Changing How the World Does Business

15

2 Checking with the Experts

I first met Fred Smith in December 1971. My twelve-yearlong business career up to that time had been spent entirely with the consulting firm of A. T. Kearney and Company, first in Chicago and then in New York City. I worked primarily in the fields of transportation and physical distribution and, at the time, was the principal responsible for that part of the firm’s practice on the East Coast.

Kearney was a very professional organization and a great place to work. Its clients included most of the major airlines, railroads, and trucking companies in America. The Kearney approach involved conducting a thorough analysis of the client’s needs, development of programs specifically tailored to the client’s situation, ...