Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Welcome to the Clear Impact Podcast, brought to you by Mitre Brands University. Thanks for joining us today. My name is Sheri Conner, and I am your host.
[00:00:24] Speaker C: So we are on night number two. We just finished an amazing auction. We're at the Hershey Lodge. I have a full table tonight. So we'll start with you, Cam.
[00:00:34] Speaker D: Yeah. Cameron west, friends of Adam. This is my second year at the foundation fundraiser and auction, and, yeah, really glad to be here. Fellow climber with Mr. Adam K. Here, and, yeah, a lot of beautiful people doing a lot of beautiful work, and, yeah, enjoying it very much so.
[00:00:50] Speaker C: Awesome. Well, thanks for being here. And so, Adam.
[00:00:53] Speaker E: Yeah, Cam's being modest, too. He's the Marine captain, you know, 3 5, Afghanistan veteran, lost a leg and an eye. Really? His common sense somewhere along the way.
[00:01:06] Speaker D: And personality.
[00:01:08] Speaker C: Oh, no.
[00:01:09] Speaker E: But absolutely great guy, role model, somebody I look up to and, you know, glad to have on the team. My name's Adam Kishlewski. I'm a retired Marine sergeant. I got banged up in Iraq in 2005, ended up losing my arm and leg, couple of other lesser injuries, but have been running no Person Left behind outdoors for the last six years or so and partnered with Mitre for right around that same amount of time.
[00:01:33] Speaker C: Okay. I want to hear more about that after we get done with our introductions. Okay.
[00:01:37] Speaker A: And so, hi, my name is Kenyon Browning. I'm a senior sales rep for Mitre Brands, and I am just a lucky guy that got to tag along with these awesome heroes to climb Kilimanjaro.
[00:01:48] Speaker C: That's amazing. So where do you work? Kenya.
[00:01:50] Speaker A: So I'm based out of Dallas, Texas.
[00:01:52] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:01:52] Speaker A: Okay. I've been with Mitre for about five years now, and I am the committee chair for our sales outreach committee.
[00:01:59] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:01:59] Speaker A: So it's a branch of the Mitre foundation, and we help support the local communities. And it's nice because, you know, we have sales reps across the whole nation, so we cover all the different local communities around the nation.
[00:02:11] Speaker C: That's amazing.
[00:02:12] Speaker E: Yep.
[00:02:12] Speaker C: All right, so, Adam, tell me about your organization, no Person Left Behind.
[00:02:16] Speaker E: Yes. No Person Left behind was started as a hunting and fishing organization, just trying to get disabled veterans out of the hospital into the outdoors. And, you know, pretty quickly, we realized that wasn't really about the hunting or fishing, is about getting disabled veterans connected with other disabled veterans, doing something that they could be passionate about. And recognizing that not everybody is interested in hunting, we wanted to expand the activities that we offered, essentially offer something for everyone. And hiking and mountaineering has been One of the most popular programs that we've started doing, but we do scuba diving. We've got a motorsports program, program. We've got an aviation program, horseback riding, whitewater rafting.
[00:02:55] Speaker C: All the fun stuff.
[00:02:56] Speaker E: Just about anything fun you can think of that's outdoors, we've done it. And if we don't do it anymore, it's probably because insurance said we can't.
[00:03:04] Speaker C: Darn insurance. They don't even let you have trampolines anymore.
So you've been taking people on Kilimanjaro hikes?
[00:03:11] Speaker E: Yeah. So Mitre foundation partnered with us three years ago, and we've been taking a group of veterans up every year since.
Matt DeSota, the CEO of Mitre, came along with on the first year, saw the impact firsthand that it made and had made a commitment to continue on each year. We've been fortunate not only to bring a great group of veterans up, but to get to have some Mitre representatives come with us as well, Kenyon being one of them this last year. In fact, we just got back about a week ago.
[00:03:40] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:03:40] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:03:41] Speaker E: It's real fresh.
[00:03:42] Speaker C: Okay. And so how many trips have you made?
[00:03:44] Speaker E: I've done two trips.
[00:03:45] Speaker C: Okay, and this was your first trip?
[00:03:47] Speaker A: This was my first trip, and two trips is pretty crazy because I was exhausted enough to where I didn't think I would go back after that. So hats off to Adam for that.
[00:03:55] Speaker C: Okay. And what about you, Cam? How many times have you gone?
[00:03:58] Speaker D: I've done one trip on Kilimanjaro and a lot of trips on other things.
[00:04:03] Speaker C: Okay, totally kidding. And what's the elevation of Kilimanjaro?
[00:04:06] Speaker E: It's 19,341ft.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: Maybe. 19,341.
[00:04:12] Speaker E: There we go.
[00:04:12] Speaker C: 19,000.
So are you using, like, oxygen tanks? Like, how are you breathing at that elevation?
[00:04:20] Speaker E: You can use oxygen, and the porters carry it along just in case you need it. We had a couple people on every trip I think needed it at some point, but.
[00:04:28] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:28] Speaker E: Yeah. Fortunately, I didn't need it. I don't think Kenyon used it. And I know Cam didn't. Cam?
[00:04:34] Speaker D: No.
[00:04:34] Speaker E: He's just a mutant.
[00:04:35] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:04:36] Speaker A: A lot of deep breaths.
[00:04:37] Speaker D: Less. Less brain cells to have actually have to oxygenate, So I didn't need it either.
[00:04:43] Speaker C: I mean, I've been hiking at, like, 8,500ft and couldn't breathe. But I live in Florida, so there's, like, zero elevation in Florida, so it's really tough to train for that kind of hike.
