Page 85 - Gary's Book - Final Copy 7.9.2017_Active

service manager in the University of Excellence, which taught junior managers
how to become executives across the USA. I started at $75,000 per year with some
bonus considerations. I had about 500 employees from 50 call centers and a budget
of $92M for the year for training. I reported to an assistant vice-president who

reported to a senior vice-president of human resources who reported to Bill Esrey,
Chairman/CEO of Sprint. Bill told me the reason I got the position was because of
my business knowledge and experience, my problem-solving ability and my
people-to-dollar accountability. Unfortunately, a major reorganization took place
18 months later and with the cost reductions put in place, my group was eliminated
– my job with it.

I was willing to do anything, as always. Believe it or not, my next job was being a

stock boy for Emporium Drug Store. Later I was hired by Ridgelight Consulting
and assigned to a special project for a company in Omaha, Nebraska, that Mr.
Warren Buffet had purchased. Yes, the Warren Buffet! I was paid $1,000 per day
plus expenses. Warren was an interesting guy - not a good businessman - but great
at selecting subordinates that made him look good.

Then I received a phone call from Seth Waites asking if I was interested in
becoming a senior consultant for Gartner Group headquartered in Stamford,
Connecticut, with a regional office in Raleigh, North Carolina. I could remain in
Kansas for the time being but would need to eventually relocate to Raleigh. I
would start at $99,908 per year with a signing bonus of $10,000 and a $15,000
bonus target and a $25,000 relocation allowance. The assignment was for me to
offer professional application services and information technology (IT) to the

telecommunications industry. I took the job and spent about 70% of my time in
front of all major telephone companies presenting contracts. I was successful and it
was beneficial until the company headquarters in Stamford elected to sell the
division; all 45 people in Raleigh were released. Thankfully, I never relocated to

Raleigh. On July 12, 2002, with a 2 ½ month severance check, it was over for me.

At this point I decided to retire, and we moved to SaddleBrooke, Arizona, just
outside of Tucson. This needs no explaining. [Chuckle, chuckle!]

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