Product Description
by John M. Utley (Author)
In the tiny town of Smith Mills, his parents don't care if he lives or dies. At eight years old, he's forced to survive on his own. Ten, he buys his own clothes and most of his food. Fourteen, he's the manager of a service station paying rent to his mother to live with her. He's kicked down and pushed to the physical thresholds of flesh and bone, always knowing the sting of abandonment. He expects nothing more, and nothing less. In this incredible true story, John Utley proves that hardship forges strength, that success is measured only by cold hard grit in the face of oppression. And, sometimes, our greatest demons can reveal our most powerful virtues. He thought he'd left his hometown for good, but he returns one more time to take you on a trip you'll never forget. Smith Mills. Some boys are just born tough.
Author Biography
John Utley, a Kentucky native, built a massive company from the humble beginnings of a dirt floor in a sharecropper's cabin. John spent his first eleven years in Kentucky and then lived the next four years living in various cities in Indiana. He moved to Gary, Indiana when he was almost fifteen years old. He attended high school in Gary and lived in Gary and Portage, Indiana until he was twenty-six years at which time he was promoted in his job from Chicago to Houston, Texas. He spent time in various positions in Omaha and later to the corporate headquarters of his employer in Chicago. He held eight different positions of responsibility with American Service Bureau (an insurance investigation company). He was employed by that company for nineteen and a half years. He resigned in 1976 and started his own company. That company's major line of service was completing paramedical physical using medical personal such as registered nurses and LPN's. Starting with only a few offices and a few employees the growth was exceptional (100% growth was not unusual). When Mr. Utley sold the company in 1999, the company was into services including drug testing and investigations for insurance fraud as well as medical staffing. The company had grown to over 300 offices with personnel near 10,000. The company had developed a highly respected name and considered a leader in innovation and creativeness.
