Diese Rede beschreibt eine der besten Geschäfts-Partnerschaften von Norman Rentrop. Er bedankt sich bei Dani Levinas in Miami Beach für die gute Zusammenarbeit und Freundschaft
Norman Rentrop
Dani, Mirella, friends and colleagues
10 years ago I began a relationship that has proved to be one of the most rewarding partnerships in my professional life. That was when I came to this great city to see you, Dani, about a German licence for the “Trendletter”. It looked like just another business deal. For you: potential licensee no. 23, for us adding what would be our at the time fifth Newsletter.
Little did I know before the meeting what a great partner I would get.
Everybody who knows you from Newsletter Publishers Association (NPA) conferences will agree:
a great guy
always fun to be with
energetic
full of ideas
and never short of stories and jokes.
Dani, when around the time of the Nevis NPA conference I had a very challenging situation in Germany you proved that
a friend in need is a friend indeed.
Thanks again for your support.
You have my highest admiration for getting great American experts like
Aram Bakshian jr., Letitia Baldrige, Stephanie Winston, Bob Orben and
Ed Kitrell to express themselves in Newsletter format.
An the innovative “post-it review” mailing – controversial like all great innovations at the beginning – has won you a place in the direct marketing history books.
Besides being a great innovator you are also a great teambuilder. Dani, you have assembled a great team of fine professionals at Georgetown and the results speak for themselves. Your international worldwide outlook has steered the company towards success.
Behind every great man there is a great woman.
Mirella, besides always being a charming and beautiful hostess you are also a successful businesswoman in your own right owning the Cartier franchise for Greater Washington.
We have quite often been asked what’s the key to our partnership working.
You all please be the judge:
Is it looking alike?
Is it thinking alike?
Is it…?
An American business tycoon once said that if he and a partner ever agreed on everything, one of them would have become unnecessary.
Dani and I don’t always agree on everything. But each of us has helped the other to see things in new ways, to make an asset instead of a liability of our different outlooks and approaches.
That’s what a good partnership should be: partners who, united, bring more strength and inventiveness to the field than either could do by himself.
And that’s why I am proud to salute you, Dani, after 10 years of successfully working together. Dani, we have a custom at Rentrop Publishing of recognizing valuable service with a Montblanc Meisterstück fountain pen.
“Meisterstück” is German for “Masterpiece”. And your collaboration has been a true publishing “masterpiece”. Besides, I think you’ve already worn out more than one pen signing all those fat earnings checks from our mutual ventures. So here is a practical gift you can use – but one that also represents my respect and affection as a colleague and friend.
Thank you, Dani Levinas, for all we have achieved together so far – and for all that we can and will achieve together in the future.