Crazy Day: Incredible Inferno Destroys Neighboring Buildings

My clothes smell of smoke and I had to wash the soot off of my face. It was a crazy day at Horst Engineering in East Hartford, Connecticut. A massive fire destroyed two adjacent properties in our North Meadows neighborhood. No one was hurt, which seems like a miracle. It is also a miracle that our property was spared. It feels like the week is already over, and it is only Monday evening. We had a year’s worth of excitement and anxiety packed into one day. At 8:47 A.M., I was alerted by my uncle, Steven Livingston, that there was a fire across the street from our 36 Cedar plant and very close to our 41 Cedar plant. He was arriving at work just in time, as it looked like the fire had just started. He grabbed a land line and phoned in the 911 call.

I ran outside and smoke was already billowing from one corner of the 50,000 square foot warehouse/office building at 71 George St., where the fire had started. This was less than 50 feet from our own 7,000 square foot building. A small 3,000 square foot building at 79 George St. is in between 71 George and 41 Cedar. The entire block includes a house on James St. and another building on Cherry Street. This is a high density block with adjacent structures as close as three feet to each other.

Employees had just begun to escape OFRA, the occupants of 71 George. Our employees at 41 Cedar were alerted and they got out of our building. I ran into 79 George and notified the only occupant that he had to get out. I think I simply yelled, “Get out of the building now!” and the two of us left the building. Horst Engineering’s employees at 36 Cedar poured into the street when morning break started at 8:50 A.M. Many of our vehicles were parked very close to the blaze, so we began moving them to make room for the fire trucks, which we could already hear in the distance. It was surreal.

79 George was completely engulfed in a matter of minutes, with flames and smoke shot through the large windows, and flames broke through the roof. We got all of our employees back away from the fire and assessed the situation. Eventually, they were evacuated from the neighborhood. You could feel the heat two hundred feet away. The first fire truck on the scene laid out hose and attempted to charge the line from a nearby hydrant. While they struggled to set up, I circled the block in an effort to evaluate the situation. Within 10 minutes, there were more than a dozen East Hartford Fire Department apparatus on the scene. It seemed like two hours had gone by in a matter of minutes.

So much went on today, that it is difficult to replay the events in my mind. At one point, the power to both of our facilities was killed while the blaze was being battled. The power lines on George St. were burned. That ended our internet connection. The water company, power company, phone company, cable company, and hazardous material agencies were all on site. East Hartford got mutual support from the neighboring towns of Hartford, South Windsor, Manchester, and Glastonbury. With no power in the North Meadows, employees from all of the local businesses swarmed into the streets. Hundreds of people watched the firefighters in action.

Media crews showed up and began covering the inferno. I wasn’t wearing my heart rate monitor, but I’m sure that the beats per minute was up there. I often joke that I’ve been “fighting fires” every day during this economic recession, but today was a different story. It was literal.

The building at 71 George St. is totaled. It collapsed in several sections. The steel supporting roof beams are bent and twisted. The cinder block walls caved in.  By the time the sun went down, it was being systematically demolished while the remaining firefighters put out hot spots with gallon after gallon of water. Unfortunately, the small building at 79 George was a victim of the blaze. It was very close to the origin of the fire in the larger building and it succumbed to the intensity of the fire. Once the roof heated up and flames spread, it was too late. They poured an amazing amount of water on the fire, from all angles. The command center had been established in our parking lot and we got a close up view (far closer than I ever want to experience again) of how they coordinate such a serious blaze. The tower trucks positioned nearest to our building were able to keep back the flames and they only came close to our building a few times, but with all of the smoke, there was much to be concerned about.

When most of the fire had been contained, a firefighter escorted me onto the roof of our property so that I could assess the damage. We have 128 solar panels on the roof of the building, which was newly renovated in 2008. A more detailed assessment will take place tomorrow, but clearly, our building escaped the devastation that struck our neighbors and their businesses. Any time you see property and livelihoods impacted like this, you shudder. Horst Engineering has some relatively minor set backs to deal with in the coming days and weeks as this emergency shifts to a clean up and rebuilding effort. Again, it was great fortune that no one was hurt (occupants or emergency personnel) and that tomorrow’s sunrise offers a fresh start.

Horst Engineering will be back up and running at full force tomorrow. We have a new perspective on disasters. We have a strong plan to regroup when our first shift reports for work in the morning. Our plant in Mexico kept making products while we were consumed with the events of the day in Connecticut. The efforts of the emergency personnel should be commended. They did a lot of work on a fast-moving blaze. This should bring the small community of businesses in our area closer as we band together in support of the affected businesses.

This link will take you to all of the photos that Steven Livingston and I took of the blaze.

The Hartford Courant has substantial coverage of the fire at this link.

NBC 30 has video coverage at this link.

