Tony Huppert, CEO, Team Oil Inc.
I am the second youngest of 13 siblings. My father passed away when I was 11, leaving my mother to raise us.
The family checkbook was titled “Steve and Carmen.” Upon the death of my father, the bank froze my mother’s checking account because of the word “and.” I remember the 30 days it took for the courts to release the money in the account. All my mother’s sleepless nights caused by the word “and” instead of “or.”
When I was in grade school, living in a poor rural community, I remember one family always was able to afford a Limited Edition Olds. The word “Limited” seemed to stick in everyone’s memory. Neighbors would mention that someday they might be able to afford a Limited Edition. When insurance companies switched from warranties to limited warranties, most people fell for it because the word limited in the past meant quality. Later people realized that wasn’t so when it came to insurance coverage.
Later in life, my business partner and I bought a supper club with an “option” on the golf course on the adjoining property. As the years passed, we decided to exercise the option. We discovered our lawyer had missed the seller’s lawyer placing the word “first” in front of the word option when we purchased the property. The word “first,” cost us a few hundred thousand dollars.
A customer met me in the parking lot one day and asked if I would have a word with my clerk. I asked the reason. The customer went on to say, he asked the clerk how she was. The female clerk’s response was, “Great now that I’m in heat.” I took the customer’s suggestion and asked the clerk about her being in heat. She said, “She had been in the cooler working all morning and it was great to finally be in heat.” I had no response.
Words can make or break you, or at least cause some very uncomfortable situations. Use them wisely.
Tony Huppert is a Wisconsin businessman of 40 years and CEO of Team Oil Inc., the family-owned and operated Team Oil Travel Center, and Subway in Spring Valley, Wis.
