Theyll understand commerce and the crucial role of entrepreneurs quite a bit better, and then theyll never read economics commentary the same way again simply because Knights unputdownable book explains economics better than any economist could ever hope to. And indeed, the trademark has not only grown on him but the rest of the world too, with Nike having become the world's 'leading sports good manufacturer, distributor and marketeer'. They had a spread of food and chocolate swooshes for dessert. I could accept it on an intellectual level, but I really didn't believe it," he says. Davidson submitted her bill for $35 but doesn't know how many hours she actually put into the project. ROBERT WOODELL OBITUARY WOODELL, Robert E. 1929-2009 Robert Edwin Woodell died Jan. 5, 2009, in Sutherlin, following a battle with cancer. Sign up for a free trial here . Edging closer to Nike Country, it seems odd that for the man who named the company, Oregon never felt like home. When I showed up, all these employees were there. He made running look hard. pic.twitter.com/MraVM539WT. The price both parties agreed upon for the logo job? ", So that's the story of our piggy bank logo. Despite his injury, hes ecstatic at Blue Ribbon the mission fills his spirits and he always gets the job done. This was complicated by President Nixons protectionist 1971 decision to delink the dollar, and by extension all global currencies pegged to the dollar, from gold. The always silly notion of antitrust is further exposed in this essential autobiography. On Dec. 2, 1980, Nike went public, trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Freddie Highmore as Bob Woodell. Also, note the little piggy bank logo? Before being named president, he served as vice president in charge of worldwide marketing and apparel. Year-old messages later retrieved on it confirm that to be true. My kingdom for liquidity. What this writer would give to have every politician read Knights story, and for Knight to come to Washington in his retirement to tell his story. He has a passion for non-fiction books (having read 200+ and counting) and is on a mission to make the world's best ideas more accessible to everyone. They gave me a gold ring in the shape of a swoosh with a diamond in it and some shares of stock. At the party, Phil presented her with a gold ring in the shape of her Swoosh that was decorated with a small diamond in the logo's curve. Nike launches an apparel business, since this is where Adidas gets most of their sales, and its a way to offer more attractive endorsement deals to athletes. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. A voice in his head told him, "This is no big deal. Today Phil Knight is worth $19.2 billion dollars. In Palo Alto, Johnson met Phil Knight, who of course went on to become the founder and CEO of Nike. "In about a second they came to their senses and grabbed me, but in that one second I found that I could balance," Johnson says. Phil likes that Bob therefore has a chip on his shoulder and is eager to prove himself. Over the years, he's collected his thoughts about what made Pre an icon and shares them with high school runners when he speaks at camps, clinics and races. Or even $100. Carolyn Davidson was presented with a gold and diamond ring -- and some Nike stock -- during a 1983 event in her honor. About early finance for his company, Knight dealt with the very local First National Bank of Oregon. A beaming Woodell, with other Nike employees nearby, greets her at the door. The elite runners loved those shoes.". "Nobody liked it, but it seemed better than anything else. "I'm glad to not run into her again," he says shaking his head. Blue Ribbon finds a new office in Tigard. Tensions with Onitsuka had developed, ultimately convincing him it was time to strike out on his own. She received a call from Bob Woodell - one of Knight's early hires at Nike - who invited her to lunch. He'd approached her in a hallway at the school's graphic design department after overhearing her talking about why she wasn't taking a particular class. The American multinational corporation - first founded on 25 January, 1964 - is best known for its range of sports clothing, shoes and, of course, iconic 'Swoosh' tick logo. Knights seeming purpose in bringing back the old-timers is to nourish Nikes culture, and also to hopefully remind the 5,000+ well-to-do employees in Beaverton that somewhere theres a shoe dog with drive and ambition similar to Knights. "I like it," Davidson says today of the Swoosh. "What else you got?" We can handle this. Shunned by bosses, spurned by luck, rejected by society, short-changed by fate when looks and others natural graces were handed out. The discrimination fuels them. She's certain it was more than 17.5, a number that's often referenced. The envelope contained 500 shares of Nike stock. Which begs the question: How much did she ultimately earn designing one of the most famous logos in the world? Besides sharing the nuts and bolts of