2011
Remembering Steve Jobs
Remembering Steve Jobs
In 1984 an Apple representative came to visit me and asked us to take a look at the Macintosh and become a reseller. After I spent the weekend with a first generation Macintosh I was convinced that I should become a dealer for Apple. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made in business.
In 1995 I flew out to Cupertino, California on my first trip to the Apple Campus. It was a meeting that I was very curious about because of a number of rumors swirling around about Apple. They were struggling at the time, and because of that, so was I. After the meeting, I was able to meet then-CEO Dr. Gil Amelio. It wasn't part of the plan, but as an owner of an Apple store, I wanted to try to influence the direction that Apple might be headed. Things didn't look too good during that time period and I pressed Dr. Amelio to recognize the Apple dealers who specialized in mostly Apple computers, and he approved the Apple Specialist program. During that meeting I asked if I could serve on the reseller advisory board, and was soon asked to serve. I was fortunate enough to serve on the Apple Reseller Advisory Board from 1996 to 2006, which made me the longest serving member. I learned so much during that tenure, and was able to see Steve Jobs return to Apple as its interim CEO, and then full-time CEO.
I wish I had journaled more of my time at our Apple meetings, but we were under non-disclosure agreements, so I made point not to write anything down. As a member of the advisory board, we met often with a lot of people at Apple to discuss issues and plans. They wanted our feedback on being a reseller and we were happy to give it.
At one point during of my visits, I believe in 1997, I was at the store that Apple has on campus where you can buy Apple logo shirts and branded items. As I was looking around, I noticed Steve walking in his typical bouncy walk down the sidewalk. He always sort of walked on his toes and was easy to spot. For some reason I decided to walk out and introduce myself. No one was with him, and he seemed very happy to be there. I walked out toward the street and he saw me coming and stopped to talk with me. I introduced myself as an Apple dealer from Kansas, and he asked me what I thought of the newest reseller programs and we spoke for a few minutes. He was very polite and interested in what I had to say about Apple. Over the next several years, Steve would join in on meetings that I was attending, and he was always nice, and respectful to me. However, some of the meetings met his reputation and he would skewer someone and then immediately leave the meeting.
My personal experiences around Steve were always good, and when he was blunt with someone it was because he knew he didn't have much time to make a difference. He knew that time was of the essence for Apple and for him. He didn't have time for "good enough", he wanted the best, and he wanted the best people to help him get there. He always had a vision about what he wanted, and he was going to get there no matter what. Steve was a truly remarkable man.
I've never shared any of my stories about Steve with anyone publicly, but now I feel like I have to admit that I truly liked the guy. He came and saved Apple when it needed saving, and in the process saved me. I didn't think that his passing would make me so sad, but it has. Right now, I think of his family, his children, Steve Wozniak and others who must be completely devastated by this. Steve built a great company, and a great legacy. Apple will be fine, but his family will dearly miss him.
Thank you Steve Jobs, for changing the world, and mine.
Richard Haddock
In 1984 an Apple representative came to visit me and asked us to take a look at the Macintosh and become a reseller. After I spent the weekend with a first generation Macintosh I was convinced that I should become a dealer for Apple. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made in business.
In 1995 I flew out to Cupertino, California on my first trip to the Apple Campus. It was a meeting that I was very curious about because of a number of rumors swirling around about Apple. They were struggling at the time, and because of that, so was I. After the meeting, I was able to meet then-CEO Dr. Gil Amelio. It wasn't part of the plan, but as an owner of an Apple store, I wanted to try to influence the direction that Apple might be headed. Things didn't look too good during that time period and I pressed Dr. Amelio to recognize the Apple dealers who specialized in mostly Apple computers, and he approved the Apple Specialist program. During that meeting I asked if I could serve on the reseller advisory board, and was soon asked to serve. I was fortunate enough to serve on the Apple Reseller Advisory Board from 1996 to 2006, which made me the longest serving member. I learned so much during that tenure, and was able to see Steve Jobs return to Apple as its interim CEO, and then full-time CEO.
I wish I had journaled more of my time at our Apple meetings, but we were under non-disclosure agreements, so I made point not to write anything down. As a member of the advisory board, we met often with a lot of people at Apple to discuss issues and plans. They wanted our feedback on being a reseller and we were happy to give it.
At one point during of my visits, I believe in 1997, I was at the store that Apple has on campus where you can buy Apple logo shirts and branded items. As I was looking around, I noticed Steve walking in his typical bouncy walk down the sidewalk. He always sort of walked on his toes and was easy to spot. For some reason I decided to walk out and introduce myself. No one was with him, and he seemed very happy to be there. I walked out toward the street and he saw me coming and stopped to talk with me. I introduced myself as an Apple dealer from Kansas, and he asked me what I thought of the newest reseller programs and we spoke for a few minutes. He was very polite and interested in what I had to say about Apple. Over the next several years, Steve would join in on meetings that I was attending, and he was always nice, and respectful to me. However, some of the meetings met his reputation and he would skewer someone and then immediately leave the meeting.
My personal experiences around Steve were always good, and when he was blunt with someone it was because he knew he didn't have much time to make a difference. He knew that time was of the essence for Apple and for him. He didn't have time for "good enough", he wanted the best, and he wanted the best people to help him get there. He always had a vision about what he wanted, and he was going to get there no matter what. Steve was a truly remarkable man.
I've never shared any of my stories about Steve with anyone publicly, but now I feel like I have to admit that I truly liked the guy. He came and saved Apple when it needed saving, and in the process saved me. I didn't think that his passing would make me so sad, but it has. Right now, I think of his family, his children, Steve Wozniak and others who must be completely devastated by this. Steve built a great company, and a great legacy. Apple will be fine, but his family will dearly miss him.
Thank you Steve Jobs, for changing the world, and mine.
Richard Haddock
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