Kevin Tawil

Was he a board member from the outset?

Yes.

We brought him on to the board right away.

What he brought right away were leadership skills in terms of managing a team that Jim and I, but particularly I, got a chance to learn from over the next several years.

He and I were partners and we would talk every day, multiple times a day.

much like Jim and I had, and we were giving each other advice, it was really a great opportunity for me to watch him, to learn from him, and eventually to improve myself along the way.

I think about where he was really strong.

It was inspiring leading a team.

It was focus on the customer.

really understood what the customer experience was and drove that through the entire organization.

And then one of his superpowers is relationship management.

Beyond being just a great leader, he is one of the best client relationship management people on the planet.

And there's some great stories about how he built some relationships over time, which are amusing.

It is true.

I mean, I feel very lucky to have had a handful of great partnerships over the years.

It's so much more fun to do it with somebody.

And I think about the relationship that Jim and I had and the relationship that Brett and I had, two things that stand out the most

about each of those that were common.

We talked all the time.

We reached out to one another all the time.