From Greg Kihlstrom, Son

There is so much I could say but I’ll try to make this brief. My Dad taught me so much—some by what he said, but just as much if not more by what he did and what he prioritized. Here are a few things I learned from my dad, in no particular order:

• The value of working hard, but just as importantly making sure you know why you’re working hard

• The value of silence, of listening, and trying to understand others

• The value of being outside, the freedom of driving, the fun of traveling to new places

• The value of continuously learning new things

• That work can be something you love and that takes you places you never thought you’d go

My Dad adored my Mom, and it was a beautiful thing to see how happy it made him when she was happy. Even in tough times, he never lost that, nor did he lose his optimism.

My Dad was my inspiration to start my own companies and I really thought that working from home and owning your own business was the “norm” growing up until I realized that most people’s parents went to 9 to 5 jobs and had very different relationships to work.

My Dad put his family above everything else. He (along with my Mom) sacrificed to make sure Janelle and I could go to college and have everything we could possibly want growing up. I can’t imagine where I’d be without this help.

The greatest thing I learned from him, though, is that being a man, and being a “grownup” is not how much you have, not how many times you were right at the expense of someone else, not what you can brag about accomplishing, but the impact you’ve had on the people and world around you. After all, we don’t take things with us when we leave this world. We live on in the people we’ve helped, the things we’ve helped build, and the stories we’ve shaped. I’m so proud of my Dad for all of this and will miss him forever.