training, Johnson transformed the budding talent into a middle-distance specialist and filled out his regimen with plyometrics. At the time, Nike was trading at $17 a share so this represented an $8500 gift (which is worth $20,000 after adjusting for inflation). In a rare interview, she reminisced about the process behind The Swoosh and the challenge of outdoing Adidas's stripes, as well as the tenuous nature of Blue Ribbon Sports, Nike's predecessor. Davidson was also gifted a gold ring in the shape of the 'Swoosh' with a diamond on it. I never get tired of looking at it.". Knight hated the Vietnam War, and hates war in general. Even when Johnson stopped coaching teams, he was still offering guidance to promising up-and-coming athletes. The only instruction I gave to Nick was that I wanted the background to be white and I wanted a huge search box in the top-center of every page. President Trump and many on his economic team regularly tell us that the China, Japan, Mexico and other foreign countries are beating us to a pulp. Funny is this ridiculous theory. Knight jokes at one point that Davidson is fortunate her $35 check did not bounce. Carolyn Davidson, pushing back disappointment that spring day in 1971, pressed on. The freedom to do what he enjoyed. Slam dunk. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. As Davidson started to cry with happiness, Bob Woodell handed her an envelope. He has to do what he vowed never to do ask everyone he knows for money: former teammates, family, friends. Nike Net Worth: $86.2 Billion Since Phil Knight founded the brand in 1964, Nike has become one of the largest suppliers of athletic shoes in the world. Woodell occupied an office that was hardly deluxe. It was them against the world. Davidson was given the 500 shares in stock in 1983. It didn't come to him until later in life, well after he'd chased personal records, helped build Nike and coached youth runners. Nike passed Adidas to become the industry leader in the United States in 1980, the year it went public. As two big bruisers lifted him up from the bed to the gurney, Johnson tried to see if he could stand up--he hadn't done that since he'd arrived at the emergency room. The company faces a number of strategic issues, he said, adding, ''It is important for me to get back in closer touch with day-to-day operations in order to help us make the necessary decisions most effectively. A short time later, Knight called Davidson's husband. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. BUSINESS PEOPLE ; Chairman of Nike Back as President, https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/24/business/business-people-chairman-of-nike-back-as-president.html. Traveling north over the dry flatlands of western Idaho and into Oregon, Johnson decides to pack it in for the night in Ontario, a speck-of-dust town right off the interstate. Johnson seemed to have it made. Describes development of Woodell's management style, his attempts to develop the organization, and his responses to unforeseen business problems. This is important because Knight plainly spent a lot of the companys limited funds traveling on the other side of the world in search of factories capable of making his shoes. He has a passion for non-fiction books (having read 200+ and counting) and is on a mission to make the world's best ideas more accessible to everyone. He loved the Adidas stripes, he loved them. Mixture of both? Government is an expensive lunch paid for by you, the worker. You're flush with beer and pizza for at least a few months. And she spent 17-and-a-half hours on that. According to Johnson's self-set fitness schedule, in which he works out six days per week, he is supposed to swim this afternoon, but he doesn't because the hotel pool is too crowded. Sales increased 6.1 percent, to $920 million, from $867 million the previous year, but earnings dropped 28.8 percent, to $40.6 million, or $1.07 share, from $57 million, or $1.53 a share. Nike has gone on to become worth a whopping $152.18 billion (140.84 billion). He was 46.. Logically it did. He was notorious for bringing a book to important meetings, pretending like he wasn't paying attention, then saying something brilliant, Chadwick says. Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight [Review by Estella Hale, VP of Product, SHR] . You may opt-out by. Knights book rejects what is ridiculous. As always, Phil is frustrated that the banks dont see the bigger picture a company doubling every year! $500? But Woodell was no ordinary guy. Her name is Carolyn Davidson and in case you haven't picked up on it by now, that accounting professor back at Portland State, was none other than future multi-billionaire Phil Knight. Hes the author of the 2016 book Who Needs the Fed? So, the value of that one share, as. She replied: "I like it. Today, it has become one of the most recognizable brand logos in the world, and the most valuable, having a worth of $26 billion alone. I spoke not a word of thanks or praise.. Bob: