SWING. Do you know what that is? It’s competitive rowing’s equivalent to a hole-in-one, a walk-off home run, or a full-court shot.
The book The Boys in the Boat, written by Daniel James Brown, is the story of the University of Washington men’s rowing team about working boys who were unlikely gold medalists at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Their story references a thing that sometimes happens in rowing that is hard to achieve and hard to define:
“It only happens when all eight oarsmen are rowing in such perfect unison that no single action by any one is out of sync with those of all the others.”
The ninth crew member, the coxswain, does not row. He is the only one facing forward as the eyes of the boat. Only he can see the course, judge the wind and the current, make tactical changes and coach the rowers into swing. The coxswain is the strategist responsible for coordinating the power and rhythm and is the motivating heart of the rowers. As Brown describes:
“The single, whole, unified and beautiful symphony that a crew in motion becomes is all that matters. Not the individual, not the self … Rowing then becomes a kind of perfect language … It’s not hard work when the rhythm comes …”
Kyle Treadway possesses this kind of team-creating rhythm. I see him as the symbolic coxswain of the Kenmore company. This leadership skill is just part of him, it seems effortless, and he seems unflappable. It comes from a life of discipline, generosity, integrity and a fierce loyalty to family. This rhythm is what brings him into each day prepared for whatever it may hold. In this era of COVID-enhanced industry issues, internal and external, a rhythm, a flow, a sort of zen is a powerful tool. Mind you, his rhythm is his alone. It is never imposed or thrust upon anyone else. It is his own high bar of personal expectation, his own “swing.” But it seems to inspire others to row as a team.
One of Kyle’s mantras is “if you’re not early, you are late.” Many of his nieces and nephews have worked through college as his Administrative Assistants, and they soon sensed that arriving at their desk at 8:01 was unacceptable. It became a personal challenge for some of them to try to get to the office before Kyle. Others, not. You see, by 8:00 a.m., Kyle has already swum 4500 yards, done his pre-reads for the board, handled managerial and video conferences, booked flights for the next two to three months and picked up a dozen cigarette butts on his way into the building from where he parks in the employee lot. Kyle likes things tidy. He never says anything; he just quietly takes his stewardship over the family business very personally. That’s why he picks up any litter in the parking lot; that’s why he knows his employees’ lives and families and their stories; that’s why he leaves his desk completely organized at the end of every day. Not as impressive in today’s paperless world as it has been the last two decades when he began the practice. But the same outcome. Kyle creates the swing rhythm of discipline.
Making the rounds to the different Kenworth locations and serving his responsibilities on various regional and national boards, Kyle travels many weeks out of the year, often packing one suitcase for back-to-back travel that doesn’t stop in Salt Lake City between work locations. Needless to say, he tends to accumulate a lot of Biscoff cookies and pretzels that have filled the niece’s and nephew’s lunches over the years! He also brings home the complimentary shampoos and soaps from the hotels to donate to the local teen homeless shelter.
This spills over into business, where giving back to the community is a priority. Kenworth Sales sponsors two Title One elementary schools and has an employee-driven charitable giving program. Last year marked the 75th anniversary of Kenworth Sales Co. Over 40 events were planned and then canceled due to COVID-19. But even with, and maybe even because of, the uncertainty of the pandemic’s effects on the economy, Kenworth Sales moved forward with the plan of giving back $75,000 to the communities of which we are a part. That is how Kenworth Sales celebrated 75 years. By giving back. That’s who Kyle is. There’s enough to share.
Incidentally, Kyle does his birthday the same way. He always seems to be gone on his birthday, so there is no celebration to be had! But he does not miss a gift or card for others in the family on their birthdays. The many nieces, nephews and now their children, the fifth generation, all hear from Uncle Kyle. One birthday, however, a foil happy birthday sign that had been used around the office above various people’s workstations found its way above Kyle’s door on the exact day of his birthday! He was there that day, quietly took it down and folded it neatly and set it on his credenza. Later that day, a brave nephew/admin assistant tacked it up under the desk where only Kyle could see it. He noted the pleased look on Kyle’s face, almost a smile?!! Kyle generates the swing rhythm of generosity.
Kyle’s idea of time off is trading his tie for a T-shirt, his laptop for a rake and working to maintain the three-acre HOA community he and his spouse have built. They have planted nearly 200 trees and created a beautiful park-like setting for all the residents to enjoy. When you shake hands with Kyle, notice his thumbs. They are both green. He has thriving plants in his office that have been there for longer than I can remember. Do you sing to them, Kyle? Is the coxswain allowed to sing?
