In remembrance of Brian Lloyd – employer, mentor, friend

I was saddened to hear that my former employer, mentor and friend Brian Lloyd recently passed away. I’d like to share a remembrance that I wrote for him.

I first met Brian shortly after he founded T.H.I.S. Computer Solution, Inc. when I responded to an employment ad in March 1992. That was early in the boom years for PC usage in businesses. Apparently he saw something in me that he liked, and hired me on the spot. I quickly learned that Brian was completely different than any employer that I previously worked for. He was very demanding and very focused on meeting and exceeding customer expectations. And if he thought that you were not meeting either his expectations or the customer’s expectations, he would let you know about it in no uncertain terms. Although some were intimidated by his blunt, no bull style, I found it refreshing to always know exactly where I stood and if I was meeting expectations or not. Thanks to Brian’s incredible sales skills, THIS quickly grew. My skills grew along with the business, which Brian was quick to recognize with generous raises. My income more than doubled during the time that I was with THIS.

And as I got to know Brian and Roz, it became apparent to me that Brian truly cared about his employees and his customers. And he never asked his employees to do something that he would not do himself. He was always generous with both his time and his resources. When he bought a new car in 1995, he gave me his old Toyota Celica, which I drove for several years. And when I went through a divorce, Brian lent me some money to allow me to settle with my ex-wife.

In 1998, I left THIS to go into business with a friend. Although I didn’t see a lot of Brian and Roz after I left, Brian was kind enough to attend my wedding when I remarried in 1999. And I was privileged to provide him with a reference when he was looking for employment in Phoenix.

My business didn’t work out, but my experience working for Brian and a placement as a contractor at intel while at THIS led directly to my current position as a senior programmer/analyst at Intel, where I have been for the last 10 years.

One of my favorite memories of Brian was when somebody found an old advertisement from when he was running a Toyota dealership in Australia. The ad had Brian’s mug inside a heart shaped frame and the tagline called him Big Hearted Brian. I recall that he was kind of embarrassed by it, but the fact is, the label fit. Brian really did have a big heart. I will always remember him as a key influence in both personal and my professional life. I learned so much from him about meeting commitments, providing quality customer service, and generally being more effective in life.

I know that Roz and David will miss him, and so will I.