Santa’s Run

Ah, the stresses of road racing. Today was the Santa’s Run in Glastonbury, Connecticut. Coming 10 days after the Manchester Road Race, it is one of the most popular local road races. There isn’t much competition on the calendar and it appeals to the community with an affordable $8.00 entry fee and a costume contest. The results show that 1326 people finished the race today, a huge number. The snow that fell last night didn’t stick on the roads, so the race was on.

We drove up from New Haven, after spending the night there, and got ready for the traditional 12:00 P.M. start. I bumped into Mark and Sue Hixson in the parking lot. I wouldn’t have recognized Mark, he was incognito. He has been hammering the cross-country scene lately, with top finishes at Masters Nationals, but today, he and his senior elf (Sue) were out for fun. He has been top three several times in the past and I would have loved to seen him give it a go in that outfit, but he was hanging back, just like me.

The start of the Santa’s Run is crazy. They cram all of these people into a narrow street at the top of a big hill. Then, a horn sounds and everyone sprints down the hill. The race is notorious for people who start up front and have no business being there. Every year, I think that someone is going to get trampled. This year, I played it safe. I was on Daddy Duty, which meant it was my first race pushing the Chariot CX-2. Our son calls it the “double,” meaning the double jog stroller. Debbie ran solo and was free to run hard for a workout. She knows that she has a long road back to top shape and that it is going to require commitment and some pain. I started way back in the pack and have the photos to prove it!

After yesterday’s Shenipsit Strider holiday party, I was feeling good about sporting the club colors.

I had a lot of fun running in the crowd. Navigating the Chariot in tight quarters was a challenge, but I didn’t hit anyone. The first mile and a half was really slow, until I found some running room. I kept my heart rate low and purposely let other strollers go by us. I could feel the competitive desire start to burn as these guys went by, but I stayed off the gas. My season is over and I keep repeating the mantra, “rest, rest, rest.”

After the race, we bumped into my “nemesis”, Mr. Glastonbury, Todd Brown. Once again, he was sporting the #1 bib and his spouse, Kim, was playing second fiddle with #2. Todd had a good race, as did several other runners.

The conditions were OK. It was cold and blustery, but the sunshine was brilliant. Brendan Callahan, of Middletown, smoked the 3.5 mile course in 17:19, with a sub-5:00 minute mile pace. Second was Beecher Watson of South Glastonbury, and third was Ryan Pajor of Glastonbury. For the women, Lanham Markshamilton of Storrs, was first in 23:10. She was followed by Kathleen Carney of Glastonbury and Allie Burdick of Ellington. Once again, Shenipsit Strider, Ray Prest, stormed the 70+ division with a big win. I was also impressed with Michael Stoker’s win in the under 12 division. He ran 22:11, hot off of his wicked fast time at Manchester Road Race. He will be one kid to watch in the future.

Race Results

The Streets of New Haven

This weekend, our family spent some time in New Haven, Connecticut. With Yale University and a host of other attractions, New Haven is clearly the Connecticut city with the most culture. We spent a night at The Study at Yale, a newly renovated hotel on Chapel Street. The hotel was hip and comfortable. We dined at Heirloom, the in-house restaurant and they did a fine job accommodating our diets. At dinner, we heard a mini concert by the renowned, Whiffenpoofs. Their holiday CD had already been in rotation at our house during the past week, so it was cool to hear them in person again. They sang with their backs to a large wall of windows, looking out on to Chapel. A nice snowfall was coming down, confirming that the holiday season was upon us.

For breakfast today, it was a whole lot easier to eat vegan because we sought out the right spot. Claire’s Corner Copia has been serving vegetarian food since 1975. It is one of the oldest veggie restaurants around. Claire’s didn’t open till 9:00 A.M., and that is four hours later than our kids’ “normal” wakeup time, so we killed time by walking the streets, window shopping, and hanging out at the Atticus Bookstore/Cafe, another landmark shop. When we did get in to Claire’s, we were quite pleased. I’m actually surprised that after all of these years, this is the first time that either Debbie or I had been there. The menu was fantastic. We will be back.

New Haven is so close that we have committed to exploring it more. There is a lot of stuff to do and much of it centers around the Yale campus. Like Hartford, Bridgeport, and other Connecticut cities, it has its issues. We awoke to news of yet another shooting on the streets. I couldn’t help but think about the lyrics of one of my favorite Doors songs. In Peace Frog, Jim Morrison sings ”Blood in the streets of the town of New Haven.” Of course, he was talking about a different kind of blood in a different era. Still, the parallels were drawn. Tradeoffs need to be made in order to experience the culture of a downtown setting. Stay out of the bad sections at the wrong times. Sage advice that I will continue to follow.