Woodell : A former runner. He was 79. Sometime in early 1971 -- no one is exactly sure when -- Knight told Davidson this shoe would need a "stripe" the industry term for a shoe logo. After toiling away for three weeks, she narrowed down her six favorites and showed them to a small group of Nike execs. Stretched to the limit, they give him an unsavory ultimatum his credit line is now maxed. In 1988, Joyce joined with two other Nike executives, Bob Woodell and Rob Strasser, to co-found Rogue Ales and Spirits in Ashland, Oregon. Three years after going public, Carolyn was invited back to the company's headquarters to have lunch with Phil Knight and company President Bob Woodell. Today more Nike shoes are produced in China than in any other country. Centi-billionaire Jeff Bezos maintains the top spot on this year's ranking, for the third consecutive year, despite his net worth plunging by $18 billion. Hedging of currencies allows for mitigation of some of the uncertainty, but at substantial costs thanks to human talent wasted on the trading of the chaos. Wow. ", Nike went public in 1980 and the stock market pressure shifted the culture from jeans and T-shirts to coats and ties. Unlike most people who take up running to accomplish a goal, lose weight or join a team, Johnson's initial inspiration was survival. The yen, formerly pegged to the dollar, suddenly had no definition. Knight writes about how some of his first employees, Jeff Johnson (employee #1) and Bob Woodell, still visit the companys stunning Beaverton, Oregon campus to tell stories of the early days. "He built up a sense of loyalty, which he does everywhere he goes. When they met, Andrew Wheating told Johnson he wanted to be a top 5K runner. Though he carries a cell phone in the car, he insists that he never uses it. In 1965, Knight hired Johnson as the first full-time employee. On an episode of The David Rubenstein Show, Knight confirmed Nike had bought the logo for a grand total of $35 (32.35). Phil strongly requests two employees, Bob Woodell and Johnson, to trade roles and locations, transferring between Boston and Oregon. The area serves as a launching point for hikers scrambling up the nearby snow-capped peaks or a refueling station for said victorious climbers. Learn more about Bob Woodell and his early history at Nike. The executive shuffle, described by Nike as ''a creative use of management changes,'' is expected to become official at the company's annual meeting today. Kitami From Onitsuka: The Snake Who Cheated Nike, Disruptive Innovation Model: 3 Options for Change, Jeff Bezos, PowerPoint, & the Beauty of Narrative in Presentations, Who Is David Goggins? Hes lived Brenners quote, and much more. and absurd," Wheating says. As Knight recalls, Not one [student] asked a single question. (Phil justifies the appointment of so many accountants and lawyers with the idea that by qualifying for their trade, most were guaranteed to be somewhat competent). If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Faucher arranged a midwinter meeting between Johnson and the high school senior, who lived in nearby Meriden. Explores Bob Woodell's tenure as Nike's first COO. There have been four 2-for-1 stock splits since, meaning that the holder of one share then would have 16 shares now. Knights correct view is that the more the world is interconnected by trade, the more peaceful it is. One week went by before Johnson heard from anyone. . Knight knows this well, and this writer would give anything to hear him lecture on currencies. Trade is a two way, lifestyle enhancing street. Despite the agony, despite the countless times his creation nearly died, its this part of the story that Knight says he would live again if he could. Immediately, Knight's ownership in shares made him worth $178 million. I bet it was 100x cooler for you, ha. View Robert Woodell's professional profile on LinkedIn. He had earlier given up the presidency to focus on long-range planning. The lunch had turned into a party. After Knight made his choice, Davidson asked for time to refine her work. Individuals are only sellers insofar as theyre buyers, or exporters as insofar as theyre importers. Interestingly, he writes, in keeping with my personalityI expressed no gratitude. That much is commonly known, as is the fact that the company rewarded her with Nike stock more than a decade later. Allen graduated from Harvard University summa cum laude and attended medical training at the MD/PhD program at Harvard and MIT. They wrap themselves in antitrust laws to fight what they don't trust, and dont understand. Pride? He can be reached at matt@anhonorablerun.com. In globalizing his business out of necessity, he also plainly promoted world peace. Appropriately, Nick ended his email with: "Heres to hoping CNW makes you a billionaire ", 2023 Celebrity Net Worth / All Rights Reserved. For her. About this broad point, Knight largely stays away from politics in his autobiography, but it seems reasonable to believe that the founder leans small l libertarian. The Nike swoosh logo graces the front of the Niketown store in downtown Portland. "It's one thing to have good ideas and another to make that idea come to fruition like Jeff did," says Lananna, an OTC supporter. