Co-Piloting

Luck, Leadership, and Learning That It's All about Others: Our Story

Jim Haslam, John Driver

• Publisher: Forefront Books
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781948677592
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

This is the remarkable story of one of our nation's luckiest business leaders of the 20thand 21stcenturies. Its topics include sports, military history, and, of course, business principles that are sure to entertain and add value to readers of business books and memoirs. All proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit nonprofits that support small business, entrepreneurial, and community-based ventures—so that like Jim Haslam, othersalsomay be afforded the chance to be fortunate in their own unique endeavors. Meet James A. Haslam II—"Big Jim" as he is called by friends and family. The details of his life, his family, and Pilot Company comprise a truly remarkable American story that has yet to be widely told, mainly because Haslam has always refused to write about himself. However, after years of less-than-gentle prodding from his loving family and though under duress, he has finally relented and agreed to pen the incredible story of luck and leadership that has taken him all over the world, has enriched lives in countless communities and philanthropic endeavors, and has led to the growth of the beloved company he founded and still serves daily, even into his late eighties. A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Haslam played on the famous 1951 National Championship football team led by coaching legend and mentor General Robert R. Neyland, whose renowned Game Maxims inspired Haslam's own viewpoints of life and leadership in family, business, and in the art of giving back. From being promoted to Company Commander in Korea at the age of twenty-three to starting out at a small oil company with only one gas station, you will follow the unlikely, harrowing, and often hilarious story of luck and leadership that has led Jim Haslam and his family to serve an unbelievable number of industry, community, and philanthropic endeavors affecting countless people in numerous communities, not the least of all Knoxville—and of course, the beloved university Haslam truly believes has afforded him so much opportunity in life. Through great loss and great luck, unforeseen tragedy and unlikely triumph—the story of the Haslams and Pilot Company offers a unique, entertaining, and encouraging perspective to family, faith, and the discovery of what really matters the most in life. Friends and family also offer their unique stories and insights, including contributions from Peyton Manning, Phillip Fulmer, Rick Barnes, Senator Lamar Alexander, former Walmart CEO Lee Scott, former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, and many more.

CHAPTER 1 UNEXPECTED INTRODUCTIONS

Burgers, Billionaires, and Big Questions

IT WAS PROBABLY JUST ANOTHER day to most people, but July 10, 2017, was one of the most interesting days of my life. At 10:00 a.m. that summer morning, I was riding up an elevator in a nice, but not overly impressive, office building in downtown Omaha. Joining me in the elevator were my older son, Jimmy Haslam, investment banker Byron Trott, and a security agent who was escorting our trio to our appointment on the top floor. When the elevator dinged its final ding and the doors opened, we were greeted by the smiling face and warm reception of the man we had traveled all the way from East Tennessee to meet.

He extended his hand and said, “Hi, I’m Warren Buffett.”

Of course, we already knew who he was, so we introduced ourselves and the famed investor led us to his office. Now, if you know anything at all about Jimmy Haslam, you know my son tends to jump straight into matters of business; this day was no exception. But Warren interrupted him. “Hold on just a second.” Turning to me, he asked, “Jim, how old are you?”

“I’m eighty-six years old.”

“So am I!” he replied with a hint of growing interest, like a man putting a puzzle together piece-by-piece. “When is your birthday?”

“December 13, 1930.”

“Really? Mine is August 30.”

These days, most people can remember where they were on September 11, 2001. It is like a tragic right of passage in American culture for those old enough to own the memory. But Mr. Buffett had another question altogether. “Where were you on Pearl Harbor Day?” I couldn’t help but laugh because there aren’t many of us left in this world who have the sobering, yet high honor of answering that particular question.

Once we had gotten to know each other and had talked over some preliminary business matters for about an hour, Warren asked if we were hungry. We were, so we stepped back into the elevator and began heading down toward what I assumed would be a private dining room in the basement of the building, much like the ones we have at our Pilot Company¹ headquarters back in Knoxville. Instead, the elevator opened into a parking garage.

Warren asked me to ride with him in his car and suggested that Jimmy ride with Byron. As we rode along, we began a conversation about philanthropy, something we are both passionate about. I assumed we were going to a country club for lunch, but instead, after about a five-minute drive, we arrived at the Hilton hotel. We followed Warren through the front doors and into the lobby where he was greeted left and right by staff members of the hotel. He led us all the way to a corner table in the back section of a little lunch café. We took our seats just as a waitress arrived to take our orders.