CBIA Manufacturing Conference, Fedele for Governor, and a Unity Plea

Today, I attended the Connecticut Business & Industry Association Manufacturing Conference, with my colleague, Jim Bowtruczyk.“On the line: The State of Manufacturing in Connecticut, “ was billed as a forum for manufacturers to join forces and voices to strengthen manufacturing.

The two of us represented Horst Engineering and saw many of our manufacturing sector friends. We gathered in Cromwell to show our solidarity of our beleaguered sector. With revenue declines of 15% to 60% since 2008, many Connecticut companies are anxious for 2009 to come to a close. Sadness and frustration are two words that come to mind when describing the current state of affairs for this important part of the economy.

The crazy thing is that if you look ahead at some of the new challenges that manufacturers might face, then you get even more concerned about our prospects for growth. Certainly there will be thriving manufacturers in the future, but the shake out has already claimed many victims, and there are bound to be more business failures. The colossal loss of jobs in Connecticut has devastated consumer spending and driven unemployment to unprecedented levels. Manufacturing jobs are vital to the state’s economy, yet many of our legislators are more concerned about preserving government programs and their own pet projects. Reducing government spending and incentivizing the private sector to grow jobs are not important objectives, though they should be.

Today’s conference was about rallying manufacturers to speak out on behalf of industry in an effort to highlight the critical importance of manufacturing jobs to the welfare of our state and our country. We heard from several speakers, including CBIA CEO, John Rathgeber. He implored the attendees to let the policy makers know important manufacturing is. We also heard from Commissioner Amey Marrella, of the Department of Environmental Protection. She took some shots from the crowd for DEP’s history of uneven enforcement, but succeeded in highlighting how her department is using lean enterprise, a page from the manufacturing play book, to eliminate waste in their processes.

Aric Newhouse of the National Association of Manufacturers, painted a bleak picture of the manufacturing economy. He spoke about four big issues facing manufacturers at the federal level: 1) health care reform, 2) Employee Free Choice Act (card check legislation), 3) climate change legislation, and 4) jobs. He spent most of his time dissecting the two health care bills in Congress. He pointed out how the Obama Administration has put most of its focus on access to health care, rather than the cost of health care. It is the cost of health care that is putting a massive burden on small businesses, like Horst Engineering.

When I asked what NAM’s position was on these current bills, he said without hesitation, “Start over.” NAM believes that both the Senate and House bills should be scrapped and that the whole process should begin again with health care cost reduction as the primary objective. NAM has many suggestions as how this should be done, and will be working on behalf of manufacturers and their employees. It is kind of crazy to hear all of the new taxes, mandates, and rules that are going to be placed on businesses should either of these two bills pass. To really understand health care reform, you have to dig into the details. Newhouse’s presentation was concise and riveting. Most of us, including NAM, agree that making health care accessible to all Americans is a noble goal. However, since health care is a cost that no small business has control over, and small businesses are responsible for the lion’s share of job creation in our country, they more should be done to reduce this massive burden on our businesses.

A panel that included Sam Bergami (Alinabal Holdings Corp.), Joe Vrabely, Jr. (Atlantic Steel & Processing), and Carol Wallace (Cooper-Atkins Corp.) shared first hand how their businesses have been damaged by the recession. They were candid in their discussion and their stories represent many of the challenges that their fellow manufacturers face.

Our last speaker hijacked the forum. His name is Michael Fedele, and he is the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. Fedele, a Republican, chose to precede his remarks at the meeting by announcing his candidacy for the governor seat that Jodi Rell will vacate when her term expires next year. Fedele is a friend of the CBIA because he is an entrepreneur, who proved his business mettle prior to entering public service. I don’t know much more about him, but as one of the many candidates (both Democratic and Republican) that has declared an interest in our state’s top job, we are sure to learn more.

It was a hilarious display of how politics works. The forum was going smoothly with a full house. Then, towards the end of the panel discussion, the back of the room began to fill with a bunch of new folks. The media section swelled, the cameramen appeared, and then the “handlers” lined up against a wall. After a brief delay, Fedele entered the room from a side door. John Rathgeber gave him a nice introduction before he took the podium and launched into the first official speech of his campaign. At the moment he announced his candidacy, a handler placed a “Fedele for Governor” sign at the foot of the podium. It was a made for TV moment and at that moment, I was glad for two things: 1) I had moved from the front to the back of the room and 2) I don’t own a TV.

As for the manufacturers, we had to get back to work because there is much work to be done. We shouldn’t count on any of our politicians. They will not help us climb from the depths of this recession. Stimulus is wasteful, and manufacturers spend their days eliminating waste. The government should loosen their grip, back off on the new tax proposals, and let small businesses innovate. To balance budgets, legislators and administrators will have to cut spending the same way businesses do in times of distress. Unless we get some breathing space and support, we will be hampered in our recovery efforts. Manufacturers, unite!

