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October 2, 2024
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Culture
,
Sports
In All Likelihood, We’re Seeing History in The Making
On rare occasion, a feat takes place in front of our very eyes that is truly historic, literally
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July 26, 2024
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Business
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Personal Development
“Quest-ing” For the Right Answers in a Disruptive and Exponentially Changing World
Last month, the SpartanNash Executive Leadership Team and I had the privilege of going “back to school” to
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June 6, 2024
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Culture
Reflections on Purpose—and Finding Ours Today
Time has been a recurring theme on this blog. This week, we find ourselves in another transitional interval,
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May 21, 2024
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Business
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Personal Development
With Gratitude for Leadership Mentors, Past and Present
This is the tale of two Jims, one I got to know by working with him and the
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April 16, 2024
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Culture
,
Sports
Play Ball! Imagination Required
Even faster than a 95-mph fastball reaching home plate (0.425 seconds), there are some things about baseball that
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March 26, 2024
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Business
,
Economics
Open Theft, Closed Stores, Blocked Potential
It seems like every week, I’m coming across another news story about a business that is closing due
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February 8, 2024
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Business
,
Culture
At the Biggest Game, a Big Day for Teachers
Coaches. Teachers. Mentors. We’re lucky for the great ones who enter our lives, sometimes unexpectedly but always at
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February 2, 2024
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Culture
Leaping Into 2024’s Extra Day
Leap Years are regular reminders that time is what you make of it. Literally. Every four years, right
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January 5, 2024
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Culture
ALL IN On Rose-Scented Wins
I thought I knew all about in-state college rivalries before I moved to Michigan in 2020. After all,
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December 20, 2023
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Business
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Culture
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Personal Development
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Sports
Timely Takeaways: Learnings from 2023 to Carry Forward
It’s that time of year—taking stock of the past 12 months and taking steps to greet the new
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December 6, 2023
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Culture
Restaurant Escapades with Extended Family: Who Pays?
As we approach the holiday season, the anticipation builds for festive meals with friends and family. Eating together
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November 22, 2023
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Culture
,
Personal Development
Grateful for Dreamers—and Serendipitous Events That Shape Our Lives
How far can a dream take a person? For our son Jorge, a dream became his reality through
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November 1, 2023
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Personal Development
Simple Chores Set the Stage
My Dad—aka Chore Master Supreme®—always made it look easy. And I’m not talking about the actual chores he
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July 12, 2023
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Culture
Family Navigations, Summer 2023: Morocco and Portugal
Nothing brings a family together like a summer vacation, right? So relaxing, so serene. Here’s what Tony Sarsam
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June 30, 2023
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Culture
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Personal Development
Pursuing a Better Understanding of Happiness
After serving as the foundational document of the United State for nearly 250 years, are the truths of
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June 12, 2023
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Culture
A Place Where We Can Be Free
If I could magically transport you to Hawaii to celebrate King Kamehameha Day in person, I would. But
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June 5, 2023
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Culture
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Personal Development
Graduates Supporting Graduates, Maryvale to ASU
Historians tell us that the word “alumnus” goes back to the Latin verb “alere,” which means “bring up”
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May 15, 2023
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Business
,
Personal Development
Courage In The Moment: Adulting and Life Skills
This summer at SpartanNash we have more than 100 interns starting, and I can’t wait. New energy. Fresh
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March 6, 2023
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Culture
,
Sports
Baseball 2023: The future ain’t what it used to be
Last season, when I took to the mound before a West Michigan Whitecaps game, rest assured, I was
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January 12, 2023
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Culture
Dr. King’s Dream and Our Call To Service
Hundreds of people stood with the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
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December 21, 2022
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Business
,
Culture
Leadership Mentor and Holiday Spirit Guide, Mr. Nigel Fezziwig
About 15 years ago, the CEO of the company where I was working hired a coach to work
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December 6, 2022
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Business
,
Culture
ALL IN: Three Stories, One Conclusion
A Catholic saint, arctic explorer and corporate CEO walk into a conference center. Wait. Have you heard this
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November 22, 2022
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Culture
,
Personal Development
Glad To Be Here: Reflections from Fort Benning
This year as we gather for Thanksgiving, I find myself grateful for a moment of serendipity my family
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November 10, 2022
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Culture
,
Personal Development
Civics Class, Always In Session
You know what I call my 30-minute wait to vote this year? Civics Class, the Life Lab edition.
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June 23, 2022
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Business
Two Words, Far-Reaching Implications
If the start of a great journey begins with a single step, the same can be said for
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June 6, 2022
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Business
,
Personal Development
“Show Me One Example of a Wildly Successful Pessimist”
The quote above comes from Gary Rogers, legendary entrepreneur and CEO of the Dreyer’s Ice Cream company, where
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May 25, 2022
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Culture
,
Personal Development
Commencement 2022: How and Why, The Most Important Questions for Today’s Grads
Last time our heroes gathered, it was 2020. My oldest daughter Kamila was graduating from college, but all
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April 18, 2022
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Culture
Bringing My Middle Name to the Fore: Tony Bashir Sarsam
Think of the most recent form or application you were asked to complete. Many times, we see three
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March 21, 2022
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Business
,
Culture
Where is the story of where to help?
