My Father at Work.

Many of you know and have met Ray Perez. I met him 25 years ago when he was a President of one of the Cardinal Health divisions. I actually was scared of him. My very first RBC (a huge trade show for Cardinal), he was sitting behind me on the plane. Normally I wouldn't have been worried; however, I decided to take my mom and 11 month old daughter so I wouldn't be away from her for so long. My daughter, now 26 years old, kept trying to climb over the seat to bother Ray. Thank God he didn't notice!

I first got to know Ray after he left Cardinal to move back to San Diego where he and his wife were from. He asked me to help him with some marketing for a consulting business he was starting; I was so honored! Because of the distance, we didn't stay in constant contact though exchanged Christmas cards, visited him while in San Diego and oh, he gave us his OSU tickets a few times! I learned right away that Ray's heart is one of the most generous I've ever seen.

He and his wife, Lynne, moved back to Columbus a few years ago. I immediately reached out. I wanted to get to know him more. We went to dinner with them though didn't have a lot of contact. A year or so later, I hit a really low point. I had been at this self employment thing for more than 25 years and was getting tired. As energizing as the agency world is it can also take a toil on you. Covid didn't help though it was more than that. One day my husband Scott said "you should call Ray." I decided to reach out and see if he might just talk to me. We met at Bob Evans several times. I don't know how it happened or even why he was interested though he decided to help me. I was again honored and this time humbled.

What has transpired over these past several years has been nothing short of a miracle for me. After a few breakfast sessions, Ray started coming into the office a few days a week. I don't know if either of us knew what to expect. He was a natural. Even though he's a few decades older than most of our team; he's young at heart. He has this gift for people that makes everyone feel at ease and that they are the most important person in the room. He is also wicked smart at marketing and overall business strategy. It's a great reminder for all of us, that the basics of business are still the same, and Ray truly understands how it all works. I decided to just immerse him in my business. He started a PRISM newsletter, got us on a new HR platform, redesigned our busines strategy, planning and reviews, helped organized offsite meetings, has taken our team and clients golfing (which has been great since he belongs to Muirfield!), helped with new busines pitches, guided and presented marketing strategy for our clients and honestly the list goes on. If this isn't enough he's become my confidant and advisor both professionally and personally. It's really all interconnected when you are a business owner and Ray understands it all too well. Just this past week I called him on my way home to tell him about a great presentation that we'd both worked on; I was so excited to tell him. And then later that same day, he sent me a long email telling me not to worry about another big pitch I have next week with people I don't know over zoom (I don't love technology in those settings).

Oh, and perhaps the most interesting detail about our relationship- Ray is a volunteer! He said this was too much fun, and he just wanted to help me. I continue to look for creative ways to thank him. We have a secret goal that if the business can reach $5 million I will buy him an electric Porsche. I honestly didn't think it was possible before Ray though perhaps I should start socking the money away!

I looked up the ideal qualities for a father and Ray checks all the boxes for me: Motivator, Enforcer, Encourager, Trainer and Counselor. He keeps telling me how much he is getting out of all of this though I know I'm the lucky one. Happy Father's Day Ray, you DA BEST!