The football coaching legacy of Gene Stallings has touched countless athletes and millions of fans over the years, and now his reach has expanded to Trane’s independent wholesale distributors (IWD). Stallings was a surprise guest speaker at Trane’s recent Distributor Alliance Program meeting in Tyler, TX.
The bi-annual meeting provides opportunities for leaders of Trane IWDs to meet with the company’s senior leadership. In addition to being one of the best coaches in football history, Stallings is an active philanthropist and highly-awarded supporter of special needs individuals.
Stallings spoke about his experiences and shared both professional and personal lessons for life. Some of his key takeaways included:
- Success is all about relationships and how you treat your dealers
- Don’t worry about the competition – just go out there and do your best
- Know your products inside and out like no one else
- Don’t confuse activities with achievement
- Integrity cannot be legislated – it’s too important
- Have a strong work ethic and make sure you instill it in your kids
“Coach Stallings is a man of deep character and on top of all the accolades he has received during his career, it’s his passion and concern for others that truly exemplify his definition as a champion,” says Kevin Carlile, vice president of Trane Sales for Residential Solutions. “Trane started as a family business and we still think of all the women and men who work for us as family, so it was indeed an honor and privilege for us to have Coach Stallings speak with our independent distributors.”
After hearing the coach share his insight and experience, John Butcher, president, Butcher Distributors Inc., commented, “It’s not very often you get to meet a living legend and hear a presentation that inspires your life.”
A native and resident of Paris, TX, Stallings played college football at Texas A&M University and later served as the head coach at his alma mater. Stallings was also the head coach of the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL and at the University of Alabama. His 1992 Alabama team completed a 13–0 season with a win in the Sugar Bowl over Miami and was named the consensus national champion.
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