What Would Lee Do?

David McInnis has lived the American Dream. He sold his company, PRWeb, recently and with pockets filled with cash started to buy a few toys, like a three wheel motorcycle. Only the single wheel is on the backend. David is not about speed, only performance and the front wheels shift camber much like a marching team. And it was a marching team that stepped into a Barnes and Noble Bookstore on June 5, 2007 in pursuit of Lee Iacocca’s latest book: Where Have All The Leaders Gone?

Customers who saw this entourage had only a few minutes to catch the action. Within ten feet of the front door the book was prominently on display and five hands reached out like octopus arms for a tender morsel. Before even one page could be read they turned the scene into a photo op. And now this story begins.

Earlier in the day five men were sitting around a conference table at Tangible Express in Springville, Utah. David had invited the attendees to discuss how to take his latest ‘American Dream’ to the World, and not just to the next level. And what was David’s 2nd American Dream?

Before answering that question, let me describe these five compatriots in more detail and tell you more about how David has been spending his new money. Tangible Express, which is only a place card until a new more descriptive name for the business at hand is agreed upon, looks like an in-door cattle yard. At least that is one description of the manufacturing floor and the 13 red and white rapid prototyping machines that David has purchased at the tune of $5 Million Dollars, with another $3 Million worth waiting in the corral. Now, why would a guy who just sold a public relations funnel buy so much hardware? Boat anchors are a lot cheaper.

David’s newest dream is draped in red, white and blue. He wants to bring back on-shore what has left America’s shores. He believes that if companies with special manufacturing requirements buy fractional ownership in the type of machines they need, such as these rapid prototyping machines, they’d have significant advantages over sending such work to China and other countries. First of all, they’d own their part of the machines; get to amortize their purchase and count of faster delivery of the finished parts. David’s dream goes beyond these prototyping machines and includes CNC machines, injection molding machines and other machines that are otherwise too expensive for many companies to afford to buy outright. Furthermore, they can swap time on the machines they own for time on other machines in David’s corral.

Now who were in the conference room? Besides David, in attendance was Alex Linde, the President and COO of Tangible, who was formerly with PRWeb, Ken Packer, Controller who was hired after the company moved to Utah, and two guys from Vancouver, the other Washington. One, Mark Effinger, who makes you think of Tony Robbins on steroids, had consulted with David on PR Web. He had recently introduced Jacques Nichols to David. Jacques has been called the God-Father of Start-Ups in Oregon and is an attorney, virtuous capitalist and a writer.

It was Jacques’ question to the group that led to the trip to the book store. At one point in the discussions he asked the group: “Who is the perfect spokesperson for this the company?” When Mark said “Jack Walsh,” Jacques replied: “Close, but not correct.” After no more names were advanced, Jacques said, with a smile: “It’s Lee Iacocca!”

Jacques had a great friend, who passed away in 2005 named Bill Tholke. Bill used to be with Korn-Ferry, the head-hunting firm. Years ago he told Jacques a story about Lee. The punch line to the story was how Lee walked into a room at Ford Motor Co. that was filled with engineers who were grappling with how to create more electronics in their car when Lee entered the room. On finding out that the room, except for Bill, was filled with engineers, he smashed his ever-present cigar into a ready ash tray as he said: “Damn it, that’s the problem with you engineers, you don’t understand marketing.” Jacques also surmised that Lee probably had an American flag on his coat lapel at that time.

When this gang spotted the book on display, Jacques burst out in laughter. There they were: The ever-present cigar and a little flag on Lee’s lapel. Bill’s story had come back to life, just as it had been told.

On getting back into the car four sets of eyes (David was driving his new Chrysler) started to skim the book for more morsels that supported the proposition that Lee, as a spokesman, could stand for David’s 2nd American Dream and its Mission Statement. The first evidence was found on page 12 and the second evidence was found on page 26. Both emphasized how much of America’s manufacturing had been shipped overseas. The words ‘Off Shore’ are constantly in the press. Now ‘On-Shore Manufacturing Co.’ should become Tangible’s new name.

Jacques offered to write up this Don Quixote journey and share it with the group. He promised the group that we’d find a way to send it, along with the picture of the five of them in the book store, to Lee.

And then maybe what follows will become a chapter for his next book, called” ‘What Lee is Doing for AMERICA!’

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