Alex Hoffer

This Memorial Day, I’m thinking about the values that make our country great. While there’s a lot of chatter about America and a growing political divide, I believe there is still much to celebrate. 

I am writing this post not so much to convert you to my point of view, but rather to get you thinking about the cost paid by the men and women who died for our freedom. All the comforts of this Memorial Day weekend came at the cost of their human life. 

No Other Place I’d Want to Live

To be absolutely clear, there is no other place in the world that I would want to live but the United States. I also pray that my friends in other countries would think the same about their home country. I believe that no place is perfect. Again, having said that, here are some of the values that make America a different (and in my humble opinion, better) kind of place. 

While this list of core American values isn’t intended to be exhaustive, I think of these principles most when reflecting on what our fallen heroes fought to protect. Remembering these fundamental values and those who gave their lives defending them is what Memorial Day is truly about.

Sacrificial Service

America is at its best when we live out our sacrificial service value. The most striking example of this, in my opinion, is the Omaha Beach landing in World War II. Twice, I have stood on that beach pondering the courage of the men who came ashore on June 6, 1944. The only possible explanation for being willing to do what they did is that of sacrificial service. While exact numbers are difficult to come by, approximately 2,400 casualties occurred out of 34,000 troop landings. Yet, these sacrifices led to the end of the European War less than a year later. 

Both times I visited Omaha Beach, I also visited the American Cemetery at Normandy. Words cannot describe the emotion that came with those visits — it’s where the idea of sacrificial service moves from the head to the heart. Want to know what it means to be an American? Walk those graves and you will know. 

Patriotism

Patriotism is the love and devotion one has to their country. It is the feeling that most of us get on July 3 or 4th when we hear traditional music while watching a fireworks show. It is a healthy view, similar to the healthy view one has of their family. 

When I think of our servicemen and women and their patriotism, I often think of the Tuskegee Airmen who served even though they often faced racial discrimination at home. Their heroic service led to President Harry Truman issuing Executive Order 9981 desegregating the U.S. Armed Forces and mandating equality of opportunity and treatment on July 26, 1948. Their sacrificial service and love of (an imperfect) country are instructive to us all. 

Freedom

My favorite thing about our country, and what makes it great, is its pursuit of freedom. As the example above of the Tuskegee Airmen indicates, this pursuit is always a work in progress. It is never something one arrives at. 

One of the most striking aspects of contemporary American culture is its political divisiveness. 

Quite frankly, it tires me out. Yet, simultaneously, I realize that the ability to express one’s political differences is part of what makes America great in the first place! So while I would prefer we dampen down the political stuff in pop culture, sports, and even the business world, I also recognize that in America, it is part of what makes us free. In fact, I can use my freedom by turning off movies, sporting events, and media that over-politicize things. Feel free to turn me off as well. 

That is your freedom! 

A Reminder

I will end with a recommendation and a reminder: 

Ken Burns has done remarkable work on a variety of documentaries. As the examples above indicate, I am a student of World War II. Burns’ documentary The War is absolutely breathtaking, convicting, and inspiring. I give it my full recommendation. 

And one last reminder. 

Those of us who follow Jesus are to remember that our love of country cannot become an ultimate thing. We can have love and devotion to our country so long as we bow to Jesus and God’s word. 

While we love our temporary home in our home country, our heart’s truest longing is for the eternal Kingdom of God, where sickness, death, and evil will be forever defeated. And where there will no longer be any political divisions, war, or death. 

Until then, let us live, love, and remember what is good. And let us give thanks this Memorial Day to the families that have paid the price for us to do everything we do. 

I’m not giving any commencement speeches this year — but if I were, here’s what I’d say.

Dear Class of 2025, 

There are moments in life that you always remember despite the passage of time. While it has been a quarter of a century since I graduated from high school, I remember much about that day. 