All eyes are on Ukraine right now. It’s impossible to look away. And yet, as the news churns
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January 16, 2022
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Culture
,
Personal Development
Dr. King’s 1963 Call-To-Action in Kalamazoo
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. has long inspired me with his leadership and commitment to principled action even
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December 30, 2021
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Culture
,
Personal Development
Always Time For New Beginnings
With the New Year upon us, I’m reminded of William Shakespeare’s line that “what’s past is prologue.” Yet
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November 1, 2021
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Culture
Iceland Trip 2021: Fire, Ice and Germo-Therapy
This summer the Sarsam clan traveled to Iceland. Joining my wife Judy and I on this expedition were
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July 4, 2021
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Culture
Hurrah for the Flag of the Free
July 4, 1976 marked the United States Bicentennial and the peak of summer following my eighth-grade graduation. Leading
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June 18, 2021
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Culture
A Different Kind of Patriotic Post
Each patriotic holiday that marks the calendar in the United States provides a focal point for reflection and
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March 8, 2021
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Culture
,
Personal Development
What does March 8 mean to you?
Since 1987, by an act of Congress, March has been designated as National Women’s History month, and today
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January 10, 2021
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Business
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Culture
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Personal Development
Family, faith and service continue to fuel Dr. King’s dream
This week, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be turning 92 years old. Martin Luther King
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December 20, 2020
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Culture
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas …
Way back in 1951 when music legends Perry Como and Bing Crosby sent Meredith Wilson’s song, It’s Beginning
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November 22, 2020
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Culture
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Personal Development
Power down. Reboot with gratitude.
How many times have you found your computer or phone not working properly, then in a fit of
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November 2, 2020
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Business
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Culture
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Sports
Lessons Learned – From Winning And Losing
This past week my 32-year bondage with the LA Dodgers ended. Thankfully. In a 3-1 victory over the
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August 25, 2020
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Culture
,
Economics
The Trade-Offs of COVID-19
Let’s think back to late February or early March. Maybe there was a day when Milan, Italy became
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July 2, 2020
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Business
,
Culture
On Our Nation’s Birthday, A 2020 Salute to Today’s Heroes
This week we will celebrate our nation’s birthday in an unusually suppressed fashion. Practically no parades, no gatherings
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May 14, 2020
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Personal Development
The Circumstances Still Call For Pomp | A Letter To My Daughter and All 2020 College Grads
Dear Kamila, With your final grades posted today, it’s official. You are a college graduate! As our oldest
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May 7, 2020
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Business
,
Economics
Economic Insight Based On The PB&J Theorem
As we look toward a post-COVID future, there has been a lot of talk about implications of this
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April 24, 2020
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Business
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Economics
Getting Back To Business Step By Step
As a business leader, it’s my job to assess the present and plan for the future. Long-term forecasting
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April 10, 2020
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Culture
From Struggle, Even Stronger Faith
What a week, right? COVID-19 dominates the news and our lives in ways few of us could have
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March 25, 2020
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Culture
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Sports
Why Cheating In Baseball Matters
In 2017, the Houston Astros cheated. In 1919, the Chicago White Sox cheated. In one era, eight players
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March 18, 2020
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Culture
The Contagion Among Us
Yes, it’s true there’s a new threat to our health and wellness. But I’m not just talking about
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January 28, 2020
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Sports
Mamba Mentality
I spent my formative years in Phoenix in a time when it was transitioning from a town to
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December 19, 2019
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Culture
“Yes, Virginia.” What The Writer Needed. What We Need.
If it’s been a while since you read “Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus” or if you’ve
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December 11, 2019
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Business
,
Culture
Houston, We Have A Problem. And A Solution!
The holiday season is a time of joy, right? Imagine our surprise in late October when we started
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November 26, 2019
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Personal Development
On Tornadoes And Turkeys
This year, when my family and I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner—of the many things we have to
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November 19, 2019
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Business
On Van Rides, Team-Building And Organizational Success
Recently, a columnist for Authority Magazine, Carly Martinetti, interviewed me for a Q&A that appeared on Medium. The
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October 25, 2019
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Business
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Personal Development
Failing Forward: Learning From Every Experience
Continuous improvement does not always mean continuous success. In fact, for every success there are also inevitable failures
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September 19, 2019
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Culture
Asking The Second Question—To Get To The Fifth
Have you ever found yourself watching a televised interview—perhaps with a celebrity, sports figure or eyewitness to an
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September 6, 2019
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Business
Hurricane Alley: An Unlikely Avenue for Bringing Out the Best
Borden Dairy has 13 plants and 91 branches. The vast majority are in southern and southeastern states and
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August 21, 2019
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Sports
Not Flipping Out Over Bat Flipping
Full disclosure, I’m a lifelong baseball fan. I love everything about the game—the history, the athleticism and the
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August 9, 2019
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Business
Starting A New Borden Tradition: The Ring of Honor
At Borden Dairy, we’re working hard to embed People First values even deeper in our organization, and one
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July 26, 2019
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Business
Customer Service, Airline Style
In a world with jumbo shrimp, exact estimates and constant variables, it makes perfect sense to see the
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July 16, 2019
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Business
Around the Horn
Each day in our personal and professional lives, we find ourselves presented with opportunities and confronted by challenges.
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July 10, 2019
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Culture
One Giant Leap, Still Ascending
Planet Earth has one moon, and for several days 50 years ago it held a singular fascination for
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June 18, 2019
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Economics
Early Employment, Lasting Dividends
Summer jobs. What memories come flooding back when you see those words and recall experiences from your teen
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April 30, 2019
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Culture
Truth Self-Evident
The recent fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral continues to burn bright in my mind. Like countless millions
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editors
picks
Pursuing a Better Understanding of Happiness
Courage In The Moment: Adulting and Life Skills
ALL IN: Three Stories, One Conclusion
Glad To Be Here: Reflections from Fort Benning
Commencement 2022: How and Why, The Most Important Questions for Today’s Grads