Ya Gotta Have Heart

Preparing to be out of the office indefinitely

By Warren Cornil

One week after the ProMat Show in January 2005, late on a beautiful Texas night, the first episode of atrial fibrillation interrupted my life at my ranch in Hamilton County, and I ended up in the hospital in downtown Clifton, Texas.

Once I was stabilized, the doctor discharged me with orders to find a cardiologist upon my return home to Dallas. Further tests showed additional heart disease and the good doctor gave this prognosis: It would be his responsibility to keep me alive as long as he could on medication, but my ultimate survival would require a successful heart transplant. The news was disconcerting but not beyond the capacity of a positive mental attitude. My thought was, “Fine, I'm only 55 now. That'll be when I'm much older and sicker.”

Heart disease is insidious. You don't miss the inch that it claims each day, but when you suddenly realize that you're missing a mile, it gains your attention and causes you to reflect on the future. “Much older and sicker” came more quickly than I planned. As my condition worsened in the second half of 2007, it was time to seriously consider the options for dealing with the end term of the disease. In my mind, I never wavered; I knew that the end term of the disease for me would be a transplant. But, you've always got to consider the alternative. Either way, the heart disease was going to end, and the first order of business was to ensure that everything was in order and a plan was in place.

Succession Planning
My partner Bill Rowan and I own Sunbelt Industrial Trucks in Dallas and Houston as well as Narrow Aisle Inc. We are retail dealers for Komatsu, Navigator truck-mounted lifts, Jungheinrich, JLG products, and Flexi very narrow aisle forklifts. We are also distributors of Navigator in 40 states, Canada and Mexico and the distributor for Flexi in North, Central and South America. Vice President Brian Harris manages the Houston operation. He owns part of the businesses and has options to buy more. Sales Manager Jeff Fisher holds options to buy part of Narrow Aisle. With just over 100 great people working with us, it was incumbent upon us to come up with a good plan. My heart condition was no secret and was known by all.

Warren Cornil remained optimistic throughout the entire process of receiving a new heart. The transplant was completed on April 8, 2008.

The first stage of formulating the plan involved having discussions with Bill, Brian, Jeff and our company controller. Was it time for me to sell my shares and retire? Was it time to sell the companies? If those weren't the chosen options, was everything in order in the event of my demise to successfully transfer ownership in accordance with the buy/sell agreement we'd entered into years ago? The final piece of the puzzle was to consider the status quo, and determining how the companies would be run during my absence for the transplant and recovery time.

We included our banker, lawyer, insurance agent and investment advisor early on in these discussions. Keeping those individuals fully advised was a very important element of planning. The banker, especially, has to feel comfortable or there's no way to successfully implement any plan. A strong 20-year relationship with a good man on the opposite side of the lending desk made this much easier.

The next step was to determine the value of the businesses. If it was time to sell my shares, sell the companies or execute the buy/sell in the event of my demise, a capable third-party valuation was an absolute must. For this, we turned to the capable advice and consultation of Dr. Bart Basi at The Center for Financial, Legal & Tax Planning. An expert in the field of valuating small, closely held corporations, Dr. Basi worked with us for several months to determine values. He also reviewed our 20-year-old buy/sell agreement to ensure that it was in compliance with current law and still made the most sense. Just as important, he made certain that the agreement was in accordance with what we intended it for. He tweaked the agreement so it accomplished these goals. He reviewed my will and trust documents and updated them as well.

The Moment of Truth
Throughout this process, I remained certain that a transplant was on the horizon. After considering all the options, our decision was to not make a decision until after the heart disease had run its course. Confident that the transplant would fully restore me to good health—in which case I'd still enjoy working and be too young to retire—it was time to run with the status quo. How would that be done?

I had a procedure scheduled at the hospital on December 10, 2007. The intent was to stop my heart and start it again, hopefully restoring good rhythm. I asked the doctor if he'd let me yell “Clear!” when it was time to hit me with the paddles, but he assured me that I would not be awake. Three tries were unsuccessful, and the doctor said it was time for an evaluation to determine if I was a good candidate for transplant, as nothing else could be done. What was intended to be a four-hour outpatient hospital visit turned into a ten-day stay for an extravaganza of tests.

As a result, we ran out of time and never did formally sit down to determine who'd be responsible for my daily duties at the company. In actuality, it was unnecessary to do so. I had the foresight 20 years ago to choose an excellent partner, a good man who shares my morals, values and work ethic and in whom I have the utmost confidence and trust. We were smart enough to surround ourselves with good managers, men and women who are as smart or smarter than we are in the operation of the various departments (new and used sales, service, parts, rental and administration) of a successful forklift business. We also hired an excellent staff of people who could be counted on to perform their daily tasks regardless of who was at the helm.

When it was obvious that I'd be out for a while, Bill rallied the troops and everyone responded in a manner that made me proud to be associated with them. Everyone knew what had to be done, and they did it. The single most important thing that I learned from this experience was that, contrary to my previous thought, I didn't have to be there for the companies to run successfully. A good team was in place watching my back.

Seven surgeries between December 10 and April 8 kept me in the hospital for a total of about 60 days, with recovery in the interim. On April 11, three days after the transplant, complications stopped my new heart. They opened me up again, kick-starting me for good. Mid-October marks 26 weeks since the transplant, and it's great to report that I'm well thanks to the love, support and prayers of my wife, family, friends and associates at the office and in the industry, as well as to the skills of excellent physicians and nurses at Medical City Dallas Hospital. God bless the donor and his family too.

What It All Means
There are multiple morals to this story. Plan your work and work your plan. Surround yourself with the best people you can find. Rely on the counsel of outside experts. And most important, stay focused with a positive mental attitude and you can overcome whatever challenges life throws at you. Rule out the possibility of failure, and all that is left is success.

It is my suggestion that you do a couple of things. Don't wait to put a plan in place. The proverbial train that runs over you could be leaving the station right now. Make sure you're ready if it is. You may not have time to plan later, so do it today.

Finally, if you haven't already done so, please take the time today to become an organ donor. Many states allow you to do so online. At minimum, make sure your family is aware of your wishes. Six lives were positively impacted by the generous gift of a 26-year-old man's organs, my life in particular. Be a hero. Do the same with yours.

In closing, it's great to report that with a 26-year-old heart in a 58-year-old body, my average age is 42. Life is good, and I'm looking forward to many more great years to come in the forklift industry. I missed this year's MHEDA Convention, but watch for me next year. I'm back!

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The MHEDA Journal • Fourth Quarter 2008 • Volume 37, No. 4 • Contents are Copyright © Data Key Communications, Inc.
All rights reserved. • Nothing may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission of the publisher.