First Rate is a company doing business. We provide products and services and we make money. In case that wasn’t clear, I wanted it stated.
Having said that, allow me to state my preferred way to describe First Rate:
We’re a family.
And we’re a family that extends all over the planet.
Recently, the leadership at First Rate decided it would be a good idea to make our American branch more available to our international workers. Four of our American family members travelled to India to help train some of our family from our office in Kabul. John Watkins, Rob Bethman, Harper Wilson and Steve Norwood spent two weeks getting up close and personal with our brothers and sisters halfway across the planet. It was an amazing experience.
Well, you can’t have a major event like that in your family without getting the whole family together afterwards to hear about it. And there’s no better occasion than mealtime. So, we put together a Company Luncheon in the cafeteria area of our Arlington offices.
After some great food, it was time for the program to begin. I offered to serve as the Emcee. The four Americans shared their experiences in India. It was fantastic. It was all about co-workers serving one another. Just like family.
The time flew by. I was about to dismiss when a voice came from the back of the room. “Uncle Dave, may I please say something?”
It was Fahim. It had to be. He’s the only guy in the office that calls me ‘Uncle.’ Fahim is my dear Afghan brother.
“Sure, Fahim, come up here,” I invited.
Fahim started right in. “Some of you may know that I just returned from several weeks in Afghanistan. It was a coincidence that I was there right after the four guys had done the training in India. But it allowed me to ask those who had been trained what they thought about it.”
Did the Afghans think as highly of them as they had thought of the Afghans? Fahim was up front to deliver that answer.
“’So, tell me, what did you think of the guys who trained you?’ I asked my fellow countrymen,” Fahim continued. He paused.
“They said, ‘We thought Uncle Dave was the only perfect one, but now we know better!’”
Co-workers serving co-workers. I guess that is pretty close to perfect.
First Rate Living is serving our co-workers!