My Greatest Business Decision

This past Thursday evening I had the privilege of attending the Twin Cities Business 2009 Minnesota Business Hall of Fame dinner.  Five men – Viet Ngo, Dennis Frandsen, Edward Jay Phillips, Michael Fiterman and Carl Platou – were honored for their unique and lasting contributions to the Twin Cities business community.


Each honoree was given five minutes to address the audience.  What struck me was that each honoree not only gave thanks to their wife, but they thanked them as their business partner.  One honoree, Michael Fiterman, went so far as to refer to marrying his wife as his “greatest business decision.”


I think that those words apply equally to me.  I get a lot of kudos and accolades for what I do – from clients, networking contacts, colleagues, and the like.  In reality, however, the kudos and accolades belong to my wife, Jennifer.


Why do I refer to marrying Jennifer as my greatest business decision?  Because all of my business success stems back to that decision.  What do I mean?  Well, for starters, Jennifer pushes me to be the very best I can be, and to never settle for less than what my talents and abilities allow me to achieve.


If I had to pick two events that catapulted me from your average ordinary attorney to “the business man’s lawyer”, they would be my move to Mansfield Tanick & Cohen in December 2004 and our family’s move to the City of Albertville in September 2006.


Joining Mansfield Tanick & Cohen allowed me the freedom to develop my own practice while at the same time learning from some of the best legal minds in town, and our move to the cusp of central Minnesota has allowed me to develop a solid client base in Sherburne, Wright and Stearns counties.


These two decisions were not originally mine, but Jennifer’s.  She has continued to support my career development, foregoing vacations and holding down the homefront whilst I work from dawn until dusk.  Additionally, her background in retail, finance, marketing and politics gives her the ability to understand  what exactly it is that I do all day, and why I do it, and her eternal patience keeps her from wringing the neck of a person who is not always the easiest to deal with.


So, on this 27th day of July, 2009 – our seventh wedding anniversary, I want to say thank you to the most important person in my life, marriage to whom will always be my greatest business decision.


Happy Anniversary Jennifer; I love you very much.