Why Talk About the Past When You’re Looking to the Future?

In 1930, as Americans were feeling the grip of economic depression, a candy manufacturer named W.E. Brock had this to say: "There are plenty of people to do the possible; you can hire them for a small sum of money. The prizes are for those who perform the impossible." Bold words for sure, particularly from a man whose company in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was plunging into the toughest financial crisis of its history. Most likely it was W.E. Brock's strong faith and determination that allowed the small manufacturing company to perform the impossible: stay in business during the Great Depression.

Crisis often helps to define a company’s character, just like it does for a family or an individual. Economic depression, world wars, natural disasters, energy shortages... all serve as extraordinary backdrops for stories so awe-inspiring they sometimes verge on mythical. But a company doesn’t have to be century-old, like Brock, to have a great story to tell. Any company has its legends and heroes, even if the company is still young and making history.

At the Storyline Group, we’re helping companies discover and share their legacies. Strong legacies build confidence among employees, vendors, and most importantly, customers. And confidence in business is critical to success.

W.E. Brock understood something that many business leaders never come to recognize. "If a thing can be done, experience and skill can do it," he said, "but if it cannot be done, only faith and work can do it. So I contend that it is increased faith and confidence the world needs today more than anything else."

W.E. Brock spoke those words in 1930. They were relevant then. They are no less relevant today. A long list of company achievements can look good by itself. But without a publication that honors those successes, their greatest contribution has yet to be given.