Post Thanksgiving Road Trip

We made it north to Vermont and New Hampshire this past weekend. That meant passing through Massachusetts twice. Having an infant child forces you to see things differently. For example, we spend more time at rest stops, in commuter parking lots, and other random places. One stop was brief, but enjoyable. We got a chance to explore the Norwottuck Rail Trail in Northampton, Massachusetts. We went out on the old (decommissioned) train bridge where the trail crosses the Connecticut River. It is a very cool spot. I’m a huge fan of Rail Trails and that is a big reason why we live on one.

Once we reached Vermont, we participated in the Putney Craft Tour, which has become an annual tradition for us. We have been to it five of the last six years. It was a short tour for us this year. We went to four of the many open studios, including Green Mountain Spinnery and Dena Gartenstein Hand-woven Garments. Both shops do wool. The Spinnery is in the raw material business, making yarn from raw wool, cotton, and other materials. Gartenstein is in the weaving business and she teaches weaving too.

The Spinnery has some awesome machines, including a great big Whitin Spinning Frame. I’ve been through there before and will never tire of seeing all of the old clunkers. They still run every day. One of the machines is from 1910 and several others are more than 75 years old. I saw the Whitin brand on several pieces of equipment. Those machines were built in Massachusetts, in a town, known as Whitinsville. There is something seriously romantic about old machines. I wish we hadn’t discarded so many at Horst Engineering. We couldn’t compete with them and just didn’t have room for them anymore…

Gartenstein’s studio is also home to the Vermont Weaving School. We all got a chance to try weaving for ourselves.

We made a brief stop at the Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock, Vermont, to build a Lego turkey. That was a short but fun stop. Then, it was on to the Sugarbush Farm in Queechee, where we stocked up on maple syrup.

The big hit at the farm was the large Kubota tractor. The three-year old doesn’t miss a construction vehicle or tractor.

We spent the night in Hanover, New Hampshire, visiting cousin Monique at her Dartmouth College residence. Hanover is a cool town with good culture. Many of the students had returned home to their families for the weekend, so it was quiet on campus. We had a beautiful walk on Sunday morning. We saw  more construction equipment and a blue heron behind the Dartmouth Outing Club.

On Sunday, we cruised the beautiful roads of Norwich, Vermont, a community that I really like. We saw some great spots, including a little pig farm. Debbie is a big pig fan, but I told her that we would have to stick with photos (rather than the real thing) for now. I told her that manufacturing was tough enough, and that I wasn’t interested in farming.

One of our last stops was back in Queechee at the Simon Pearce mill, one of my favorite spots. The old mill runs on hydro power and contains sample glass blowing and pottery workshops. The heavy production is done in a more modern plant, but the mill houses their retail store, restaurant, and these  model shops. It is so cool to watch the demonstrations, and then browse the finished goods.

Every time we make it to Vermont, we return to Southern New England feeling a bit more relaxed. The pace of life is tiny bit slower up there. The artist community is neat to explore and the countryside is beautiful, even in November.

Manchester Road Race Reflections

Today’s Manchester Road Race was fabulous. I’ll be sore tomorrow, as will many others. Still, most of us will feel good as a result of getting outside on Thanksgiving morning to be with thousands of runners and walkers. The vibe was awesome, the weather was just right, and the results were pleasant. Despite not having the best preparation, I ran 27:02 (26:59 chip time) and finished well. The number that stuck out for me was my 188 average heart rate. For me, that is up there. I haven’t seen high numbers like that in a few years, especially now that I’m well into my 30’s.

There were many other notable performances. I briefly scanned the results, and saw a lot of familiar names. Fellow Bolton residents, Ned and Dani Kennedy had excellent races. Ned was third in the Men’s 50-59 age group. Dani was sixth in the Women’s 50-59 age group. Kathy Manizza, also of Bolton, was fifth in the Women’s 50-59 division. Michael Stoker of South Windsor, who is only 12, was second in the under 13 age group with a wicked fast time of 29:39. Yolanda Flamino, formerly of Ellington, was second in the Women’s 30-39 age group. Ray Prest of Ellington, a long time Shenipisit Strider, was first in the 70-79 division. These age group results are just a handful of examples of fabulous running performances by locals.

Fox 61 and the Hartford Courant have good race coverage.

Dick Beardsley & the Duel in the Sun

Dick Beardsley was the honorary chairperson of this year’s Manchester Road Race. He is  a hall of fame runner and is the third fastest US marathoner of all time. Beardsley is a motivational speaker. His running career ended with injuries and depression, but his brief career was stellar. He is famously known for the incredible 1982 Boston Marathon when he placed second to Alberto Salazar in one of the greatest running races of all time. The Duel in the Sun, as it is known was run on a surprisingly hot April day in Massachusetts.

