heading back to the room to dream up something to write about my day in Myrtle Beach and observations about the show.
On the way, I got sidetracked at the M Bar at the Sheraton Hotel. I saw Dr. Jim Kerns and mentioned I had to write a quick column. He asks, "Where do you get your column ideas?" I said, "From panic ... sheer panic. I have no idea what I'm going to write but I have a deadline and I'll dream something up.”
At that moment, I spotted the legendary Mr. Bob Farren sitting at the he packed bar. "Hey Bob ... I need a topic for my column about the show. Give me one word that describes how you feel about this event."
He didn't miss a beat. "Camaraderie," he said.
I smiled and knew instantly my column was done but I asked him to tell me more. We talked about how the CGCSA board had made the tough decision to go on their own with the conference in the mid-90s and how leaders like Fred Biggers (and Bob Farren) had stepped up and helped make that happen. How that led to hiring Chuck Borman to be one of the industry's first truly professional chapter executives. We talked about how all that history had helped to drive, build and fund the tremendous organization we see today.
But ultimately, Bob said, it all came down to powerful friendships forged by a passionate commitment to a common interest. Camaraderie.
And that bond has not gone away as the association has evolved and grown. It's still everywhere here in Myrtle Beach.
I see it today in the dynamic board and leadership of America's biggest chapter. Just like back in the day when Bob, Fred and others made those hard choices. Camaraderie.
I see it in the dozen people I met today who were attending their very first show and just marveling at how nice people were and how well they were treated. Camaraderie.
And I see it in the exhibitors who've come back year after year and support the association in ways that go well beyond what's expected because this isn't just about selling stuff. It's about camaraderie.
Thanks Bob ... for the column idea and, as always, for making me part of that great spirit of Carolinas camaraderie.
No more results found. Crap. So much for the fun. I said my goodbyes and started heading back to the room to dream up something to write about my day in Myrtle Beach and observations about the show.
On the way, I got sidetracked at the M Bar at the Sheraton Hotel. I saw Dr. Jim Kerns and mentioned I had to write a quick column. He asks, "Where do you get your column ideas?" I said, "From panic ... sheer panic. I have no idea what I'm going to write but I have a deadline and I'll dream something up.”
At that moment, I spotted the legendary Mr. Bob Farren sitting at the he packed bar. "Hey Bob ... I need a topic for my column about the show. Give me one word that describes how you feel about this event."
He didn't miss a beat. "Camaraderie," he said.
I smiled and knew instantly my column was done but I asked him to tell me more. We talked about how the CGCSA board had made the tough decision to go on their own with the conference in the mid-90s and how leaders like Fred Biggers (and Bob Farren) had stepped up and helped make that happen. How that led to hiring Chuck Borman to be one of the industry's first truly professional chapter executives. We talked about how all that history had helped to drive, build and fund the tremendous organization we see today.
But ultimately, Bob said, it all came down to powerful friendships forged by a passionate commitment to a common interest. Camaraderie.
And that bond has not gone away as the association has evolved and grown. It's still everywhere here in Myrtle Beach.
I see it today in the dynamic board and leadership of America's biggest chapter. Just like back in the day when Bob, Fred and others made those hard choices. Camaraderie.
I see it in the dozen people I met today who were attending their very first show and just marveling at how nice people were and how well they were treated. Camaraderie.
And I see it in the exhibitors who've come back year after year and support the association in ways that go well beyond what's expected because this isn't just about selling stuff. It's about camaraderie.
Thanks Bob ... for the column idea and, as always, for making me part of that great spirit of Carolinas camaraderie.