Morris Speaks for Himself

In my top drawer, I keep a black-and-white photograph of myself at age 12 standing inside a smokestack before it is to be hoisted into position above Erving Paper Mills. Since that day, I have planned my succession as president and CEO of the company. My high school and college summers were spent in the laboratory, in the warehouse, on the customer service phones, and on the production floor helping to run the huge, steamy machines. I insisted on those jobs so that I would know the business inside and out and so that no one would ever tell me that I didn't earn my position.

When I graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in 1985, my father and I decided that I might want to learn more about the paper business from the customer's perspective. I spent the next six months at the elbow of the CEO of a major paper distributor in the Southeast. I listened to every phone call, attended every meeting, and read every memo, plan, and forecast. At this point in time, my father and I corresponded regularly about business. He often sent me articles, internal memos, and reports regarding operations at Erving Industries. In exchange, I reported on every aspect of the distributor's operations and marketing plans.

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