To All CryoPort Shareholders:
In his post (#2347), Mr. Bust asked how CryoPort found Mr. Stambaugh. Mr. Fan gave his opinion in his post (#2348). Unfortunately, and with all due respect for the opinions and information that Mr. Fan puts forth on this board, I have to correct him on this one. Indeed, Mr. Fan struck out (Coach: Baseball reference) and it has become my duty to correct the record for all fellow Hubbies.
I happen to know that Mr. Stambaugh loves fishing. He goes for the big ones, the challenging ones, the ones that require the most experience and the most seasoned strategies for making “the big catch”. In a word, Mr. Stambaugh is a sportsman or, as they say in fishing, a “rodman”.
I also happen to know that Mr. Stambaugh loves cold. Whether it is the weather, Indian ice cream or whatever, he likes to spend a certain amount of his time in very cold and very challenging environments. I think it brings him back to basics, to his own spiritus mundi and, perhaps, to his own personal quest for validity. Some people go after the brass ring, others seek what the Hindus refer to as “the five tiles” on the road to Nirvana. This is one reason why I, personally, am very happy to see him as our CEO.
About three months ago, Mr. Stambaugh was heading for the Barents Sea. You’re talking north of Norway and Finland here, and this is no-nonsense stuff in January. Only the most seasoned, the most experienced and the most knowledgeable practitioners of the art of the hunt venture to this part of the world in January.
Here is where the story (as told to me) gets a little confusing. The cab driver, who was taking Mr. Stambaugh to the John Wayne airport in Orange County, somehow misunderstood what Mr. Stambaugh said to him about where he needed to go. (I have been told that the cab driver was born in Southern California and, indeed, was a recent graduate of a typical American high-school. My source also said that the driver spoke functional English and that nobody quite understands what happened next.)
To make a long story short, Mr. Stambaugh somehow ended up on Barents Sea Circle, where the CryoPort headquarters are located, and not on the Barents Sea. He ended up in the lobby of the CryoPort headquarters! Is this unbelievable, or what? [My own theory is that he must have seen the word “cryo”, (which in Ancient Greek meant “icy cold” or “freezing”), on the front door and that he became attracted to the name, due to his inherent love of cold. Compare this to silly me and my story of how I was attracted to the prefix “cryo”. It is almost embarrassing.]
One of the people at the CryoPort headquarters described the following scene to me: It is early January. A great big burly guy, unshaven, walks in to the lobby of our company. He is carrying a big duffel bag stuffed with clothes, fishing equipment and various items of “survival gear”. He is wearing a heavy coat, gloves and has a big wool scarf wrapped around his neck. Add huge, oversized fishing boots and a heavy wool ski hat to the picture and you get some idea of how Mr. Stambaugh introduced himself to our company.
My source tells me that Mr. Stambaugh was somewhat confused and dis-oriented when he first walked in to the building. I have been told that he started talking to the receptionist in the front lobby and that he was quickly ushered in to one of the offices in the restricted area at the back of the building. Some kind of lengthy discussion ensued with a few of the CryoPort personnel and it became obvious to those talking with him that Mr. Stambaugh knew something about their line of business. (I have been told that the real hint to the CryoPort people was when he said, “I have more than 30 years of successful experience building global businesses and setting strategies. I have an extensive background in life sciences and clean tech, including relationships with and knowledge of Contract Research Organizations, and biotech and pharmaceutical companies.”)
At one point in the conversation, my source overheard Mr. Stambaugh saying, “Hey. Do you guys need a good CEO? I’m available.” When I heard this part of the story, Spiro and I looked at each other in utter disbelief. The similarities between our story, and the unlikely and unpredictable nature of the events which brought us together, were just too coincidental with this one. The rest is history………………
Isn’t life interesting? Are there unknown fates in the world that are utterly unexplainable and beyond our control? Are their hidden forces at work, invisible to our eyes and to our consciousness, that are quietly creating what will eventually become actual events in life? (Coach: “Do you believe in miracles?”) I believe the answer is a strong “Yes” and this is why I rely on Spiro’s uncanny and unexplainable ability to sense the next revelation.
I have but one question regarding this story: In our quest for success, is Mr. Stambaugh a “second chance” for us? Is our company that “rough beast” that Yeats talks about, whose hour has come around at last?
It is almost Easter. We sense a great revelation is at hand. Carpe diem……………
AI
