Homage To A Classy Guy

Walsh Enterprises Business & Financial Advisors Huntington Beach, California USA http://www.awalsh.us walshal1@aol.com (714) 465-2749 Homage to a Classy Guy A Lesson In Business and Life Al Walsh Reprinted from A blog posted in December 2008 at www.walshal.wordpress.com, with slight editing.

George Ramirez was a proud Mexican who spent his childhood at a remote quarry in Arizona. His first venture into business involved scratching out a “golf course” in the desert floor near the quarry and offering to caddy for the bored quarry managers for a small fee; thus raising spending money. George eventually left home and came to Los Angeles seeking his fortune. I don’t believe he had even a High School education. He was walking neighborhoods looking for work when he came across a guy who was tearing down an old wall to build a new one. George asked for work, and the guy asked him if he knew how to build a brick wall. George lied copiously, took the job, then went out and found some laborers who did. Together they built the wall to the customer’s satisfaction, and a fledgling landscape design business was born. Long before George hung up his spurs at about age 75, he had the elite of Los Angeles area society clamoring for his services. George had several personal attributes that made him stand out as a man and as a businessman. He had a quiet old-world charm, he was sincerely humble, and he liked people. He also had the knack for speaking up at appropriate moments to get business. He was honest to a fault. But most importantly, he readily admitted his shortcomings and sought help as necessary.

By his own admission, George learned most of what he knew from the people who worked for him. He hustled business, his workers brought the expertise, and they performed the work together. The business finally grew to the point where George spent all his time on client relations & business admin while supervisors ran the crews. He shared the profits liberally with his employees, and everyone benefitted. I never worked with George (he was an uncle by marriage), but I experienced first-hand the special relationship he had with his customers & employees because he used his home as his showroom and often combined business with social affairs; including his employees in the fun. George is gone now, but far from forgotten in the hearts of those who knew him. Some of you may be familiar with his work from visits to the Los Angeles County Fair. George had a garden exhibit there for many years that routinely took top honors. From my perspective, George represents the finest qualities of a businessman and a human being. He provides an example for us all to follow. Al Walsh

Homage To A Classy Guy

by Alan Walsh on Jul 12, 2009

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