At Their Knee

 


WONDER YEARS AND GOLD RECORDS: Larry Brahms also first encountered his mentor back in high school. "I used to make sure to be home by 4:30 every afternoon," recalls Brahms, now CEO of MTI Home Video (#148). The aspiring music producer didn't want to miss what he calls "the music show of the moment" -- Where the Action Is. The host of the series, which aired in 1965 and 1966, was a former soul singer named Steve Alaimo. His claim to fame was recording the song "Every Day I Have to Cry," which was also covered by Ike and Tina Turner and Dusty Springfield. On the show, Alaimo bantered with the likes of James Brown. Offscreen, he was a successful producer.

Years later Brahms broke into the music biz, landing a job at a soul label. On his first day at work, in 1973, he walked into his office and got the shock of his life. His teenage idol, Alaimo, was a vice-president in charge of production at the same company.

Brahms soon became Alaimo's music-industry protégé. The former TV personality opened doors for Brahms, introducing him to Dick Clark and other stars. Alaimo also opened his eyes to the vicissitudes of working in the entertainment world. The best piece of advice he ever gave Brahms? "Don't have an ego."

Alaimo also advised Brahms to "keep away from Las Vegas. There's too much money, it's too easy." In three decades in the business, Brahms has never, ever worked the Strip.

Rifka Rosenwein is a senior writer at Inc. Reporter Tahl Raz contributed to this article.

Brushes With Fame

THE BUSINESS ICON: Bill Weisz, legendary former CEO of Motorola
THE CEO HE INFLUENCED: Russ Intravartolo, CEO of StarNet (#232)
In 1991, Intravartolo was taking a management-training course at Motorola. During one class he argued with a vice-president about how best to handle employee layoffs. Weisz heard about the contretemps and later approached Intravartolo to congratulate him for standing up for what he believed in. Over the next three years, Weisz regularly sent Intravartolo management-related articles along with handwritten notes with tips and advice. Ten years later the StarNet CEO still keeps two of those articles in his desk drawer.

THE BUSINESS ICON: W. Edwards Deming, economist credited with rebuilding Japan after World War II
THE CEO HE INFLUENCED: Ed Schmidt, CEO of eCopy (#316)
Deming taught a statistical-quality-assurance course at New York University, where Schmidt was getting his M.B.A. in the early 1970s. But the course ended up being "more philosophical than statistical," according to Schmidt. Deming, then 83, taught his students that "it's up to management to provide the system that will allow people to succeed." In his current role, Schmidt says, "I apply those principles every day."

THE BUSINESS ICON: Stew Leonard Jr., owner of the supermarket chain Stew Leonard's
THE CEO HE INFLUENCED: Adam Eiseman, CEO of the Lloyd Group (#296)
Eiseman attended "Stew Leonard's University" for a day last year and had lunch with the grocery-store maven. The event "seemed to validate my ideas," says Eiseman, even though his company does information-technology consulting. "Like Stew Leonard's, we look at having clients and employees for a lifetime," he says.


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