“Hi, Susie!” Warren said with a smile.

“Hello, Mr. Buffett,” she replied. “You want your usual, a cheeseburger and a Coke?”

This may have been usual for him, but this whole experience was very unusual for me. There we were, sitting at a corner table in a little café with the second-richest man in the world—and we were about to eat cheeseburgers! But just like most of the people I’ve crossed paths with over the years—from Army privates to company presidents, from small-town businessmen to big-city billionaires—I saw that Warren Buffet is just a regular guy. If anything, I’d say he’s actually humbler than most.

It was one of those moments you never forget. In fact, in that moment, I found myself yet again asking the same question I’ve pondered many times over the course of this incredible life God has granted me: how in the world did this happen? That’s the question I aim to address in this book.

And, though I usually don’t drink them, I went ahead and ordered a Coke too. Hey, if it’s good enough for Warren Buffett, I guess it’s good enough for me!

I’ve Been Lucky

Mr. Buffet taught me more that day than how to enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola. Looking back, I know I took away many other unique and significant impressions from my time with him, just as I have done with so many other incredible people and experiences in my life. Each one has taught me something valuable. Even when the times have been rough, each one has made me a better man, even when it has taken some time to get there. Each one has contributed to my story in remarkable ways.

Though it is my name on the cover of this book and my story you’re about to hear, it is really the stories of my interaction with others that I look forward to sharing the most. This is really our story, not mine. It is true that no man is an island; we are all connected, and these connections are what make any story—including mine—worth its salt.

This is the story of my family, our company, and me.

While my life has had its share of the same ups and downs that all people go through, I’ve had some unique experiences that my family feels just might leave you entertained, informed, and perhaps even encouraged or inspired. But if nothing else, I hope this is going to be fun.

We may not know each other, but as you’ve traveled down the interstate with your family, perhaps you’ve stopped for gas, coffee, or food at one of our Pilot Company locations and interacted with some of our 28,000 incredible team members. Regardless, you might be wondering why I am writing this book in the first place. There are three main reasons:

1. To tell this story for my family and friends.
2. To offer a personal history of Pilot Company from its beginnings in 1958 to the present.
3. To share principles and insights about what I think are really important in this world—things I have discovered (often the hard way) through living a full life beyond what I deserve.

Regarding the first reason, you need to know that I am writing this book under extreme duress—or, should I say, at the loving insistence of my wonderful family. For years, they have been not-so-gently prodding me to write my story. Penning my own autobiography and memoir was not something I set out to do, nor is it something I ever thought I would do. Certain friends—like the talented and hilarious Coach Rick Barnes, who, as you will read, actually had a dream about me writing this book—have long suggested that I do so, but I’ve never seriously considered it until now.

Writing your own story has plenty of positives and negatives. From a negative side, it may look like you think your story is important enough to be written, which seems self-serving. The truth is, I do not have even the slightest desire to attempt to wax eloquent about my successes and failures. This is not a book where you’re going to watch me pat myself on the back. I don’t deserve anything of the sort. Besides, self-back-patting doesn’t make for very good reading, in my opinion. There are enough self-congratulating books out there, and I do not plan to add mine to the list.

But, as this story unfolds, there are some people I do want to pat on the back, and I think you will find they are more than worthy of accolades. The people in my story are the positives of my story—family, friends, mentors, Pilot Company team members—and how, together, we built the company. They are the reasons I have finally relented and agreed to write a book. The story is so tightly wound up in theirs that to tell mine is to tell theirs—and that is a prospect that makes me very happy.

I may not be a writer by trade, but I am a storyteller at heart, as any of my children, grandchildren, friends, or team members will attest. I love to reminisce about the details of the past, taking a stroll down Memory Lane just to see if the houses and lawns still look and smell the same as they did when I was there the first time. To that end, God has blessed me with what I think is a pretty decent memory for someone who is nearly ninety years old. Many of the stories you’ll hear live in my memory as if they happened yesterday, and compiling them has been a worthwhile and fulfilling experience.