He and Salazar traded blows for 26.2 miles, with the final salvos coming on Commonwealth Avenue and Boylston Street. Salazar out-kicked Beardsley and neither of them have been the same since. Both dug so deep and pushed so far beyond their limits, that many of their subsequent physical and mental challenges are attributed to the damage done during that race.

The Duel in the Sun was chronicled in a book, and you can watch the stirring video on You Tube. The finish is amazing, so if you have to fast forward, watch the final three minutes.

Salazar found top form again, but Beardsley never regained that fitness level. He went on to suffer from a series of life challenges, including substance abuse, before turning his life around and returning to running. His story is a nice one and it was great to have him in Manchester this week. He spoke to several groups about his running career and his life.

2009 Manchester Road Race

Today, I finished an experiment that started 11 months ago. They say that getting rest the night before a big race is less important than getting rest two nights before the race. Well, I was tired after getting home late on Tuesday, so I figured I would make up for it by going to bed early on Wednesday. Well, the plan didn’t work out. You see, 11 months ago +/_ we conceived a little girl, who was born nine weeks ago. And, after giving us a good stretch of pretty restful nights, she decided to keep us up most of last night with a nasty little cough. Don’t worry, she should be fine. I gave it a go on adrenaline today and it wasn’t all bad.

Today was the 73rd annual Manchester Road Race in Manchester, Connecticut. What an event! The running conditions were perfect. It was cool and a bit damp, but no precipitation fell. The weather was so good that I think a record number of runners started the event. They announced more than 13,000 before we set out on the 4.748 mile course. The traffic and runner congestion felt like it was a big number year. There were rumors that they ran out of race numbers yesterday. If so, that would be something.

Debbie and I ran along with several other members of the family. We even had a walking clan. We were part of the 13,000 strong field. I’ve now done more than 15 of these in a row, and I don’t intend to stop. Debbie met her objective of breaking 35:00 and retaining her “Under 35 Minute Card” for next year. It is important to get a seeding card if you have any intention of running fast. If you get stuck in the crowd, you can’t move. She said that being three minutes slower than her normal time resulted in a lot more runners around her. This was her slowest Manchester yet, but she didn’t have a precedent for running two months after a birth. Her comeback has been a bit slower with this second child. Nevertheless, she gave her all and this is another step towards regaining her fitness.

Athletically, I have had a good year, so there is nothing to complain about. However, I like goals and I have kept a goal for many years: break 27:00 at Manchester. My personal best is 27:18, and that was set 10 years ago in 1999. I ran 27:34 last year, which is respectable. It is very hard to keep fitness in late November. This year, with juggling two kids, work, and the rest of life’s challenges; I shouldn’t have been so hard on myself. Still, I knew coming into the race that I might have a good one in me. Even with a bad night of sleep before the race…

Well, I came up short, but not by much. Unless there is some miracle, my time will be 27:02. That is what my GPS says, and that is what I saw on the clock when I crossed the finish line. I started right up front, so my “chip time” can’t be more than a second faster. Regardless, it is the official time that matters. The cruel part of this is that I’m replaying in my mind where I could have gained three seconds. It is by far, my fastest time, but there is some competitive force within me that prevents me from taking satisfaction in that. I think I’m nuts. If I had broken 27 (finally), I probably would set a new goal. That is what I do.

I lost it in the fourth mile. I was with a good group that included my friend, Brett Stoeffler. He had caught me after three miles and I knew that if I stuck with him, I would reach my goal. He has a history of breaking 27, and he is in good form. Of course, staying with him is easier said than done. He is a famously fast finisher and he also runs a very steady pace. I beat him on trails a few times this year, but I’ve never beaten him on the road. I went out hard, knowing that making up time early was my only shot. My first two miles were fast. I even ran the downhill on Porter Street quicker than ever.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t hold Brett’s pace and I dropped back. When I reached Main St., I knew I still had a remote chance because I had kept him in sight. However, I saw the clock from way back. When it read 26:44, I judged the gap and just ran as hard as I could. As the seconds ticked up, I realized I wasn’t going to make it. There was no way to make up the distance and that is that. The GPS says my heart rate maxed at the finish with a 197 beats. I haven’t seen it that high in a while and I’m happy to know that I was able to kick it into another gear.

When the final results are in, I’ll post again. The overall men’s and women’s winners were Haron Lagat of Kenya, and Alemtsehay Misganaw of Ethiopia.

I am still smiling! Goal setting is an imperfect science and the elusive goals are the best ones. They keep you focused, modest, and working hard. I’m already looking forward to next year. Maybe I will train a bit more in the future. Of course, “maybe’s” and “almost’s” can haunt you.

