My Favorite Riders in January

My 10,000th rider was picked up a couple weeks ago and I posted a blog just on that ride.

A GREAT AMERICAN SUCCESS STORY: We have heard stories about people who come to America with nothing and achieve success, but how often do you get a chance to talk to someone who did it? Without a doubt, she is my favorite rider of the month. I noticed right away that she had a beautiful accent and she said she was from Romania. (East of Hungary and south of Ukraine) She was excited to see a bill from Romania hanging in my car. She arrived in this country over twenty years ago, "With only a backpack and shoes." She did not speak English, but was helped out a lot by watching cartoons on TV with captions. She was here on a college visa, but after a month in New York she decided not to go to school, but to work and make something of herself. She said, "I was working at times for $3 an hour, I worked my ass off." She explained, "I was not going to give up."

Today, she is an executive assistant, married with two kids and living in Suburban Chicago. I asked her, "What kind of company do you work for?" She said, "I can't tell you that." When she was hired she signed confidentiality papers and she can not talk about the company or her boss. She did say he was a VIP for the upcoming Super Bowl.(VIP tickets range up to $81,000 per seat)  She told me that she loves her job, because, "Every day is a different challenge." The first time she came to the area office in the South, she walked in and told people all the things she needed and she realized right away that things move slower down here. She is obviously successful and works for a big time CEO, but she is also a delightful person with an inspiring story. She made my day and our ride to the airport was an absolute pleasure.

THE MYSTERY MAN: He was in Charleston for a meeting with 800 very successful people at the convention center. They call it Renaissance Weekend and it is a very unusual event. It was created 42 years ago to have leaders from all walks of life to gather and share their knowledge and  discuss ideas. It is invitation only and over the years people in government, entertainment, business, religion and science have given presentations on their experience and have sat on committees completely out of their field of success. If you look up "Renaissance Weekend" you'll be impressed.  Groups meet in places around the world several times during the year.

My rider has had a lot of success in business and currently works with wealthy people to, "Help them find out who they really are separate from their success". He was carrying a small guitar and told me that when there's a break he needs a mental break from the conversation.  He goes out to a street corner and plays music and talks with people who stop to hear his music.  He told me that in Charleston, "People were telling what to see and what to." I've never heard about this kind of gathering, but it's really a who's who in life.

SELLING, NOT DRINKING WINE: The two women I took to the airport were from Tuscany, Italy( a region in Central Italy with around four million people)  They are cousins and work in the family winery.  One woman was training the other one and they have about ten salespeople who travel around the United States visiting their customers.  The woman being trained had a terrific name, Noemi, which means happiness in Italian. I asked her trainer what did she like about traveling our country.  She told me that the people were, "Very friendly and helpful." She also said that, "If you walk outside in your pajamas no one cares." The sales trips they take are usually 2-3 weeks long and then they get a break when they are home.  It was a very enjoyable ride and I could tell they had a very good business trip.

TURNING ASHES INTO DIAMONDS: The 20 year old guy had a big goal that he was working on with his brother, 25 and a jeweler.  They had lost both their parents and are determined to help people with their grieving for loved ones. "I got the idea because my brother loves diamonds. I said to him, when you die I'll turn your ashes into diamonds." He said there was one company in Canada that did this and they now have an LLC set up and a patent for their business.  They have a great name for the company also, but since it didn't start I'm not sharing it.  He explained the process to me and said, "Two cups of ashes equals one karat." I was impressed with the details he went into, even explaining that the finished product would be delivered personally to the person's door to make it special.  He and his brother's ultimate goal would be to sell the successful company and build homeless shelters and revitalize playgrounds in underprivileged neighborhoods.

Checking with "Mr. Google" I did find out this is a real business and there are a number of businesses that do this, one financed my billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban.  There is a market for this and I hope they succeed with their business.  I've met a number of very focused young people and it is always inspiring to talk with them.

THE ROCK BAND MANAGER: He was heading to the airport because the band he is with, "Widespread Panic", was playing in Mexico. He spent a lot of years living in Colorado and since I just visited there last year, we spent a lot of time talking about the Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater pictured below. He said, "Our band holds the record for most consecutive sellouts, 67." He also told me that, If you're sitting in the first few rows or way up top, the sound you hear is very different because of the wind". He was very knowledgeable and fun to speak with. I told him that The Beatles did not sell out here in 1964 on their first summer tour, because their younger fans could not get there. He told me that rock concerts were banned from there in the early eighties and I looked it up and it was a five year ban due to a riot at Jethro Tull concert where 1,000 fans without tickets stormed the gates to get in.

MUSIC IS HIS PASSION: Picking up a chef/cook early in the morning is very routine for me, however, this wasn't just any chef.  He told me he was off yesterday and was playing his guitar and time just flew by.  When he said he lived in Colorado for 13 years, (In both towns my two kids now live in), I knew I had to bring up Red Rocks, which I visited this past summer.  He not only worked there, but he knew the manager of "Widespread Panic" very well.  His enthusiasm for Red Rocks was unbelievable and I think they should hire him to promote the place.  He said, "I've seen 500 shows at Red Rocks. There's nothing like it in the world. If you have the chance you have to see a concert there, just do it.  Talking about it is bringing me to tears." He usually sits in the same section and has made a lot of friends there too. He talked about seeing, "Greg Allman just before he died and Paul Simon was awesome." He sold me, I have to see someone perform there, maybe this year?