Marshall Klein was a friend, father, husband, fellow EOer and a truly exceptional person. At age 36, he unexpectedly died of acute liver failure on 10 September 2004, one year before Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region of the United States.
In 2005, EO New Orleans honored Marshall at our annual dinner by posthumously awarding him with the Entrepreneur of the Year Award that we call the “Marshall B. Klein Entrepreneur of the Year Award.”
Before his untimely death, Marshall was faced with enormous personal and professional challenges. As any of his Forum mates would tell you, he became passionate about his purpose in life during those trying times. Just two months before he died, Marshall expressed that his biggest wish was to tell the world to focus on what is really important and to live as balanced a life as possible.
That night in 2005, as we honored Marshall, we were all reminded of what is most important. It refocused our thoughts and prepared us for the challenges that lay ahead. The next day, our entire chapter would face the wrath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the world's worst natural disasters in modern times.
At the annual meeting, Virginia Miller – one of Marshall’s Forum mates – said, “What Marshall Klein wanted us to know just before he died is that balance is crucial to success. That when you’re driving yourself as hard as you have to in order to succeed, as an entrepreneur you have to remind yourself to restore yourself with family and friends. So many of us forget that and say, 1) ‘It's a one-way street and we're only giving by carving out time,’ 2) ‘I'll give family and friends the attention they need after I attain my business goals’ and/or 3) ‘I'm doing this to make a nice life for my family.’ Marshall would say, ‘Wrong!’ to all of that. ‘Make hay while the sun shines’ had a double meaning for him just before he died. That's the tragedy, and that's the legacy he leaves behind him.”
On 24 August 2007, our chapter symbolically returned to the Louisiana Superdome two years after Hurricane Katrina to present the award to a member who, like Marshall did in his lifetime, demonstrates a clarity of purpose and a healthy balance of work, family and community life. The 2007 Marshall B. Klein Award went to Ashley “Ash” Abbott, a person who has an amazing story about leveraging his EO network and focusing on the most important things in life, despite the worst of circumstances.
After Katrina, when so many other businesses went under, Ash had the guts to buy two other businesses and bring his three companies under one roof to run his operations more smoothly. With the help of EO New Orleans member Kevin Bankston – who works in the same industry and, after the hurricane, let Ash set up shop at his Baton Rouge, Louisiana, company until Ash got back on his feet – Ash’s business prospered. In addition, Ash developed a powerful plan for the next 10 years to expand his business, all while remaining healthy and athletic, a devoted husband, a father of two and an all-around nice and unassuming guy.
Marshall B. Klein was – and still is – an unforgettable source of inspiration. May we all keep his legacy alive by living a purpose-filled and balanced life.