Now, if he isn’t brown-bagging lunch in the KWS lunchroom and catching up with the techs and office staff, he is probably taking a nephew to lunch at Virg’s, a local diner with vinyl seats and a steady menu. He is seated in the same booth each time, the server knows him by name, and he knows hers and her family. She greets him and brings him his iced tea without asking. He includes a quiet, thoughtful tip, with a ”see you next time.” He lives simply, deliberately.
One summer, in his teen years, Kyle worked at a service station. Kyle, did you wear coveralls?!! One day, while Kyle was working, some tools were stolen. He felt the responsibility of it. The next day, Kyle came to work with the sum of his earnings for the entire summer to give to the owner to compensate for the loss. He was prepared to make things right with the station owner. There was no price to be put on his good name. And Kyle’s sportsmanship goes beyond being an international master swimming competitor. He is a champion at laser tag! He is a strategic but honest card player and knows how to laugh! He is ever a gentleman. He has mastered the swing rhythm of integrity.
Kyle was not yet 40 years old when he assumed the helm of the business as the third generation of Treadways. He had been educated at Stanford. He and I graduated the very same day from two different universities. He is two years younger and graduated with two degrees to my one! Then, he received his law degree from the University of Utah. Now he is two degrees ahead of me. But I still have the two years on him! He had a short period of practicing law, but the “diesel in his blood” brought him to Kenworth at age 27.
Mentored for nearly 12 years by our father and other giants in the transportation industry, Kyle has said he still felt unprepared the day our father passed away, and the name on the door changed from Gene Treadway to Kyle Treadway and the desk with everything it contained was now his responsibility. He may have been mad at dad for leaving too soon, for breaking the rhythm, but only for a minute; he didn’t have time for that now. He was at the helm, he was the only one who could see the whole field, and he had a boat to guide.
As Kyle captains a growing family business, he wisely chooses his teammates and then lets them find the rhythm of their own stewardship, allowing them to captain their own smaller boats. In doing so, he leaves a wake of respect and certainty.
That boat has become a fleet. As dealer principal, Kyle has grown the business from the four locations he inherited in 2000 to 31 stores across the Mountain West and Mid Atlantic, with over 1200 families relying on Kenworth Sales for their livelihood. But, it is no cruise ship. Through seismic economic shifts, construction, staff changes, industry demands, supply chain disruption, earthquakes and a pandemic, Kyle had the 2020 vision to navigate COVID, as all of you did, to adjust and reroute. Kyle has a phrase, “If you can’t fix it, feature it.” This works as well for the support poles painted red in the West Valley parts showroom and for this and that in his own home. It also works for the COVID pandemic.
Instead of giving in to all of the swirling anxiety of a maverick virus, with a skilled tech team, Kyle produced a company-wide video message to comfort and assure employees that their jobs are secure, that the doors will remain open as an essential business, that the company is thriving. We can not only weather this, but we may come forward as contenders and Olympic champions in this regard! In each week’s video, he would greet and give an encouraging and informed anecdote based on current events or historical significance to inform and boost morale. Soon other rowers or team members would participate in the message. It began as a tool for pandemic peace of mind and evolved into a COVID-connector, an effective morale missive and PR platform. It was an inspiring way to meet and stay connected in a large company. It has continued each week for nearly two years. Each week begins with a familiar “Kyle Treadway, dealer principle here,” and ends with the reassurance, “Because together we are strong.” Like everything else, he has established a pattern for the swing rhythm of leadership.
Families are at the top of Kyle’s list. His concern for employees’ safety and security is second only to his own family. He cares fiercely for the legacy of the Treadway family and future generations. The fourth generation is now being mentored by Kyle, as he was by our father and grandfather. His patient leadership allows for hands-on experiential learning. Kyle, how many family members have you individually trained to read financial statements? How many times have you explained acronyms and organizational charts? How many times have you told the history of the company, told of its mission, vision and values? Perhaps one of the most difficult jobs of a coxswain is the repetition that has to sound fresh and relevant every single time. Kyle is invested in family. Kyle is invested in relationships. Kyle is invested in people. Kyle values the swing rhythm of family.
As Kyle captains a growing family business, he wisely chooses his teammates and then lets them find the rhythm of their own stewardship, allowing them to captain their own smaller boats. In doing so, he leaves a wake of respect and certainty.
When the author of The Boys in the Boat approached the last remaining member of that nine-man Olympic crew, who was in heart failure and seeing his last days, the author asked, “Can I write about your life?” “No,” the old rower said.
Silence.
“You can write about the boat.” (By that, he meant all the guys who rowed.)
Today Kyle Treadway is honored as an inductee into the UADA Hall of Fame. But if you were to ask him to tell the story of his life that brought him here, I am certain he would say: “No, but I’ll tell you about the boat. My family and the people I work with; I will tell you about all the people who rowed with me.”
Kyle, as one of your crew members and even more as your sister, I congratulate you on receiving – and deserving – this honor.
