Importance of thank you notes
As a young state representative in the early 1980s, I represented the Claycomo Ford Assembly Plant in north Kansas City. The Ford plant had recently been re-tooled to provide employment for 5,000 residents in my district. After the re-tooling and as a suggestion from the Clay County economic director, I wrote a thank you letter to Donald Petersen, the president of Ford Motor Company. At the end of my letter I stated, “If you would ever like to come to Jefferson City to our state capitol, I would be honored to show you around.” I soon forgot about the letter.
The following week, I received a telephone call from Petersen’s administrative assistant who explained that Petersen had never received a thank you letter from anyone in government before and had decided to visit Jefferson City.Petersen also requested a tour of the Kansas City plant — a first for the plant — before flying to Jefferson City. When I received Petersen’s itinerary, I bet it looked similar to a U.S. president’s — “Mr. Petersen will disembark the limousine at 12:15 p.m. Mr. Petersen will be in the State Capitol lobby at 12:20 p.m., etc.” Petersen addressed the State Senate that day, and every Ford dealership owner was in Jefferson City to hear Petersen speak. TV cameras, reporters from all over the state came to Jefferson City for his visit.
When Petersen visited my office and I handed him a state manual, you would have thought I handed him the crown jewels. What a gracious and humble man. Later that day, Gov. Kit Bond and I flew into Kansas City with Petersen to view the first Ford Topaz and Tempo roll off the line. When I used to speak to school children, I would tell them, “Never doubt the importance of one thank you note.”
Sandra Lee Reeves
M.B.A. ’98