Sunday, August 17, 2008

Take Time To Celebrate The Journey!

This week my father, H.W. “Mike” Kooyman turns 80 years old.

He was born in 1928 in Northeastern Ohio. He is the youngest of eight kids and he is the only one of the eight to be born in the United States.

My grandfather and grandmother immigrated to the US from Alkmaar – the cheese capital of Holland.

My father went to a one-room schoolhouse and is the only one of the eight kids to graduate High School.

He attended Case Western Reserve University and has a degree in political science from Ohio State University.

He started working right after WWII in Cleveland for a manufacturing company. Cleveland and manufacturing were booming then.

When he married my mother, it was controversial at the time. My mother was an Italian Catholic and my father was protestant. He did not convert, but the priest went on to marry them in the church.

He went on to manage departments, offices, manufacturing plants, divisions, company acquisitions and whole corporations. He also served on the board of a couple global companies, headed up a few economic and commerce groups and helped to launch several non-profit organizations.

When he retired twelve years ago, he and my mother moved to a college town where they volunteer their time to support student athletes.

My Dad also took up landscaping, raising chickens, racing antique cars and being a grandfather.

Today, he remains more active and involved in things at a level that seems to outpace both my sister and me combined.

I talk to my father most every morning.

One of the things that I am always struck by is that he always answers the phone with a smile and positive outlook on the day.

He has taught me many things over the course of time, but his optimism is perhaps the greatest gift of all.

When you listen to the politicians and the press today, it sounds like we are in the midst of the downfall of America.

Sometimes clients can convey a negative outlook on life as well.

Over the course of the next several weeks, the BrandVenture team will be presenting a new overall branding campaign for a hospital, developing new media channeling strategy for an academic institution, revamping an adventure experience restaurant chain for national franchise launch, launching a new form of visual assessment technology and listening to consumers reaction to global “green-cause” rebranding positioning options of a multi-billion dollar corporation.

Cool companies and organizations doing cool stuff.

But this week…well I am going to be celebrating along with a myriad of friends, family, business associates and community supporters my Father’s achievements over 80 years of living life.

While destinations are always wonderful, we are fueled in life by the process of getting there. When we look back across time, it’s really the process that we remember most.

Happy Birthday Dad…and let's celebrate your wonderful Journey!

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