PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 24, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- An embattled son becomes a patriarch. An untested employee becomes a CEO. A husband becomes a caregiver. A student becomes a teacher, and ultimately a student. Spike Yoh’s life story paints a vivid picture of the profound and very human forces that shape leadership. In his debut book, “Our Way: The Life Story of Spike Yoh,” author, speaker and family business strategist Bill Yoh provides a deeply personal inside look at his father’s life. From a troubled childhood that would have propelled most into a cycle of broken relationships and self-doubt, Spike Yoh rewrote the rules of his own life, and in the process built his family’s company Day & Zimmermann into a billion-dollar enterprise. That legacy continues today as the firm consistently ranks on Forbes’ List of America’s Largest Private Companies.
From the deep-rooted influences of American ancestry to the complexities of modern family dynamics, the book offers readers a rare glimpse of a life that bridges the divide between the twentieth-century industrialist and the twenty-first-century man. Spike Yoh's journey is both energizing and relatable, regardless of readers’ background or beliefs.
Drawing on interviews spanning eight decades of relationships; more than one hundred years of research, correspondences, and family diaries; as well as personal perspectives, Spike’s youngest son Bill Yoh creates a candid and emotional journey of love and grit, of business and blood, of admiration and imperfection that covers the drama, the comedy, and the tragedy of a life well lived.
As part of the book’s launch, a Q&A and book signing featuring Bill and Spike Yoh will take place at the Haverford School in Haverford, PA on Monday, March 5, 2018 beginning at 7 PM. For more information about the book and the event, visit ourwaybook.com.
Praise for “Our Way”
In Our Way: The Life Story of Spike Yoh, written by his son Bill Yoh, Spike’s business acumen and personal kindness come alive. Through interviews with family and friends, the book spans three generations of triumphs and setbacks in the complicated world of business. As Bill writes, readers should “use the ensuing pages as a growth opportunity, hopefully an enjoyable one. There is no greater way to inform the future than to study the past.”
— Wharton Magazine, November 2017
“When writing Our Way, Bill Yoh had the goal of writing “something people can learn from.” Beautifully written, the result is both an inspiration and a “how to” for creating a successful business and successful relationships. Of the books you can find in [the family business] genre, Our Way is head and shoulders above pretty much all of them.”
— Mitzi Perdue (Mrs. Frank Perdue), author of How to Make Your Family Business Last
“Our Way is an inspiring story of love and loss, triumph and tragedy. It contains important and transferable lessons for leaders of both business and nonprofit enterprises, but it should also be read by any parent who seeks to help his or her children overcome obstacles while preparing them for lives of meaning and service.”
— Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army, retired) John Nagl, DPhil, author of Knife Fights and Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife; Ninth Headmaster, The Haverford School
About the Author
During his twenty-five-year tenure at Day & Zimmermann, his family's 42,000-employee, century-old business, Bill has held a number of executive and leadership positions. As a third-generation owner, he has a rare and personal view of the complex and human dynamics behind today’s multi-generational family businesses. Bill also serves as a speaker, strategist and biographer, helping other family business owners navigate the opportunities and challenges that inevitably arise when personal and professional lives intersect.
Balancing his passion for family and business, Bill currently chairs the boards of Yoh, Day & Zimmermann's multinational recruiting business, and of The Haverford School, one of the largest independent schools in the United States. He has also chaired the American Staffing Association, which supports the $150 billion US staffing industry, as well as served on the boards of Council for Relationships and Defense Support Services, LLC.
Bill holds a BA from Duke and an MBA from Wharton. He enjoys playing guitar, songwriting, cooking and fishing. He and his family live outside Philadelphia, where he is convinced the Eagles will one day win a Super Bowl.
Contact:
Steve Wanczyk
Braithwaite Communications
215 564 3200 x114
steve@gobraithwaite.com
