John F. Floyd Commentary: On CEO job performance, and a gifted young man
The Boeing Company’s board of directors decided to deny Chief Executive Officer David Calhoun a $7 million bonus for poor job performance, a move that is not common among companies in the United States.
In an article in the Wall Street Journal, it was stated that one of Calhoun’s goals and objectives was to get the airliner 777x approved by regulators and into service by the end of 2023. He’s not going to accomplish that goal, and this was just one of the objectives he failed to attain. Boeing’s stock price has declined 35% since Calhoun took over as CEO in January 2020.
Makes one wonder how Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. CEO Richard Kramer performed against his goals and objectives for year 2022, or for that matter, the prior six or seven years.
Goodyear's share price has languished somewhere in the $10 to $12 range. One would think the board of directors, under pressure from the company’s stockholders, would think of making changes at the top of Goodyear’s management hierarchy. But many of the Goodyear directors are retired and comfortable in their director responsibilities.
Changing gears to something more pleasant, a lead story in the Feb. 12 edition of The Gadsden Times highlighted, “Beautiful Rainbow student picked for Auburn program.” The story was about a gifted young man at Beautiful Rainbow Café at the Gadsden Public Library.
And this is more than the young man becoming an Auburn student, of which I am personally proud. This is about motivation and determination. This is indeed about a special person: Chris Underwood and his desire to “become a talented chef and live on my own and have my own restaurant one day.”
While already an accomplished chef and businessman, Chris has been chosen as one of eight new students for Auburn University’s EAGLES program, or Education to Accomplish Growth in Life Experiences for Success.
The program was begun in 2018 and offers a post-secondary education experience for students with intellectual disabilities. There were 90 applicants from across the United States, with 16 being chosen as finalists. Chris not only made the finalist list; he was chosen as No. 1 among the eight students selected for the program. Requirements were his ability to use technology, social skills, level of independence and certain financial considerations.
The Times further stated: “Underwood, son of Shawn Underwood (mom) and Edrick Hines (dad), has worked for two years at Beautiful Rainbow, which has reaped multiple honors over the years, including a 2022 Seal of Excellence from Gov. Kay Ivey as Alabama’s Best K-12 Work Based Learning Program. Underwood is one of two Beautiful Rainbow students (the other is Candido Lucas) with National Restaurant ServSafe certification.”
Chris has also worked at the Holiday Inn Express where his employer, Nanda Patel, remembered him as a fine young man.
Patel said his selection for the Auburn University program is an honor not just for Beautiful Rainbow, but for the Gadsden education system. Chip Rowan, director of the Beautiful Rainbow Café, is to be commended for his leadership and guidance of an entity so necessary for all residents of Gadsden.
I want to personally welcome Chris to Auburn University, and may his experience be fruitful and rewarding. War Eagle!
John F. Floyd is a Gadsden native who graduated from Gadsden High School in 1954. He formerly was director of United Kingdom manufacturing, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., vice president of manufacturing and international operations, General Tire & Rubber Co., and director of manufacturing, Chrysler Corp. He can be reached at johnfloyd538@gmail.com. The opinions reflected are his own.
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: John F. Floyd comments on CEO job performance, Chris Underwood