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. The day he was finally approved to drive, the first place he went was to his favorite riverside trail. The success of that freelance gig landed others, continuing throughout her PSU years. The following year Johnson picked up a copy of Boy's Life and read an article on Charlie Paddock, the fastest man in the world. Congrats man, thats really, really awesome. Last year, the company, which now includes subsidiaries Cole Haan, Converse, Hurley International and Umbro Ltd., recorded more than $19 billion in sales. In the video, Davidson starts crying. It's been about four years since I've heard from Nick, hope he's doing well! A former runner, he was paralyzed from the waist down after an accident. "The door was open," he says. Johnson recommended that Wheating keep track of his weekly miles and run every day. Then Woodell hands her an envelope containing a Nike stock certificate. Knight was not hesitant to ask for help when needed. Johnson, 70, is the kind of guy who sets out on a 3,050-mile trip without making a single hotel reservation or mapping out any stopping points along the route west. Nike keeps growing. She graduated from PSU in 1971 with a bachelor's in graphic design and stayed on with Nike through 1975. Fortunately, Nike made it up to her. Nike founder Phil Knight's memoir about the early days of the company, . "Because it has to look good on a shoe.". Phil likes that Bob therefore has a chip on his shoulder and is eager to prove himself. "He came back from California once and had this rubber teddy bear in his hand," Chadwick says. And along the way, Carolyn's $35 freelance job would become one of the most famous symbols in the world. They had thick skin, and they took each other down a notch. His time, however, was the fastest among the incoming freshmen at the University of Colorado in 1959. Nike Inc., the apparel and athletic shoe manufacturer, has announced that Philip H. Knight, its co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer, would reassume the post of president, which he relinquished just over a year ago. Nike has since eclipsed Adidas, but then history tells us some apparel and shoemaker will eventually eclipse Nike. Knight recently published his memoir, Shoe Dog, and it is quite simply excellent. Interesting about Shoe Dog is that it pretty much ends in 1980 when Nike was taken public. China is a large market for Nike precisely because the U.S. is a large market for Nike goods produced in China. Knight lived it, and the uncertainty of a yen sans a price rule was that life was suddenly treacherous for any company doing the bulk of its production in Japan. So while the Japanese wisely didnt devalue the yen as much as Presidents Nixon and Carter wrecked the dollar in the 70s, floating exchange rates made conducting business there quite a bit more difficult. How much does Phil Knight own of Nike? Little did he know that the decision would change his life. The open itinerary doesn't seem to faze him. An avid photographer, Johnson snapped classic images of the many distance wunderkind in the 1960s and 1970s. He continued: "It was a graphic art student at Portland State who needed money. Knight offered to pay Carolyn $2 an hour to create the charts and graphs. I hired a designer in Texas named Nick who runs a company called Think Four Graphic Design out of Houston (google them if you're in the market for a designer, highly recommended). Knight reports that around the founding of Blue Ribbon, 26 out of 27 companies failed. In Knights case, Nike, one of the most important and successful brands in the world, is a creation of Knights genius. Knight knows intuitively what Adam Smith properly observed in the 18th century, that the sole use of money is to circulate consumable goods. Money facilitates the trade that always benefits both sides. At the same time, Davidson said, it was clear that Knight was partial to the three stripes. Let's take the high number, $1000. Maybe some of the layoff rounds wouldnt have been as substantial as they were. The next year, she chose homemaking and resumed freelancing, which she would do for nearly three decades. No doubt its easy for the employees of today to forget how very ephemeral success is. The company has a market capitalization of $151.5 billion. As he further explained it, Thats why, haunted as I was by the Vietnam War, I always vowed that someday Nike would have a factory in or near Saigon. Knights story is not just one of building one of the worlds greatest brands. "We don't always see things the same, but when our conversation is over I at least know he has listened to my perspective. So many days Nike nearly died thanks to a lack of funds, and it raises the question of how many