Business View - August 2015 7
Business View - J ly
Editor’s
Note
Go to any bookstore and you will find, in the business section, countless tomes on how you can achieve instant and per-
manent entrepreneurial success or, perhaps, how you can rise through the ranks of corporate America, so that you, too,
can become the CEO, someday, of your very own giant, international, mega-company.
Personally, I have never read any of those books and my guess is that many of the real bosses and executives who steer
both large, and not-so-large, North American companies have never read any of them either. Yet, somehow, these busi-
ness leaders have managed to become successful in their chosen fields.
So, lately, I’ve been asking some of these folks what advice they would give to an aspiring young executive, who, like me
(and probably you, too) has never read any of the “How To” books. Now, the following admonitions may not guarantee you
a spot on the Forbes List of the World’s Richest People, but since they did come from some very talented people at the
top, they just might be worth taking to heart:
• Mahindra Ramdeen – CEO of Trinidad & Tobago Trade Association – “Never give up on your hopes and dreams.”
• Ami Tamam – President of Beaverhall Homes – “Work 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
• Jeff McWhorter – President of Palmetto Railways – “Listen. And surround yourself with good people.”
• Ralph Yarusso - Sr. V.P. Operations & Business Development of Grease Monkey – “Listen carefully to everyone; think
before you speak.”
• Michael D. Heilmann - Executive Vice President of Business Development for Wi-Tronix - “Get excited about solving
problems.”
• Stephen Santos – CEO of Trinidad Label Company Ltd. - “Be honest with your customers.”
• Brad Goldstrum – President of Ameritex Services – “Never compromise your integrity. Admit mistakes. Focus on your
employees; they are your greatest asset.”
• Dean Savas – Senior Vice President for Franchise and International Development for Motel 6 - “It’s all about the
people on your team.”
• Chris Quesnel - Managing Director at Resin Converters Limited – “Get a vision. You need to build a good team. Trust
your people and challenge them.”
• Bertha Jenkins – President of Liniform Services - “If you’re going to get people involved, you need to put yourself sec-
ond.”
• Jeff Dugger – COO of Weylchem – “Be technically competent, insanely curious, and a pragmatic risk-taker.”
You will notice, among these various gems of wisdom, that a prevailing attitude shared by many of these business leaders
is the necessity to surround oneself with good people, listen to them intently, challenge them, and then trust them to do
their jobs. Yes, it’s also important to work hard, dream big, take risks, and treat your customers well. But it’s also pretty
safe to say that none of these successful business men and women would be where they are today, if not for the solid
work of the people they lead and inspire.
So, go ahead, if you still want to, and read any of the “How To” books. I’ll take my advice from the people who are too busy
being successful and just don’t have the time to write it all down.
Al Krulick
Editor-in-Chief
Business View Magazine
