239. How He Landed The Top Company In The USA with Brad Ratieke

So then you get back, you go, Mitch Dandridge, you told that story.

What happens after you're the Deputy Press Secretary? So

one day, and to this day, I don't know who gave them my resume or told them about me.

I got a call from a guy named, it was from Billy Linville, who's actually a native of Rushville, but who was an executive, ran half of the public affairs for AT&T for the eastern half of the United States.

And he was in Atlanta.

He calls me up and says, hey, I heard your name.

I wondered if you could talk to us about me and doing some non-lobbying public affairs media work for AT&T in Indiana, Kentucky.

And I'm like, wow, it's interesting.

It's totally, that's right in line with my skill set of what I've been doing.

I'm 29 at the time.

And, you know, I was, you know, making a modest government salary.

And he's like, yeah, where did I start you? Thank goodness he didn't ask me to quote a price.

He says a number that's like twice what I'm making.

I'm like, ooh,

ooh, yeah.

I think we can do that.

Sounds great.

So I have to go and come up with an LLC name.

So I'm sitting in my apartment over in Riley Towers.

And my initials are BAR, Bar Communications.

And there's this bar.

My grandfather, my mom's dad, he had a bar in his basement in Chillicothe, Illinois.

And he had this lamp that looks like kind of a hobo, like Charlie Chaplin leaning against the lamppost.

And then the bulb says bar, which would indicate his bar light.

But I always thought it was cool because of my initials.

So then you get back, you go, Mitch Dandridge, you told that story.

What happens after you're the Deputy Press Secretary? So

one day, and to this day, I don't know who gave them my resume or told them about me.

I got a call from a guy named, it was from Billy Linville, who's actually a native of Rushville, but who was an executive, ran half of the public affairs for AT&T for the eastern half of the United States.

And he was in Atlanta.

He calls me up and says, hey, I heard your name.

I wondered if you could talk to us about me and doing some non-lobbying public affairs media work for AT&T in Indiana, Kentucky.

And I'm like, wow, it's interesting.

It's totally, that's right in line with my skill set of what I've been doing.

I'm 29 at the time.

And, you know, I was, you know, making a modest government salary.

And he's like, yeah, where did I start you? Thank goodness he didn't ask me to quote a price.

He says a number that's like twice what I'm making.

I'm like, ooh,

ooh, yeah.

I think we can do that.

Sounds great.

So I have to go and come up with an LLC name.

So I'm sitting in my apartment over in Riley Towers.

And my initials are BAR, Bar Communications.

And there's this bar.

My grandfather, my mom's dad, he had a bar in his basement in Chillicothe, Illinois.

And he had this lamp that looks like kind of a hobo, like Charlie Chaplin leaning against the lamppost.

And then the bulb says bar, which would indicate his bar light.

But I always thought it was cool because of my initials.