Similarly, in the decades to come, you will remember much about today and the coming weeks. Soak in these moments because they will pass. And although having fun is essential now and in the future, it’s important to embrace the people in your life who might not be around 25 years from now. The only thing I would do over from my commencement 25 years ago would be to linger a little longer with my grandparents rather than heading to one last graduation party. 

The other perspective I have to offer you today comes from the following three points: 

Choose Gratitude 

I graduated from high school before social media — before everyone had smartphones and constant access to news and information. And while I fully embrace technological advancements, I have also come to appreciate how disruptive they can be to one’s psyche. 

But I am not going to be another voice sounding the alarm on these things, nor am I going to pontificate about how great the past was — as if my grandmothers wouldn’t have loved to be able to order groceries on their phones! 

Instead, I’ll point out that, despite our technological advances (and the promises about how much better our lives will be with them), we are generally more stressed out than before their invention. 

With this in mind, I urge you to choose gratitude. 

And gratitude certainly is a choice. Think of it like getting dressed. You can put on the “clothes” of criticism, bitterness, and selfishness. You can involve yourself in every political controversy, and let every little aspect of life drive you nuts. You can even blame all the problems on the other side, the other team, or that weirdo in your biology class.

Or you can wear different clothes altogether — the clothes of gratitude. In this outfit, you see the world as it is, but you find what is good, even when the only thing good is that the sun still comes up every morning. 

Gratitude doesn’t deny that life is hard. 

Gratitude doesn’t deny that there are things fundamentally wrong with humanity and the way we treat each other. 

Instead, gratitude is a conscious decision to find the good despite all the things that are wrong. 

You hold the power to choose what you see. Choose to see the good. Choose gratitude. 

Define Success, and Hold That Definition Loosely 

What does success mean? When I graduated, I only had vague ideas of success — a college degree, a job, a wife, or a certain quality of life? 

Don’t get me wrong.  My dreams included countless pursuits — including being an ESPN sports broadcaster! But I didn’t have real clarity on what success looked like. So I went through my twenties with a constant feeling that I wasn’t living up to the extremely vague and unclear version of success that only existed in my mind. 

I would have been better off had I done what I am recommending you to do: spend a little time this summer thinking and writing on the following prompts: 

• If you had to boil down what success would look like for you at age 25, what would it be? 
• What about later in life, like in your 40s or 50s? I know this seems like forever from now, but it will be here before you know it. 
• What are the things that matter to you: family, wealth, relationships? What are the things worth sacrificing for? 
• And finally, what are the most important relationships to you? Who are the people that you should forgive at almost every cost to ensure relational longevity? 

I have discovered that peaceful relationships are worth more than vast wealth. 

Just something to consider as you think about your definition of success. 

Belief Drives Behavior

Another lesson I have discovered the hard way is that belief drives behavior. Not only does my executive coach remind me of this, but I often live it out. If you believe you’ll be successful only by gaining a certain level of wealth, guess how you will behave? You will either work exceedingly hard to make money or feel like a failure when you don’t. Be clear on what makes you a success. 

And then hold that definition loosely. 

I imagine you see things differently than when you started high school. After all, learning isn’t about information as much as it is about personal transformation. As you experience life in the coming decades, your views will continue to change — which means that your opinions on what it means to be successful will also change. Mine definitely have. Treat this process as a work-in-progress rather than a plan written in stone. 

Feel the ground you are standing on. 

Be Present Today

This all leads me to my last point, which is being present today. 

“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why we call it “the present.” This quote, largely attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, finds its way into many commencement addresses. To some, it may produce an eye roll given how cheesy it feels. 

But you’ll grow to realize its wisdom. Life tempts you to either look back or forward. But looking behind or in front of you forces you to miss today. And missing today is the absolute worst thing you can do in your life because you cannot order more days on Prime — and like your favorite show on Netflix, this “season” will be over before you know it. 

Don’t believe me? I wouldn’t have either when I was 18, so I don’t blame you. But I will challenge you: Talk to someone in their 90s and ask them how fast it went. Their answer will speak volumes. 

