Last week, I learned that Robin Williams and I were born in the same year, ’51. A day or so after his death I happened across this tribute video and one particular quote struck a chord with me: “None of us are very long on this earth. Life is fleeting…Make your life spectacular.” It got …
This year, I was fortunate to attend The Masters, hosted at Augusta National Golf Club, as the guest of a friend who is the son of a former Masters champion. After my time of 4 days there, I got to thinking about the means and methods of being successful on course vs in business: Stay after it. When a …
Impressive things are happening in the “Black Belt” town of Greensboro, Alabama. The area was named for its rich topsoil when cotton was king, and is now facing a variety of challenges. For the last few years, a grassroots group of folks from around the nation have focused their efforts down South, inciting change in …
A couple of years ago, we had the opportunity to work on a piece of Americana. Rickwood Field, the oldest baseball park in the country, called on us to remodel the locker rooms, perform structural modifications to the grandstand and our favorite–build a historically accurate scoreboard. Our work there was a part of history, something to …
While I’ve been visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains for a long time, a few years ago I found a place that captivated me. I connected with the story of Lonesome Valley and the beautiful land there. Last week, the Jennings family (brother Dick, sisters Sally and Binford) stopped by our place for a visit. They shared …
For three years running, Barber Motorsports Park has hosted the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Stewart Perry has been there from the beginning, enjoying the weekend of family fun the races provide. This year, highlights included the entry of V6 turbo-charged Chevy and Lotus engines and a chance to ride the ferris wheel from Neverland …
We like to consider the folks we work with an extended family. And, like most families, Stewart Perry has a few holiday traditions. Every year, we pick a weekend in December for all the team members who work on job sites come to our home office. We get a few meetings out of the way …
You’ve heard about an idea locker? Well how about an idea freezer? This post from Jeremiah Owyang talks about one of my favorite ways to enjoy time disconnected from work: The idea freezer. For him, it’s a notebook that allows you to jot down ideas and to-dos as they come to you. The thought is …
Did you know the oldest baseball park in the country is in Birmingham, Alabama? Rickwood Field was built here in the early 1900s. Until Legion Field was erected, Rickwood was the only major sports facility in town. The park hosted not only the Barons and Black Barons baseball teams, but college football teams from all …
As important as office presence may be, I’m a firm believer in pockets of downtime. A break from email and task-oriented duties, however small, always brings me back to a top priority: family and friends. When a customer (who I also count as a good friend) invited me to join him and his wife at …
In my travels I get to experience some cool things and this recent experience reminded me of things that many us take for granted. This recently happened to me during my last visit to the Dakota’s this fall. After arriving, we gathered in a small bar and were approached by a young man who …
A few weeks ago I asked my nearly grown children, ages 25, 20 and 17 to accompany their dad to a rustic Inn that has been welcoming guests since 1922 – High Hampton. This is a place where you will not find TV, Internet or even air conditioning in the rooms. Instead, you will find …