Commentary From Our President
“9-11”: Remembering & Bonding This Thanksgiving By Mike Sleeper, Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Distributors, Inc.
The day will be forever sealed in our memory. Everyone will recall where he or she was when the attack occurred and how it affected us. For me, although I did not endure the suffering and losses of many others, my heart and mind were opened as never before. We tend to take for granted a nation where the pursuit of peace blends with commerce, which is the essence and value of living in a free society.
When the events occurred on the morning of September 11, I was in California attending a non-foods trade conference. Having spent an intensive three days with our staff reviewing products and programs with leading HBC vendors, my mind was focused on getting home and back to the regular routine of business.
On that fateful Tuesday morning as the conference was coming to a close, while packing to catch a 9:30 flight and thinking about a 7 a.m. board of directors meeting, it wasn’t until entering the meeting room that the unimaginable devastation in New York and Washington became known to me.
Ashen-faced, our chairman shared the unthinkable news. Within seconds, thoughts were jolted from business to home, from associates to loved ones and from normal routine to anxious concern. Airports closed, flights canceled, marooned in a hotel, the immediate instinct was to get home.
Hundreds of association members with their own travel-or-wait ideas were forced to think rationally, not to panic. For the Imperial team, all eight of us, the decision was to stick together and get home as a group. We needed to leave the hotel. Waiting around would be too painful. So the next day—Wednesday– in two jam-packed rental vans (the last available), we headed East, prepared to drive all the way from Palm Springs to Massachusetts, if necessary, but hoping to catch a flight in a major city along the way.
Our group included Al Jones, Senior Vice President for Procurement, and his wife, Carol; Kevin Howe, HBC Category Manager, and his wife Diane; Promotional Buyer , Allen Nadler and his wife Beverly; and Steve Dubin, HBC Beauty Care Category Manager. Headed for Phoenix, our first destination, equipped with walkie-talkie phones to keep our caravan of two in close contact, and with radios alternating between difficult news and music to raise our spirits, we began our journey home.
But after two hours in 110-degrees desert heat, the air conditioning conked out, forcing an unplanned stop. In a small town where an enterprising car mechanic–who also served as justice of the peace and notary public–filled the freon and sent us on our way. On to Phoenix, three hours later than expected, we were ready to bed down for the night. After learning no flights were available and. the news detailing the numbers of people who had perished, it was an uneasy night’s sleep.
Thursday morning, it was off to Albuquerque. Admiring the desert in the foreground and the magnificent mountains looming above, we were absorbed in views that became emotional at times as we admired the beauty of our great land.
Instant displays of patriotism appeared as we passed lines of truckers waving the flag on Highway 10 and Route 66. A sober but prideful moment came when we witnessed the passing of a train carrying a battalion of tanks and armored cars headed west. A radio report telling of a mosque had been set afire and a hate-crime took the life of an innocent victim, making a mockery of the diversity from which our country has drawn its strength.
From every vantage-point of the highway, islands of commerce could be seen: Wal-Mart, Albertson’s, Kroger, IGA, all affirming America’s freedom and enterprise.
From Albuquerque, we drove on to Amarillo, Texas, arriving at 1 a.m. (still no flights available). After catching a few hours of sleep before hitting the road at 6 a.m. to Oklahoma City and then on to St. Louis, our spirits were lifted as we passed a highway sign pointing to “ Sleeper, Missouri”, a good omen. Checked into a Hilton airport hotel, a big step up from previous motels and a welcome break from fast food.
Saturday morning—Great news! Eight tickets reserved on a flight to Hartford, Connecticut. Arrived at the St. Louis airport nearly four hours before flight time, with long lines of patient travelers; stiff security and searches, and fighter jets patrolling air space, we were headed home!!!
Landing in Hartford, completing our three-day odyssey of nearly 4,000 miles, we were both relieved and fully bonded with a heightened appreciation to be back home. I felt blessed to have traveled with a strong and loyal Imperial team.
And for this coming Thanksgiving, I will give special thanks for the faith we have in one another and in the strong belief that our great country will remain a beacon of freedom for peaceful nations everywhere.
For comments or questions, E-mail: msleeper@imperialdistributors.com