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PUBLISHER'S VIEWPOINT
March 2008
Why John Chernak Was A Great Man
My friend John Chernak passed away in January. He'd long battled diabetes, and it finally won, as it always does. John was a great guy, a big guy with an even bigger personality. If you didn't know him well, you might not realize how effective a leader he was. He used that giant personality to get real things done. And everybody had a great time while it was happening.
It was fascinating to see the way this came out in the flurry of e-mails that went around when we learned of his passing. Our partner Brian Ward said it succinctly, as he usually does. "He was one of my personal favorites, for sure," he wrote back. "He was a class act, a real gentleman. He was a statesman for the industry. I had some great conversations with him, usually around a bowl of chilled shrimp at some reception somewhere."
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"John used his giant personality to get real things done."
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I wrote Deirdre Flynn, executive v.p. at the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers, because I couldn't remember when John had been president of the organization. Here's what she wrote:
"Chernak was president in 1993—lovely man, and that's what we've heard the most—dedicated to NAFEM, dedicated to the industry," she wrote. "A great mentor to many.. ...A lot of the operational efficiencies NAFEM has are because of John's planning and contribution. He was the creator of the William W. Carpenter award...even to the design...(and) the recipient in 2001.. ...Always quick with a joke, always quick to put people at ease. He was still following NAFEM activities, and up until about two years ago, still got copies of the annual budget. We'd often get notes or ideas from him on his "Stirring the pot, John' stationery."
Now, there's an industry legacy. But there's one other very important contribution. John was great at making and selling things and helping build Tomlinson Industries into the great company it remains today. The bare facts are in the release announcing his death that Tomlinson sent us: "Mr. Chernak joined Tomlinson Industries in '57. He became President of Tomlinson Industries in '66 and continued in that capacity through '94. In '95 John became Chairman and was a Senior "Special" Advisor from '96 until his retirement in December '03."
Yes, but what it doesn't say is that under John's leadership, Tomlinson became as dominant in its product category as any NAFEM company has ever been. There was hardly a coffee urn in America and in much of the rest of the world, that didn't have a "No-Drip" faucet. And John also set the company on a path of diversification that defines it today.
John's wife Arlene, his four daughters and grandchildren, and all of us who were lucky enough to know him, will miss him. But maybe the folks upstairs figured it was time to have him join their party. Let's hope there's shrimp on ice. Peace, friend.
Cheers,
Robin Ashton
Publisher
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