Denny DeWitt: My Sam
My friend Ron Pavellas has been my mentor since the mid 1970s. We met when he was a hospital administrator in Modesto, California, and I worked for the California Hospital Association. He provided guidance for about four years to me before moving to Alaska. He encouraged me to apply for the CEO of the Alaska hospital association, which is the job that brought me to Alaska in 1980. Along the way...
Read MoreOtis Winters: My Sam
Everyone who chooses a career in business needs someone to help them navigate the unknown shoals. I was a naive young man starting a new company and tended to believe everything I was told. Fortunately, a wise man crossed my path. He was the senior partner of a regional accounting firm and became the Chairman of my Board of Directors. He was approximately the same age as my father and like most...
Read MoreAnna Falling: My Sam
One spring day my dad introduced me to a friend of his who was building his own airplane. I was 12 at the time. For some reason, I got it in my head that I sure would like to fly that little two-seater airplane. Sure enough, not too long afterward the plane was ready to fly and my dad made arrangements for me to take a ride. After an exhilarating afternoon in the clouds, flying over the rivers...
Read MoreSuzanne Yack: My Sam
I had this publisher once. He was new at his job, I was new at mine. I had two kids in middle school and probably bit off more than I could chew stepping up to run the newsroom during a tectonic shift in management. Now my publisher was young, ambitious, smart and occasionally brash, and he set standards for conduct. His ethical approach to news was admirable — he came from the news side...
Read MoreA Note From The Author
Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoy your time here. The purpose of this blog is twofold: First, to give you the opportunity to read the stories of others’ Sams and learn from their wisdom; Second, I hope you share your own Sam story – to thank those who helped you and to share what you learned as well. Please feel free to leave comments. To submit a guest blog for...
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