Do The Right Thing

It was two weeks before the 2016 NASCAR Championship weekend and my task list was overflowing when my customer called and asked for another last-minute addition.

There was a new sponsor that wanted to showcase their product inside our hospitality space and my customer wanted to know if I had any extra bandwidth as NASCAR would like my help in getting them set up. The customer knew that we were slammed, that the footprint was already overcrowded, and that our small production team was out of energy and almost out of time. 

I was told that it was my decision, and that if I said that we couldn’t support this request then NASCAR would understand and tell the potential new sponsor that it was too late. 

Growing up at a racetrack, I knew that the key was getting sponsors to the track and ensuring they were in on the action. If I said no, NASCAR would struggle to keep this lead hot throughout the off season and run the risk of them losing interest before the 2017 season.

As you might have guessed, my teammates and I worked overtime to guarantee that this new sponsor felt welcome and ensured that their high-definition screens were properly showcased inside the NASCAR Hospitality Club.

It’s funny how fate plays out. 

That sponsor had a great time and signed a three-year sponsorship that enables them to provide their high-definition mini Jumbotrons to almost every NASCAR event. That weekend had many highlights including new friendships that I made with that sponsor—ISM Connect—and their screen manufacturing partners at LG-MRI.

You might know how the ISM Connect part of this story played out (they purchased my event company and hired me to be their COO)—but what you might not know is that throughout the last three years I have also worked closely with the screen partners at LG-MRI, building a relationship where we count on and support each other. I have been touring the country with a fleet of LG-MRI screens, visiting NASCAR tracks from coast to coast. They also toured the largest pop music tour in 2018 and have been providing essential information to thousands of patients visiting Novant hospitals throughout North Carolina and Georgia during the COVID-19 health crisis.

You never know how the decisions (and the friendships) you make will affect your life. However, when ISM called to tell me that due to recent events they needed to furlough me and my team, I immediately called my friends at LG-MRI, who quickly offered me a full-time opportunity to join their team.

Throughout the next couple months, I will tell you more about my new role. I wanted this post to focus on the fact that that a simple decision to do the right thing and work overtime to make sure a NASCAR partner had a great experience has now provided me with years of employment and endless opportunities to partner with some of the most talented people on the planet.

This moral of this story is that doing the right thing is always the right thing.  

Cheers,

Michael