EXCELLENCE IS EVERYWHERE, continued

A World Class Visionary - John Wood is the author of Leaving Microsoft to Change the World. John was Microsoft’s lead marketing executive in China in the late 1990's. He left Microsoft to launch www.RoomToRead.com which builds schools and computer labs for elementary school age girls in South East Asia, India, and South Africa. In the past 7 years RTR has built 832 schools, 7,500 libraries, and put more than 9,000 girls on scholarship.

             His book is an inspirational autobiography about how one man’s dream was turned into reality. The struggle, the risks, the improbable events are captivating, emotional, and  funny. Against all odds he succeeded and set a standard for performance that should be inspiring to any new professional  beginning her or his career.

            John has a titanium backbone and more energy than a platoon of the Delta Force running through the Carolina Woods.  He’s circled the world countless times to tell the story of Room to Read, work with his team, find donors, and build the organization.  From one man and a Yak with an idea ten years ago RTR covers the world and will shortly have surpassed Andrew Carnegie’s legendary record of number of schools and labs built for students.  It’s remarkable to see the laser focus of a Microsoft trained executive who has a cause that burns through to the core of his sole.

            But John’s not a cult hero - he’s a guy - with a sense of self deprecating humor and an ability to step off a 12 hour plane ride and connect with a motivate a group of people he has never met to make enormous contributions to his cause.  I suspect he could run for governor or Senator in many states and win handily.  But that’s not his passion. RTR is his passion.

            Today he has corporate support and partnerships from organizations as diverse as Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Accenture, Cathay Pacific, Deutsche Bank, Barclays Capital, Abraaj Capital, SalesForce.com, Alexander Gallo, the Tudor Foundation, Readers’s Digest, the Pearson Foundation, Egmont Publishing, the Asia Foundation, Google, and, not surprisingly, a small outfit in Washington called Microsoft.

            We were so moved by RTR, John and our mutual friend Tina Sciabica, that there’s a school in Nepal dedicated to my favorite Marine Pilot mentioned elsewhere in these materials. See page ___.

            Remarkable Ranchers - Nearly eight thousand feet up in the Bighorn Mountains of Northeastern Wyoming, surrounded by a national forest with some of the most remarkable scenery on the continent is the Paradise Ranch, owned and operated by  Leah and Clay Miller. 

            Paradise entertains 80 or so guests a week with one of the best horse back riding programs in the nation. They have a staff of 40-50 wranglers, maintenance guys, household and kitchen employees and others who make the ranch run like a finely tuned Swiss watch. 

            Like any business they have a product, customers, administrative issues, and economic challenges but for more than a century it’s been one of the best guest ranches in the nation.

            But what makes Paradise special? Well the setting is unique and memorable, They match each rider to a horse that matches his/her experience from experts to novices.  The wranglers are good humored, patient, fun and love their jobs.  Leah and Clay handle it all with a smile and without a problem, Wyoming moves at its own pace but they can handle demanding New Yorkers, eccentric Californians, practical Chicagoans and tourists from all over the world who often speak little or no English.  About 75 of their visitors are return guests - many have been going there for decades - so it’s tough to nail down a slot.  We’ve been fifteen times in the past seventeen years and I’m itching to return next year.

            And, heck, Clay’s got a damn fine wine list for 8,000 feet up in the mountains.  And if I can ride a horse and enjoy it, always place in the guest rodeo, and learn to love it the way the other guests do, well it must be Paradise. Www.ParadiseRanch.com - Now if you’re there the same week we are, I already have Don Diego and Jasper reserved. It’s ok.  They have 178 far more energetic horses.

            Broadcast Journalism - Megyn Kelly spent eight years with the Jones Day firm in three of its offices before entering the world of television news.   I had known Megyn since her early years in practice we shared a fondness for New York, Chicago, great Mexican food, humor, and life in the modern American law firm.

            If Jones Day ever hired a better lawyer I’d like to meet her.  Both of us were insanely busy in the late 90's and the early years of this decade.  As you know the reward in a law for good work is more work and she was working as hard as I’d ever worked on Wall Street.