Transcript
0:02 thank you chairman fall for that kind kind introduction president Jacobs members of the class of 2011 University officials distinguished faculty and staff family and friends good morning to you all it is a pleasure to join you here in Savage Arena and I'm honored to be asked to make a small contribution to this very special occasion I understand that just last month in this house the Toledo Rockets
0:33 won the wnit women's basketball championship as I understand that they are the first team in the school's history to win a National postseason tournament so my congratulations to you all so I'm not even going to try and pretend that I can deliver a performance as historic as that that today I do confess that I was in college
1:04 my sport of choice was learning how to drink beer it's a feat in which I ultimately was utterly unsuccessful there are several reasons for the pleasure and the emotion that I feel of being here today the first is because I find myself in front of so many young people in one of the most important moments of your lives and on behalf of both krysler group group and Fiat I wish to express my sincere congratulations to all of you receiving
1:35 diplomas today from the University of Toledo you have achieved an important Milestone and you're about to embark on the next great adventure of your life I have no idea of the roads that you have traveled and of the dreams that you're building for your future and even if I did know every minor detail I will be very very careful about handing out advice even though I now apparently have become an interesting subject for people who are much younger than you a couple
2:06 of days ago I received a email the spelling wasn't great but the content was and it says I'm an eighth grader who's currently creating a portfolio that will help me learn more about the profession of being a chief executive officer and I wonder if You' be able to answer the three following questions so that I can have a more in-depth and personal understanding of this line of work first one was after you ended up after you ended College how did you get
2:38 started and the last two questions are absolutely Priceless should I get help and have a Chief Financial Officer and a chief operating officer or should I do it all myself and what degree in college is needed for me to be taken seriously in the business world and then then to top all Offices please email me back with your response prior to May 15th 2011 so that I may include your insights
3:09 in your in my final portfolio and I look forward to your response regards now this young man as is and will be the case for each one of us is the embodiment of a unique combination of factors influence and interactions with others that will ultimately shape the choices that we all end up making I have no Rob map to give you for your personal journey and I have no intention of teaching you a lesson what I can do
3:38 is share some thoughts based on my own professional experience and the lessons that I've learned as an individual the second reason it was important for me to be here today is because of the special relationships that exist between Chrysler and the City of Toledo Chrysler has a long-standing relationship with Toledo and deep roots in the Community our cultures our histories and our own Futures are in totally intertwined generations of Toledo
4:08 residents have worked for Chrysler and our three plants in the area currently EMP employ more than 2 and a half thousand people a total of 132 graduates at from the University of Toledo currently work for krysler group and they're contributing to every area of our business Toledo is the birth place of the legendary Jeep which was created 70 years ago as a go anywhere do anything vehicle for the American military in
4:39 World War II and this remarkable brand even plays an important educational role in fact in many schools around the world Jeep is used to help teach young students to write the letter J and by the way the Toledo area has the highest percentage of Jeep buyers in the country t to the pride that you take in what you build here but I'm not saying these things to tell to sell you more cars as tempting as there may be the
5:10 relationship between kryler and Toledo goes beyond numbers and percentages we have grown up together we have shared successes and difficult moments downturns in the economic cycle as well as times of prosperity Chrysler has become a part of this of this community 's Fabric and for all of us a Chrysler it is a privilege to be part of Toledo's identity and we will continue to play our part to contribute to the city's industrial and
5:41 Social Development there is there is another reason why I'm particularly pleased to be here today today as was mentioned earlier is Mother's Day mothers have a Prof profound influence on shaping our lives and I want to wish a happy Mother's Day to all the moms here today mothers mothers and fathers you're justified in the pride that you do feel
6:13 today as your tremendous efforts have produced this group of bright and talented young men and women and looking back to my own past thinking about the men that I've now become it's my family my mother and my father who come to mind because it is our families that help us begin to form the values that ultimately decline us and then we grow and begin to mature we go through different experiences some less important some more but they all
6:42 contribute to the formation of our character