Race Results

Manchester Community College & Marketing

Yesterday was about education. After hearing T. Boone Pickens speak at Goodwin College in the late afternoon, I returned to work for another hour. Then, it was off to Manchester Community College for night school. I participated on a panel of local business leaders that was convened by my friend, Steve Nelson, for his 200 level Marketing course at MCC.

It had been a few years since I set foot on the MCC campus, but like Goodwin, there is a stunning new building. This classroom wasn’t like the basement-windowless-cinderblock one that I occupied for my Shakespeare course at Boston College during the summer of 1994. This classroom was unreal, with a soaring ceiling, glass on three sides, comfy couches, and art work. It was hard to believe that I was at a community college. Both Goodwin, which is private, and MCC are proof that there is massive demand for affordable schools that are close to home and work. They both cater to “non-traditional” students, which is everyone except the typical 17-22 year old who dreams of a four-year education.

The panel was a lot of fun. This is the second time in a month that I have spoken to a group of students at a Connecticut college. My co-panelists were Amy Bergquist, a Hartford based real estate agent, Dagmar Rapp, a marketing manager from Hewlett-Packard, and Ernie Rutt, the owner of Augie & Ray’s Drive In.

Bergquist’s earlier career was spent in operations at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft and Anderson Consulting. She expressed her excitement for her current career and highlighted her entrepreneurial ambitions. She may eventuall have her own agency. She loves being a sole-proprietor. Rapp has worked in large companies and HP is one of the largest. She does field marketing and shared some of her tactics for building HP’s brand in the local area. Rutt took over from his father, the founder of their restaurant, and has worked hands on in the business all his career. Augie and Ray’s was founded in East Hartford in 1946, the same year that Horst Engineering was founded and is now in its fourth generation.

Rutt was coming off an amazing day where he hosted T. Boone Pickens for lunch. He was still wearing his special Auge & Ray’s golf shirt made in Oklahoma State colors to honor Pickens.  Yesterday, in advance of the visit, they named one of their most popular sandwiches after Pickens. They don’t have a website, but you can’t buy the public relations that they got when Congressman John Larson brought the Pickens entourage to his favorite lunch spot with the media in tow. Thinking about that kind of photo-op gives me the chills. Nice marketing indeed.

So, the four of us took questions from a moderator, recounted our stories, and then took questions from the students. It was a long day, but it ended nicely, sharing our passion for business.

T. Boone Pickens Stars at Goodwin College

 Yesterday, my Horst Engineering colleague, Art Roti, joined me and a host of other folks to hear T. Boone Pickens speak at Goodwin College. Pickens was in town as a guest of US Representative John Larson. Congressman Larson, and Goodwin College President, Mark Scheinberg, hosted Pickens during his brief visit to East Hartford, Connecticut. It was a big day for Goodwin and a big day for East Hartford.

Many local business leaders and politicians attended the pre-event reception at Goodwin’s amazing riverfront complex. The 6th floor room offers great views of Hartford and the Connecticut River. Packed in were a bunch of people with interests in the energy economy, renewable energy, and the environment. Pickens made billions of dollars as an oil industry entrepreneur. He is a geologist by trade and loves to talk about our country’s natural resources.

 

Tired with the status quo, he has put $62,000,000 of his own money into the Pickens Plan. This plan is his effort to move energy policy forward. At the forum, Pickens was full of energy and well spoken regarding our country’s energy issues. He is passionate about his number one objective: reducing the United States’ dependence on foreign oil. Foremost, this is a security issue for Pickens. The efficiency, environmental impact, and economic growth objectives are laudable, but he is most concerned about the fact that we buy much of our oil from countries that don’t like us.

He referred to Venezuela’s President, Hugo Chavez, as a “cluck.” Pickens went on to say that the credibility of the United States has suffered. We are 4% of the world population and we consume 25% of the oil. He pointed out that we are “paying for both sides of these wars” and that over the past 40 years, our increased consumption of foreign oil has resulted in the largest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind.

 

He spent much of the time discussing transportation fuel, one of his favorite topics. His plan calls for the conversion of our heavy trucking industry from diesel fuel to natural gas. He pointed out that our country has abundant natural gas reserves and that we have not pursued the technology. Pickens said that one 18 wheeler is equivalent to 320 cars. Trucks consume a lot of fuel. He says that he has talked to the truckers and that they would get on board with a plan to upgrade the fleet to natural gas. He dismissed questions about natural gas infrastructure and said that it was doable.

 His natural gas for heavy trucks platform is a compliment to Al Gore’s batteries for light vehicles platform. He even said, “I’m with Al,” when talking about batteries. They do seem like an odd couple, considering Pickens’ Oklahoma/Texas oil industry roots. Congressman John Larson has put a bill before Congress (H.R. 1835) that would implement parts of the plan that Pickens is advocating. Larson referred to Pickens as his only “consultant.”