other brilliant concepts died before their success could benefit people around the world as Nike has, not to mention the companys global base of well-healed employees. As Knight looked for a new position for Johnson, Johnson momentarily found himself without a job. The response from his top-of-the-heap MBA classmates was silence. Here are the 18 life lessons I got from the book. During an executive meeting in 1983, Knight reshuffled the roles of his highest-ranking deputies. Though he was tapped out at the time, Johnson fondly reflects on his 18-year career at Nike. Your email address will not be published. Trade is a two-way street. It wasn't the first time Johnson and Lananna collaborated. $200? Johnson's stay in Boulder proved to be short-lived. Johnson swears he doesn't have a personal story worthwhile enough to warrant a magazine feature. . This is what he came up with, and what CNW looked like for the first six months it existed: Yes it was hideous, but it was also very functional and allowed me to see if this idea had legs without investing my life savings ($3000 at the time). As Davidson started to cry with happiness, Bob Woodell handed her an envelope. She mostly produced charts and graphics until the day Knight gave her a new assignment -- a logo. Oh, and btw Carolyn didn't charge $1000. Simply put, government spending and taxation shrinks the amount of liquidity otherwise available to the companies of tomorrow. There is one person on the planet who knows exactly how this scenario feels. Phil meets with him and theyre mutually smitten. .css-17zuyas{display:block;font-family:Sailec,Sailec-fallback,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:bold;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-17zuyas:hover{color:link-hover;}}@media(max-width: 48rem){.css-17zuyas{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;}}@media(min-width: 40.625rem){.css-17zuyas{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;}}@media(min-width: 48rem){.css-17zuyas{font-size:1rem;line-height:1.4;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-17zuyas{font-size:1.2rem;line-height:1.4;}}.css-17zuyas h2 span:hover{color:#CDCDCD;}Coaches Tips for Tackling the Boston Marathon, What You Need to Know About Threshold Training, Periodized Training Can Help You Hit Your Goals, What Every Runner Should Know about Fascia, Why Slowing Down Can Help You Get Faster (Really! The first place a runner usually visits in Eugene is the looping wood-chip trail system named after Steve Prefontaine. Back in October 2009, CelebrityNetWorth was just a side project that I fiddled with at night when I came home from my day job. The right side of his body felt numb. I'd lay it over. This is a crucial economic point given the odd focus of economists on a Federal Reserve that projects its always overstated influence through a risk averse banking system. Your email address will not be published. What these ankle-biters fail to understand is that when Nike arrived in Vietnam (this alone could be a book itself, and an interesting one at that), the workers in its factories were walking to work. "Excuse me," Davidson recalls him saying, "are you the one who can't afford to take oil painting? The certificate acknowledges her as the creator of The Swoosh and goes on to, humorously, list a variety of legal obligations for which she is now responsible. Changing market forces, new competitors, a build-up of low-end inventory, and the absence of Phil Knight, the company's founder, in daily operations . Employee No. Its hard to say exactly. He evolved into a distance runner, the kind described as having a lot of "heart. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Describes development of Woodell's management style,. Johnson waited until it was later on the West Coast and called Nike headquarters. Falk represented a University of North Carolina basketball star who'd decided to skip his senior year of college and enter the NBA draft. They had no more than two syllables and at least one exotic letter or sound in them with a Z, X or K. On a Thursday night that spring, Johnson drifted to sleep trying to dream up a catchy term that fit these parameters. For the logo, the only instructions Knight gave Davidson was that it should convey motion and could NOT look too much like Adidas' three stripes, Puma's puma or Onitsuka's tiger. Especially for a college student. Neither Mr. Knight nor Mr. Woodell was available for comment following the company's announcement on Friday. At the same time, its a good bet Knight would acknowledge that it wouldnt be Nike absent what was, and what is an increasingly integrated global economy. The first reactions were not exactly positive, but time was of the essence so Phil settled on a black curvy logo that Carolyn dubbed the "Swoosh". When Carolyn showed up, she discovered that the lunch was actually a big party in her honor. Thats pretty awesome as they did not need to do that.". This list comprised of around 2200 billionaires and in total, their net worth is around $9.1 trillion. Knight subscribes to the correct, Fredric Bastiat view of war. With $600,000 in sales this year, Phil asks for a $1.2 million loan. Describes development of Woodell's management style, his attempts to develop the organization, and his responses to unforeseen business problems. Construction began in June 1988 in Ashland along the Lithia Creek. