Testimonial by Barry Charles Maloney
Bruce and I had a strong attorney/client relationship for many years when he decided to sell his company. I understood the intricacies of his foodservice business as the general gounsel to the Foodservice Sales & Marketing Association. I was also an attorney and CPA with expertise in M&A transactions for the brokerage industry. That familiarity built our trust and generated Bruce’s confidence in my judgment.
He did not mention his illness at the start of the sale negotiations. On reflection, I am not sure it was even a concern for him, as he never complained to me about the seriousness of his health issues. To my knowledge, it never affected his decision-making. I felt he was the ideal client, as he accepted my recommendation in these complex transactions, allowing me to proceed with his trust that I would champion the demands for terms in Bruce’s best interest. Until reading his book, I did not know the severity of his medical condition and that there were two separate but critical tracks his life was following simultaneously.
Ironically, I believe Bruce had adopted the same attitude with his medical professionals, who, like me, might have been unaware of the other meaningful life-altering transaction occurring in his business life. Possibly this reliance on the decisions of his experts in two significant simultaneous life occurrences was the secret to Bruce’s success at mastering the colliding forces. From my experience in M&A transactions, Bruce’s reliance on others was rare. His book reveals the historical life incidences that developed his strong faith in others and allowed him to achieve what I would call a Positive Mental Attitude, resulting in successful conclusions to both critical events.