I went to www.pickensplan.com and signed up for the e-mail list. I’m interested in learning more about his personal history. He said that he has pumped millions into this campaign because it is his “mission.” He was too young to serve in World War II, and he had a young family during Korea. He said that this is how he felt, “This is your mission–step up to the plate.”

The visit was a coup for Scheinberg, Goodwin, and East Hartford. Congressman Larson took Pickens to lunch at his favorite local restaurant, Augie & Ray’s Drive In. The Augie & Ray’s staff had custom shirts made with the company logo and Oklahoma State colors. They were very proud to host Pickens.

As the forum wound down, Pickens remarked that he had to get back to Dallas for a dinner meeting. He was primed to hop back on his jet and carry his message elsewhere. Pickens warned the crowd not to think that energy is going to get cheap. Electricity, natural gas, coal, oil, and renewables are all going to require a major commitment on the part of every person. Consumption is as important as supply. Clearly, we need to do things differently. Art Roti and I got a chuckle when Pickens said in reference to the transportation challenges that we face, and the prospect of running out of oil, ”The other option is everybody is going to get on a bicycle…I don’t think that is going to happen.” We looked at each other and both thought, bikes, why not?

Know Your Pace Race

Today, we did a race where finishing first meant nothing and guessing right meant everything. What kind of event was it? Well, it is called the Know Your Pace Race, and it is the only other race permitted on the famous 4.748 mile long Manchester Road Race course. Hosted by the Silk City Striders running club, the race is to see who can run closest to their estimated finishing time. Whether you run fast or slow, you have the same chance to win. Watches, iPods, and GPS’s are banned. You have to right down your estimated finishing time on your race application and then go out and run.

The winner was our friend, John Collins, Jr., who ran :06 faster than his estimate of 32:32. The real race is on Thanksgiving Day, so unless you were racing for one of the coveted seeding cards, you were taking it easy today and just trying to run your pace. John scored some nice home-baked brownies. All of the winner’s took home-baked goods. Barbara Dell was second at :07 seconds off, and Manny Madalena was third at :08 off. Full results here.

Debbie and I ran with the kids. Since our Chariot CX-2 hasn’t arrived yet, we were forced to use two jog strollers. We ran together and we were way off in our estimate. We thought we would run 53:00 and we were more than 11:00 minutes faster than that. Oh well! Our guess put us third from last, which is kind of funny. Fortunately, the rest of the races we run favor the fleet of feet!

An even 100 people ran the course today. There were dozens of other folks out “training” in advance of Turkey Day. 100 runners heading up Highland Street, adorned in reflective orange vests (for safety on a busy Saturday morning) was a cool site. On Thursday, there will be more than 10,000 runners on the course…but no cars.

2009 New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series

The final New England Grand Tree Trail Running Series standings were calculated and posted this week on the Western Massachusetts Athletic Club website. 2100 runners ran at least one Grand Tree race and 75 runners completed the series by finishing a minimum of six races. Ben Nephew was the men’s champ once again, with a 99.85% average. He beat out Brian Rusiecki by only 0.02%. That is pretty close!

Debbie Livingston’s streak of six titles was snapped this year. The timing of her pregnancy was different from 2006 when she won the series by accumulating enough races early in her term and then again after the birth of our son. This year, she only finished four series races during her pregnancy and hasn’t raced since the birth of our daughter in September. Of course, that shouldn’t take away from the awesome season that this year’s winner, Amy Lane, had. She did 12 races and had a 80.92% average. Lisa Doucett was a distant second place for women. If Amy races the series in 2010, and if Debbie makes a successful comeback, then they should give each other some solid competition.

The Stonehead award goes to the runners who have the most total points. Stanislav Trufanov, who ran 15 races, and Michelle Roy, who ran 17 races, took those titles. Thomas Parker ran 19 of the 22 races, which was the most of any runner. I completed seven races and finished 10th in the series with 86.19% average. I raced at a much higher level than ever before. I only had two bad races. Greylock was slow, but it was the day after the Pat Griskus Olympic Distance Triathlon. My other dog was Wapack, which was painful because it was my first race back after Ironman Lake Placid and a three-month layoff from trail running. I hurt my ankle in that race and I’m still nursing the injury. I had a blast at my other five races: Northern Nipmuck, Seven Sisters, Nipmuck Trail Marathon, Breakneck, and Monroe/Dunbar Brook.

Debbie and I plan to tackle the Grand Tree again in 2010.

Inside Business Report with Fred Thompson

Several weeks ago, I started getting messages on my work voicemail from Inside Business Report with Fred Thompson. They chased me hard. The person calling said it was important and that they wanted to feature Horst Engineering on their television show. It has become an instinct to instantly Google anything that I’m not familiar with. I typed the name of the show into the search field and tracked down their lame website.