As I look back on these memories, I can’t help but agree with my family and friends that I have indeed lived a blessed and eventful life. In fact, I beg you not to read these reflections only as the musings of a man who has been fortunate in business. Sure, I’ll share insights about business, but that is only one side of our story. I have experienced faith, failure, hope, happiness, love, loss, and a host of other emotions and events—many of which will sound funny, even if only to hear how I got it wrong. But, if you really want to get down to brass tacks, mine is a story of luck, both in my personal life and in business. In fact, I recognize that much of what’s happened to me does not happen to most people. In this respect, I have most definitely been lucky, something for which I am daily and eternally grateful.

However, I do think good things—and sometimes even lucky things—are happening to a lot of people, perhaps in ways they can’t recognize in the moment. Maybe an understanding of our story (including my many, many mistakes) will give you a fresh perspective of your own unique story. After all, you can’t produce opportunity, but you can prepare yourself to be ready for it if and when it comes.

Regardless, I can’t deny that I have lived a very different and exceptional story on this earth—one that I don’t deserve, but one that my family thinks you might enjoy.

A Mentor and His Maxims

There is so much that I look forward to sharing with you about many of the incredible people and experiences in my life, but to help you understand the way I’m going to do this, I must jump ahead a bit and introduce you to a key figure in my life: General Robert R. Neyland. General Neyland was one of the most accomplished and renowned football coaches of his era—and also one of my most respected mentors.

General Neyland was a native Texan born in Greenville in 1892. After graduating from high school, he entered Burleson Junior College in Greenville (a school that was shut down in 1930) and then spent a year at Texas A&M before being appointed to West Point. His father had hoped he would follow in his footsteps and become an attorney, but young Robert did not want to practice law. Rather, he was destined to train young men by putting them through a much different type of rigorous practice.

For the next three years at West Point, Neyland learned and excelled at military theory, knowledge, and discipline, but he also proved himself to be a standout all-around athlete. While he lettered in football both in 1914 (an undefeated season) and 1915, he was actually more widely known for his accomplishments on the baseball field and in the boxing ring.

Cadet Neyland was more than just a stellar athlete; he graduated near the top of his class in 1916, the year before the United States entered The Great War (WWI) already raging in Europe. Fresh out of the Academy, he was recruited to play professional baseball by the New York Giants, the Detroit Tigers, and the Philadelphia Athletics. However, as a skilled soldier possessing his own unique caliber of integrity and honor, Neyland refused to let other young men fight overseas while he played baseball. He turned down his pro offers and shipped out soon after graduation.

Neyland served with distinction in France during World War I, working with the Army Corp of Engineers. Near the end of the war, the Army reassigned him to train engineers at Fort Bliss, Texas. However, he was soon sent southward to join in the pursuit of Pancho Villa near the U.S.–Mexico border. His leadership acumen and attention to detail led to promotion after promotion until he became one of the youngest regimental commanders in the U.S. Army.

The Army then shipped him off to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for a year of postgraduate studies in civil engineering. Little did anyone know at the time that the knowledge he gained during this year of study would someday help him dream and design one of the most impressive and historically hallowed stadiums in all of college football.

After MIT, he returned to West Point, where he was appointed an aide to then-Superintendent General Douglas MacArthur. It was at West Point that Neyland first became involved in coaching various sports, including football. In the spring of 1925, he was assigned to the University of Tennessee as the Professor of Military Science and Tactics—and he also became an assistant football coach for the Tennessee Volunteers (Vols). He was quickly promoted to position of Head Football Coach and Athletic Director by December of the same year. Over the next nine years with the Vols, Neyland led his football team to five undefeated seasons, including undefeated streaks of thirty-three and twenty-eight straight games!

In those days, every male student was required to take at least two years of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), so the Department of Military Science and Tactics had a larger influential presence on campus and within the university structure. This also meant there were multiple high-ranking military officers teaching on the campus. Neyland remained connected to the military during this time, teaching and coaching until 1934, when he was called back into full-time active service.

After serving in Panama for a year, he returned to Tennessee in 1936 as the Head Football Coach. His 1938 team went undefeated and was proclaimed National Champion by certain media outlets. (At that time, a consensus organization and system for ensuring an undisputed, unanimous champion had not yet been created.) The 1939 team not only went undefeated but was also the last team in college football history to hold all its opponents completely scoreless for an entire regular season.

Let that sink in: Neyland’s defense was so stout that no team scored a single point on them for an entire slate of regular season games—not even a field goal. The 1940 team also remained undefeated. Then, in 1941, Uncle Sam called upon him yet again ...