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Bob Woodell and Nike: The Critical Employee. After Johnson retired from Nike, he returned to his beloved New England to live a quiet life. His own father thought he was jackassing around. The company desperately needed one. If readers are interested in learning about economics, and truly understanding economics, they need only purchase and read Knights book. Eventually, Blue Ribbon's deal with Onitsuka soured and then expired altogether. " 'What'd you decide?' Woodell asked me at the end of the day.. "The effect Pre had on us in the stands is that he made us feel better about ourselves," Johnson says. It sat on the top floor of an old shoe factory, and a water tower directly overhead was caked with a century's worth of pigeon poop. How does one trade and invest if the proceeds (yen, dollars, euros, Pounds, francs, etc.) The Net NPV after 4 years is -526621 At 20% discount rate the NPV is negative (9475901 - 10002522 ) so ideally we can't select the project if macro and micro factors don't allow financial managers of Woodell's Knight to discount cash flow at lower discount rates such as 15%. Explores Bob Woodell's tenure as Nike's first COO. "The athletes are knocking themselves out in the rehab room. Davidson won't say how many shares were printed on the Nike stock certificate given to her Sept. 15, 1983, during a party the company threw in her honor. Getting right to the point, governments can only tax and spend insofar as companies and individual investors have less money to spend on existing wages, along with expansion. Blue Ribbon can have no more money until they put more cash in their account. Wed each been forged by early failure. Yes! Johnson launched the company's East Coast factory in Exeter, N.H., and developed the first line of running shoes. $35 dollars. To Knight, Nikes early history, one defined by near constant fear of bankruptcy, was the story to tell. TikTokers have flocked to the clip to applaud Knight for further recognising Davidson's contribution to the corporation. has become the living, vibrant symbol of the firm," said, professor and sports management expert. Governments often fear companies that grow too large and "powerful." As the perhaps overly modest Knight notes, Whenever reporters said a factory was unsatisfactory, they never said how much better it was than the day we first went in. Interesting about Nikes overseas factories is that the company always paid above the prevailing market rate; sometimes so much above it that Nike, according to Knight, was disrupting the nations entire economic ecosystem. Translated, there were times when exploited Nike factory workers were earning more than doctors in the impoverished countries that Nike entered. Few took Knight seriously; least of all the dominant brand at the time, Adidas. A road trip with Jeff Johnson, Nike's original wage-earner, unveils a treasure of running history. Theyre clearly effective at their work, but theyre also cut from the same cloth. A new title was not announced for Mr. Woodell. At recess they had 15 minutes to pummel me to death and they never caught me.". But Phil gets through it with his ragtag team of Bob Woodell, Johnson, Strasser, and Hayes. I remember Nick telling me that he threw that together sort of on a whim and wasn't sure if I would like it at all. Bob Woodells family comes to the rescue. Regarding taxes and spending, Knight addressed both; albeit in oblique fashion. Bob Woodell remembered that fact Wednesday, a day after learning his friend of more than 50 years had died of a heart attack Tuesday while in Hawaii. That's worth the same as roughly $25 million today, after adjusting for inflation. Theyre not well off, but they give him their entire life savings $8,000. On Sept. 15, 1983, Nike closed at $16.13. ", "I kind of wondered who he was and how he knew that," she said. Where did that come from?? "It was clear real quick which one was acceptable and which was not acceptable," said Woodell, who would go on to serve as Nike's president in 1983-84. Coaches Tips for Tackling the Boston Marathon, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Nike has gone on to become worth a whopping $152.18 billion (140.84 billion). It did, however, present a tradeoff: Despite Johnson's dislike of the business environment, the influx of investment dollars would eventually allow him to retire at 41. The portions quoted from the book are in italics. He and his new passenger will travel according to the rhythm of the road and end up in Eugene in three days, completing Johnson's 18th cross-country road trip.