I knew it was a scam from the get go. The host is Fred Thompson, but at the time, the site hadn’t been updated with fresh news in a month. I’m not sure whose pockets are getting lined with the income, but it was a weak pitch. Since I’m curious about these things, I phoned the “assistant to the producer.” He never gave more than his first name. He insisted that I set up a meeting with the producer to discuss Horst Engineering’s segment. So, I went along with it and set up a phone call.

The producer dialed me at the scheduled time and I listened to him go on and on about the value of the show and how many people watched it. I inquired how he found Horst Engineering. He told me that their “research analysts” tracked us down. He mentioned something about featuring manufacturing and that our story would be great for the show. So, knowing how much research they did to find us, I asked him what kind of manufacturing we did. He avoided the question and went on again about manufacturing in general. I cut him off at the knees by inquiring about their lousy website. He made some excuse about not updating it. So, knowing that this TV show was interested more in our money than our story, I asked him how much they were charging for Horst Engineering to be on the segment. He didn’t flinch. He said, “$19,000.” I simply said, please remove us from your calling list.

The funny part about the story is that the “assistant to the producer” must have mixed up his files. He called again this week, as if we had never spoken before. This time, I think he got the message.

Catching up with the Appalachian Mountain Club in Boston

The Appalachian Mountain Club is cranking. We recently closed on the purchase of 29,500 additional acres of land in Maine’s 100-mile Wilderness Region. This came at the end of a successful $45MM campaign to support the larger Maine Woods Initiative. Known as the Roach Ponds tract, this land abuts the 37,000 acre Katahdin Iron Works property that we already own, and extends our reach in a region that was already threatened by land development.

The vision that AMC’s leaders had more than five years ago has come to fruition much faster than anyone expected. Debbie and I got a nice update on the club’s growth when we attended a Board of Advisors meeting earlier this week in Boston. The progress with MWI has been remarkable and our club is now positioned to take advantage of our land conservation efforts. Our system of Maine Sporting Camps will expand again in 2010 with the addition of the Gorman Chairback Camps. Debbie and I haven’t been to the KIW property since our last trip to Little Lyford Pond Camps nearly six years ago. Acquiring LLPC was the first step that AMC took towards establishing our major presence in Maine.

Our trip to Boston was a quick one. Since our BOA meeting was at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, I dressed like a banker. The Fed was an interesting place to have a meeting, but as you would expect, the conference facilities were top-notch. It was somewhat ironic that we were in a city skyscraper discussing the expansion of our wilderness land holdings. AMC recently revised its mission. We are the oldest recreation and conservation organization in the country, with more than 100,000 members. With the global environment facing such challenges, AMC is uniquely positioned to make a difference and it is cool to be part of that process.

Business Wisdom You Can’t Buy

Earlier this week, I had the pleasure of attending a small breakfast education event that had a big impact. Our group of business leaders got to hear from three Connecticut retail industry leaders: Jack Mitchell of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs, Suzanne Zarilli of Wish List, and Roxanne Coady of RJ Julia Independent Booksellers. All three lead businesses that were among the first businesses to feel the economic downturn. In the case of Mitchells/Richards/Marshs and Wish List, they sell high-end fashions (one really high-end and one casual high-end) and are based in the southwestern part of Connecticut. They were both affected by the financial industry collapse because their clients were right at the epicenter. Fairfield County is a bedroom community for many Wall Street employees. As for RJ Julia, they were already in a tough market before the collapse. As one of the last remaining successful independent book stores, they are faced with fierce competition from both larger chain store rivals and the Internet. They have managed to succeed despite difficult circumstances. The key is that they focus on their niche and execute.

I though Manufacturing was a tough market to be in, but when you hear war stories from retailers, you realize that all business is tough. Their challenges are different from ours, but no less significant. All three CEO’s spoke eloquently about their businesses. You can’t help but be motivated when you hear success stories from small business leaders. I always come away from these events with fresh ideas and a new perspective. Jack Mitchell was funny and interesting. His “heart and head” approach to management isn’t rocket science, but it is a simple mantra that you can repeat. In addition to being one of the second generation leaders of his family’s business, he is a best-selling author. Jack wrote Hug Your Customers and Hug Your People. Both books share his theme of leading with kindness.

I often seek out the counsel of business leaders like these three. At Horst Engineering, we do this within our industry on many fronts. We exchange ideas about technology, lean enterprise, and business development. Earlier this month, two peer companies allowed us to tour their plants and see some awesome manufacturing equipment. Sharing best practices is a sure way to advance your own objectives. When you gather the ideas that others have to offer, you form your own approach. In business, as in sport, you have to learn from the best if you aspire to be the best.