As a lad growing up in the 1950's I had a number of heroes. Since sports was my life they were in that area. Henry Aaron and Oscar Robertson were my two favorites. I tried to emulate their every athletic move. I read voraciously about their exploits.
As I matured in life I found other heroes. My paternal grandfather was a true life one. He didn't do anything major but he was a gentleman, talented in gardening and carpentry and he practiced his Roman Catholic faith they way it should be done. Sadly, I never told him how I felt. He passed away in 1975 and I still think of him. My college baseball coach is another; not so much because of his baseball knowledge but due to the way he treated people and his love for his wife and children.
The greatest hero of them all passed away this Monday past. His name was and still is David C. Orlowski. DCO was my boss for twenty years after I left education in 1988. He hired me as a regional sales manager for Ohio, every state around it and the province of Ontario. It was my job sell a product about which I had no knowledge. It, the Inpro/Seal Bearing Isolator, was invented by him. Basically, it is a product to used to keep oil in bearing housings of rotating equipment. It didn't allow for any outside contamination to get into the bearings. I hung out if steel mills, paper mills, refineries, power plants; any place that was downright dirty. I know it became THE product because by the time I retired in 2012 we had 14 competitors and controlled 69% of the world market. On day I told DCO he was to the industrial world what Steve Jobs was to computers. He like that.
I was the last person in the world to be qualified to sell this type of product. As I've oft said, I'm so stupid when it comes to things of this nature I couldn't start a push lawnmower.
Dave gave me an opportunity. The day I was hired he said, "If you're taking this job to make a lot of money I don't want you. If you take it to do a good job the money will take care of itself."
Dave was the most humble man I ever met. He wanted his salesmen to be successful and make a good living. His philosophy wasn't happen stance. He left Marquette after his sophomore year majoring in engineering. He told me, humbly, he knew more than his professors and I believe him. As a 21 year old kid he took a job with a subsidiary of Owens-Corning selling in ground fiber glass tanks on straight commission. He made $125,000 that first year, 1958, and was promptly fired. He made more than the president of the company. Ego's are a horrible thing especially when they're negative ones. Hence, Mr. Orlowski made up his mind if here was ever in a position to have his own staff he'd treat them differently and he did.
A story to illustrate Dave's humility: I've mentioned this before but it's worth repeating. One September day our entire international sales staff of 20 was in a meeting. The Boss was meeting with Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric. There was a rumor going around that Dave was going to raise our bogey number to get an extra 5% commission. One of the salesman was Whaley Hall. He was a former football player at the University of Mississippi. Whaley was a character; wore wild bright clothes, had a pony tail and surrounded his wrists and neck with turquoise ornaments. When Whaley heard the rumor he was incensed with anger; ran upstairs and rushed into Dave's office while he was with Welch. He yelled out, "I heard you're raising the f*cking bogey and if you do you can go sh*t in your hat." Jack Welch's jaw dropped to the floor. After he picked it up he said to my boss, "I can't believe you let your salesmen talk to you that way." Mr. Orlowski, in a quiet tone said, "Hey, he's my number one salesman. I can always buy a new hat." It was a classic response for a man we'd all take a bullet for in life.
As an employee of Inpro I used to carry around a notebook in my hip pocket and whenever Dave spoke I knew it would be something for reflection and a carryover for later in life. I still look at it.
In all the years I worked for and with Dave I never once had a negative word to say about him. Not once did I question his judgement or decisions. I'm the luckiest guy in the world. If only we all worked for a man such as this.
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