At the risk of being judged on my movie tastes, I must tell you that About Time is one of the most underrated movies I know. I urge you to watch it for yourself: it’s a story about a father (and his son) who can travel in time. It follows the life lessons they both learn, particularly about what matters most. And in the end, the son, Tim, shares the most important lesson he learned. He says:

“The truth is I now don’t travel back (in time) at all, not even for the day. I just try to live every day as if I’ve deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it — as if it were the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.” 

Congratulations, graduates! And may God bless every single day of your extraordinary, ordinary life.

Dear Grandpa,

Every year, I have a moment while walking through the company when the significance of our work hits me anew. Last week, Dennis retired after 46 years at the company. He kept his emotions in check until it was time to punch out for the last time. He simply could not do it. 

So, Nadia did it for him. 

And then they both wept. 

I have pondered that moment all week. It reminds me that our work matters in ways that I often forget. 

Though this year brought its usual share of challenges, stresses, and frustrations, watching Dennis struggle to punch out that final time put everything in perspective. His emotion showed me what Gretchen, Charlotte, and I are really stewarding here – not just a company, but a place that becomes woven into people’s lives, a place worth caring about this deeply. So, thank you for the business you founded. We mold much more than plastic parts here. 

We mold lifelong relationships.  

A Personal Check-In 

In many ways, I have been on the verge of a mid-life crisis this year. Contemporary Western culture prioritizes its identity in self. While there are some good aspects to it, it has often tempted me to become too self-centered. The pursuit of a refined “me” has led me to feel like:

• A mediocre CEO — despite taking advantage of executive coaching and driving myself to exhaustion with books and podcasts.

• A stressed-out husband to Sarah and father to my three kids. 

• A body showing its age, despite my stubborn belief that discipline and hard work would somehow make me the exception to time’s rules

In sum, chasing my identity in “self” has continued to produce a mostly stressed out, often joyless, and definitely aging man who does not do a good job of spreading the joy of Jesus to others. 

What I am changing 

I came to the above conclusion over Christmas break this year. It led me to confess that I was looking horizontally for my identity. I have been running myself ragged, trying to prove to the world I am worthy. 

Despite what I said to others, my life wasn’t showing that I trusted Jesus about my identity. In short, I could speak Christian, but I was not acting like one. 

Looking vertically, here is what I learned: 

I am sufficient as a CEO as long as I am centered on God. I will read books and listen to podcasts when I want to. But I rest in God’s sovereignty and find my worth in Him. 

Full stop.

The most important relationships I have on this planet are with Sarah and then the kids. These come after God but before everything else. They deserve a me that is fully available to them, not centered on self. 

My body is aging. As my Marine buddy reminds me, the aches and pains indicate a life lived well to this point. I must accept this — and all the other things I cannot change through discipline and hard work. And the hope is in what will only come when I am given a resurrection body, one with no aches, pains, or imperfections!

The Real Marker of Success 

When I find my identity vertically, I am then freed from the need to find validation in horizontal markers. As a Co-CEO, this does not mean I am off the hook for business results. The markers of a business are extremely important. I am proud that our sales and profits grew last year. But, my life and worth are not better because of this. And this reality allows me to work hard and then rest.

It is not up to me. 

My identity is tied to the vertical, so I am on solid ground, no matter the weather. On solid ground, I can be there for people and do so from a place of joy. Sarah counsels me often that this is my most important work.

As always, she is right.

Gosh, I wish you had gotten to know her Grandpa. 

To come full circle, I want to close by telling you about three significant retirements this year at your company. These people all worked with you:

Lizzie retired after 54 years  

Mary retired after 48 years  

Dennis retired after 46 years 

All three said basically the same thing: This was their family away from their family, so all three reminded us never to lose sight of the power of relationships. 

I imagine that if you had been here, you would have told us the same thing. 

In fact, I can hear that whisper as I walk through the production floor. 

That, and to get more presses running. 

Roger that. 

I miss and love you. 

Alex