When I was in the giftware industry, along with two other investors, Molly McGregor and Barbara MacNeil, we purchased the equipment from a bankrupt company in order to gold plate metal. (Sprites and other giftware is a different story) I am not sure exactly how the bankrupt company came into my universe, however, it appeared at a time when gold plating was a valuable asset to Lambda Crystal.
I knew very little about the mechanics of plating anything, however, I understood the chemistry of plating, ions moving to an oppositely charged surface. What I needed was an expert on the mechanics to impart their knowledge to me at minimal cost.
Manifest into my life, an expert in more than just gold plating. I wish I could remember his name. All I know is that he was the grandfather of the owner of a company called Elmira Stove Works. He had developed the production line for gold plating the door fronts for wood burning stoves. He was 83 years old when I met him.
Each week, he would drive from Elmira to Fergus, Ontario, where I had built a new factory for Lambda Crystal on Dixon drive. I repeatedly offered to drive him over, pay for his fuel, reimburse him in any way, and his response stuck with me my entire life.
He finally said to me: If I give you a dollar and you give me a dollar, what do we have? Knowing that I was going to sound stupid no matter what I said, and totally realizing in my soul that I was about to hear a shred of wisdom from a person whom I kinshiply acknowledged as a soul mate, I uttered, “I guess a dollar”. He wisely looked through my eyes, and asked, “Now if I give you an idea, and you give me an idea, now what do we have?”.
I know, profound, eh?
That has stuck with me ever since. It is a lesson in more than humanity, it is universal. Think Universal!