My ode to Craig Collins

So here we are……coming up very close to the final day for a very special man. I really do not know exactly how this post will go but I do hope that by the end of this I do justice to a person that in short order has meant so much to me personally and has meant so much to our organization, DRG Technologies, for over 40+ years. Here is my ode to Mr. Craig Collins…...

I very vividly recall my flight to Phoenix from Madison, WI to interview for a leadership role at DRG Technologies. It was somewhere around March 2019. It was great…. the flight was great, flying into sunny AZ was great, heck the drive to RURAL Safford, AZ was great. Little did I know that what was truly great was waiting for me in the office immediately to my right as I walked into the main Customer Service area.

What can I say to truly capture who Craig Collins is? It really is something that I do not think anyone could do on their own. Therefore, I hope to tag as many of his acquaintances over the last 40+ years so that this can really continue, and he can be given the love he so very much deserves. For this article I will write about our joint experiences and why Craig sits on the Mount Rushmore of both professional sellers I have known in my life and why he impacted my life so greatly that he has been a significant contributor to my own personal brand. So, if the brand sucks it partly his fault………. 

When I met Craig, as some may imagine, he sat there at his desk reviewing parts for BD in Nogales, SON, MX. I came in w/ my blue checkered sport coat and was immediately introduced to this legend. Little did I know that the legend only could think of, “those city slicker New York professionals that his daughter has grown accustom to working with, with their fancy shoes, slacks, coats, etc.”…..yes this was a confession from Craig but he listened to me and I listened to him. I personally believe the connection between us started at this point and little did I know he would develop me as a leader and have my back in a way that I could never expect.

From there I went on w/ my interview and shortly thereafter accepted the offer to come on board knowing full well my time with Craig would be limited. 

During the initial months it was a lot of onboarding, traveling, learning from Mr. Collins. The way he committed his everyday to his customers, to keeping the lines running, to following through on all commitments was inspiring. He felt such personally responsibility for his relationships in a way that made me learn to value my relationships in and out of the office even more. The disappointment when he could not follow through was something that I now talk about when onboarding new sellers and even talk about with my kids when we discuss what it means to give someone your word and the importance of following through. 

As we traveled back and forth throughout all of Sonora to HMO, Guaymas, Obregon, Nogales and back around again we discussed everything. His avid love for his grandchildren, his wife, mother, family, Pew Pews, etc.  He always had a story to tell that you could take something from…..he developed my mind to think objectively about what it takes to be successful not only as a seller but as a person that people looked upon for guidance. That is what makes Craig stand on his own. He will never tell you this but everyone at DRG looks to Craig for guidance. It might not be for a recommendation for the best route to San Carlos but if Craig visibly is on board than everyone was ok with getting on board.

That is what Craig did for me personally. He believed in me. He trusted that what he felt in his belly was real…...and probably that good Sonora meat. Without Craig I do not get here. Without Craig my personal validation is made more difficult. I feel that this goes for many things in Craig’s life. Lets just fill in the blank if you are reading:

Without Craig I/we __________________________________

I’ll give a head start: do not keep the lines running, do not laugh when times are tough and persevere, do not get through this tough experience, would find it difficult to keep marching forward, do not get to go out to the Sonoran desert and shoot pew pews at over 700 meters (yes that was mine….my bad but we were both impressed), etc.

I hope this part catches and the comments on this post grow to 100s……. because I know without Craig our lives are not as good. 

So, this leads me to my conclusion because I plan on writing quite a bit about my adventures with Craig. Heck I plan on having more non-work-related adventures with Craig especially because DRG will hand out a “Craig Collins Salesperson of the year Award” in F21. 

Dear Craig –

 Holy smokes man……we are one day away from R Day. I feel mixed emotions here because so much of our time has been stolen from us over the last several months. All I wanted was the opportunity to travel down to be with you and go through the normal drive through SON. This was supposed to be such a grand swan song but COVID did not want to hear any of that. Oh well what can you do, huh? 

Craig, I want to thank you for what you have meant to DRG and even more for what you have done for me. I might not have been fully ready for this role, but you always showed belief in me and what we could do together. To hear you speak about your Grandkids and family it makes be believe I am not the only one you have done so much for. I know I am not. Craig, you are really a person I have yet to be fortunately enough to encounter. I have spent the last 18+ years in this Corporate America environment to just now realize what it takes to put an organization on your back and will it to move forward. For this alone you have set yourself apart from anyone I have ever known personally.

Craig, I wish you the best and as you ride off to pasture…. j/k…...I know you are not done developing me personally. I look forward to no more pipeline reviews, no more forecasts, no more line down Hot Shots brought to you by Collins 3PL Transport Services with its fleet of (1) Ford F150. I know I will not get this opportunity very often if ever again so I will take advantage. 

You always believed Craig and know I always believed in you. I am so sad at this point writing this, but I am so happy to have had the privilege to be guided by you. I will miss you in this role my friend…. do not go too far away. We all need Mr. Craig Collins in our lives in some way.

Happy Retirement Craig…. enjoy it, you deserve it!