Have you ever asked yourself, “how in world did I get here”? I have asked myself more than a few times in my life. A few examples . . .
When I found myself having to share a bed with an 80-year-old Italian man, who did not speak English, in a barn heated only by a wood stove, 5 days before Christmas, 60 miles north of Toronto.
When I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirrored wall in a South Korean underground disco, in a city 3 hours by bus from Seoul, towering over every other person on the dance floor, dancing with people whose names I could not pronounce.
When I was looking straight down into a deep canyon, as a helpless passenger in a car, driven by a crazy man, trying to go around a truck on a mountain pass road, somewhere far outside of Mumbai.
You know, stories like that.
About 10 years ago, I pulled up to a drilling site outside of Giddings, Texas in a rented diesel truck, pulling a trailer outfitted with water treatment equipment, and looked at the drilling rig, a towering piece of machinery capable of drilling holes miles into the ground, and thought, “how in the world did I get here”?
It’s a good story. It involves some desperation, good fortune, hard decisions, encouragement, resilience, experience, confidence, and a bit of just being crazy enough. It involves the deep wisdom of my wife, the encouragement of a new friend, the knowledge of years learned from hard work, my trust in God, and belief in myself.
Today, I ask myself the same question, “how in the world did I get here”? I have the privilege of being a leader of an innovative company that came from the story of that day. It is filled with smart, hardworking, dedicated people, providing complex and sophisticated services that change people’s lives. A solutions-based company of innovators dedicated to the belief that clean, safe water is a basic human right, even in the most challenging situations.
It’s definitely a good story.
I am incredibly proud of the story that is WaterFleet, of the people that dedicate themselves to it, and for the impact it has on the world. I love the stories of this company, told by the people that have experienced them, all the “how in the world did I get here” stories generated from so many people’s experiences being part of the WaterFleet story.
I can’t wait to hear the stories of the next 10 years of WaterFleet, but as I close today, I’m thinking of another one.
Standing on a high school parking lot in 1977, looking at a gorgeous tall girl with a trombone in her hand. I married that girl, and I named that first trailer that went to Giddings, Texas in her honor, the Allison Lee. I have had the privilege of being her man for four decades, raising three amazing children with her, and starting and leading WaterFleet with her.
Yes, that is a very good story.
-Alan Pyle, CEO