Dear HiViz friends, customers, vendors, and colleagues,
If you’ve been part of our journey over the last 14 years, you likely met our beloved pal, Slick the Dog. She came into our lives in the very earliest days of HiViz, when it was just Kaoma and me in Lillington, rebuilding flashlights for local fire departments. Slick wandered up, covered in motor oil and asked to be our friend.
As the company grew, Slick became an integral part of it. As the business grew, Slick assisted us in interviewing and recruiting every team member we’ve ever hired. She rode fire apparatus across the country, attended countless “people only” industry events (FAMA gatherings, dealer meetings, gazillions of tradeshows, board sessions, vendor audits and planning sessions, congressional meetings, lighting demos, and more).
She’s emailed with numerous of you (slick.thedog@hivizleds.com was actually her real monitored and active email address), which many of you wrote to and received replies from. In her later years, she proudly served as our Chief Snacks and Smells Officer, overseeing daily trash can inspections at 5 o’clock sharp and brightening every event she attended.
We’re reaching out today with heavy hearts to share that Slick passed away this past weekend, surrounded by her family and on the minds of everyone here at the office. While we grieve her loss, we also want to express our deep appreciation for all of you who shared in the joy of her presence and supported our mission alongside her. She taught us so much about being better people and better business leaders.
Here are 10 lessons from Slick that we’d like to carry forward and share with you:
- Love unconditionally.
- Don’t hold on to resentment.
- Even when people are cruel or unkind, don’t let it harden your heart; keep loving and receiving love anyway.
- Never underestimate the power of only listening.
- Give and receive hugs freely.
- Don’t underestimate the privilege of having someone (or something) to love and care for, even if it sometimes might feel like a burden
- Be a little goofy or cheeky every now and then.
- It’s okay to get excited! And excitement is contagious.
- Take the time to smell nature. It’s beautiful. If it slows down your walk, who cares.
- Speed up when it’s time to speed up, slow down when it’s time to slow down, and at the end of a long day, enjoy some well-deserved rest followed by a good, long sleep-in.
Thank you for letting us share both the joy and the sorrow of Slick’s remarkable life with you. We ask for your grace and understanding this week as we remember her with smiles through the tears.
With love, warm regards, and heavy hearts,
Sam and Kaoma Massa
