You never know when a small encounter will make a big impression on anyone, let alone on a potential big client. But Senior CAD Technician Dennis Hutchinson did exactly that when he shared a breakfast table with two men a few months ago at the Columbus (Indiana) Municipal Airport. Dennis, a flying enthusiast, had piloted his Davis DA-2A to the airport and was looking forward to a tasty breakfast from Hanger 5. The popular restaurant was undergoing renovations, so Dennis ended up sitting at a folding table with two men in the basement, eating Hanger 5 chow cooked on camping stoves.

One of the men noticed Dennis was wearing an American Structurepoint jacket and started asking questions. Dennis, in his usual style, had plenty to tell. “They were shocked I had been here for 43 years,” Dennis said. “I told them one of the main reasons I stayed is because the people are so good here. I’ve worked with a lot of great people over the years.” The conversation went so well that once all three pilots were back in the air, the two unknown men radioed Dennis and offered to snap some aerial photos of him flying his totally restored experimental airplane. Come to find out, the two men were Rich Cooper, CEO of the Ports of Indiana, and Ed Hamilton, chief engineer for the same organization. The Ports of Indiana operates the state’s three ports – Burns Harbor on Lake Michigan, and Jeffersonville and Mount Vernon on the Ohio River. Hamilton was so impressed he emailed Steve Davidson about Dennis.

“By the way, one of your best salespersons is a drafter on your staff,” Ed’s email said. “He thought the world of your company, and he had no idea he was talking to the CEO of the Ports of Indiana. In fact, he did the drafting for our entrance bridge at Burns Harbor.”

Awesome job, Dennis! Thanks for talking up American Structurepoint and proving once again that our people are our best asset.