At the Rose Bowl, Remembering Truett
January 1, 2015. It was two years after Truett and I stood on the sidelines together for the last time at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. I was two thousand miles—and a whole world—away, standing on the sidelines inside the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the first semifinal of the new College Football Playoff, and Chick-fil-A was a sponsor.
It was also the first day of my last year at Chick-fil-A. I would turn sixty-five in May and, thus, would retire, but I was scheduled to serve the entire year as a coach to my chief marketing officer successor, Jon Bridges, and as a mentor to other staff. Jon and his wife, Amy, were with Dianne and me, and we had just finished touring an amazing fan engagement production outside the Rose Bowl, orchestrated by members of our marketing staff, with the help of local Operators and their team members. Their activation of Chick-fil-A food, the Cows, and fan activities rivaled anything produced by larger, traditional brands in the college football space, including ESPN, AT&T, Coca-Cola, and Kia.
In that historic and magnificent venue on an absolutely perfect day, I saw two prominent Chick-fil-A logos. And there was a Chick-fil-A free offer at each seat. We would later learn that more than 30 million homes watched the game, and more than 150 million viewers would watch all seven College Football Playoff games that year. Chick-fil-A would have multiple Cow TV spots in all these games, along with in-game features. Chick-fil-A had become a national brand.
I thought of Truett, my friend and mentor. He had passed away a few months earlier, on September 8, 2014. He would have relished this moment.
I considered Truett’s positive influence on others by simply demonstrating how to live an effective Christian life in the context of building a business and a brand. He never preached a sermon other than the life he lived. He loved God, he loved his family, and he loved his neighbor. Out of that love grew a culture that allowed Chick-fil-A—and me personally—to thrive. To experience a professional and personal journey beyond my dreams—from a simple sandwich to a great fast-food restaurant, to a unique caring and hospitality experience, to a brand many people cannot see themselves living without.
Thank you, Truett. Thank you, Lord.