[00:04:52] Speaker D: Right.
[00:04:52] Speaker E: So that's the key, just getting Acclimated?
[00:04:54] Speaker C: Yeah. So is it like a week long thing or three days, or what is your time frame for that? Like, what does that look like?
[00:05:00] Speaker E: So we're gone for about 14 days. It takes quite a while just to get to Africa.
[00:05:05] Speaker C: Right.
[00:05:06] Speaker E: And then we're pretty lucky that we get to go out on safari for a couple of days on the front end. But it's more about getting over jet lag and getting a couple of days at the 6,000 foot mark just to kind of get acclimated. Most of us are coming from sea level or pretty close to that.
[00:05:20] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:05:21] Speaker E: And then when we actually step off on the mountain, we're gone for eight days. So it's six days up and two days down.
[00:05:27] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:05:27] Speaker D: And one thing the porters say repeatedly is pole. Pole, which is swahili for slower. Slower. And the whole concept is to take the mountain slowly. You know, take it in stride, take it slowly, because that actually gives your body a chance to acclimate to the elevation climb that you're conducting.
[00:05:46] Speaker C: Sure.
[00:05:47] Speaker D: You know, you could show up very in shape, very strong, great endurance. But if you go too quick, your body will turn on yourself. So it takes great leadership on the porter's part and obviously a great team leader.
[00:05:59] Speaker C: Wow. And so how many people went with you this year?
[00:06:01] Speaker E: We had eight people on the team this year.
[00:06:03] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:06:04] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:06:05] Speaker C: And so the foundation helps cover the cost of this.
[00:06:08] Speaker E: They do. And sending a couple of representatives to help in a volunteer capacity.
[00:06:14] Speaker C: Okay. And so what is the price tag on something like that?
[00:06:17] Speaker E: Oh, it's pretty pricey. We would say it costs an arm and a leg, but.
[00:06:22] Speaker D: One arm bandit strikes again.
[00:06:24] Speaker C: Don't say stuff like that, Adam. That's just not. Okay. That's a little twisted.
[00:06:30] Speaker E: No, it's dark.
You know, the trip can be pretty pricey with the airfare going over there.
And, you know, the porters, we've got a whole team of people to help us get up the mountain. I think there's something like 75 to 90 porters, I think, at any given time that are helping.
[00:06:45] Speaker C: So they're called porters, not sherpas.
[00:06:47] Speaker E: Yeah, Sherpas in Nepal, but porters in Tanzania.
[00:06:50] Speaker D: And the beautiful thing is the porters that get these jobs that climb the mountain with you for, you know, the six days up, the two days down, or what have you, they are some of the best and highest professionals that you'll meet there in Africa. I mean, they've got the best attitudes. They're there to help you and assist you in any way, shape or form. And they've always got a smile on their face, and they're very, very grateful. When Adam and I came back our first time, the biggest change that I had as an individual was witnessing another human being from the other side of the world, from a different culture, totally different way of life, and finding massive amounts of respect and love for them when having no language or ideological similarities. But what I found was that what I witnessed, I put them up on a pedestal. Is accomplishing the peak of Aruhu in Kilimanjaro was second to what I witnessed. Just them as human beings. And so that's what I actually brought back from Africa. And I'm sure these gentlemen can probably speak to that as well.
[00:07:53] Speaker A: I totally agree. The people there, they're beautiful people. You know, every time you would look at them, they're smiling and they would stay up a little bit later. You know, we'd be tired after hiking, and you would. I would almost, like, fall asleep not to, like a white noise. It was the porters laughing and telling jokes, and they're just so happy to be there, and they're grateful to be there. And like, the service we got on the mountain, just by them helping us get up, was better than almost any service you're going to find here in the United States, which you know anymore. So that was one of the biggest takeaways I had for sure.
[00:08:27] Speaker B: We are sharing our expertise around all topics relating to the window and door industry. Whether you are a customer selling our products or a homeowner doing research, the Clear Impact podcast provides helpful content that makes an impact. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.
[00:08:44] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:08:45] Speaker C: And so would you go again?
[00:08:47] Speaker A: 100%. I'd go back. The hike itself, you know, I'd have to prep for that again. But just to go to Tanzania and be with the people and support the people, no doubt. I'd go back.
[00:08:55] Speaker C: Okay. And do you do this every year, Adam?
[00:08:58] Speaker E: I don't. I'm not sure why I did it a second year. I guess, you know, Marines are just hard.
[00:09:03] Speaker C: Well, Marines are crazy. In the best way.
[00:09:05] Speaker E: Yeah, sometimes in the best way.
[00:09:07] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:09:07] Speaker E: But no, I would absolutely go back again. You know, the people at Tanzania. No kidding.
Some of the poorest people in the world, like, lowest 5% in terms of GDP and the entire world, but also, like, no kidding, gotta be the top 2 or 3% in terms of happiest people you'll come across. You can't go over there and spend a couple of weeks with those people and not come back. Here and reevaluate your priorities. And it's an incredible life changing experience.
[00:09:35] Speaker C: For everybody that gets to go perspective for sure. Would you go back, Cam?
[00:09:39] Speaker D: I would go back, but along with that, I'd also just take on any really challenge because I think that's kind of the point of it.
Kilimanjaro is just one challenge. It's a challenge that, as we found out, was paired with that we afterwards discovered, you know, the decency that we have as fellow humans to each other and the love and the bond we can have while not even speaking the same language, just being in the same space, like, you know, carrying the same heartbeat and obviously going through some struggles. We're climbing the mountain and we don't live at that elevation. We don't do that for a living. They do, but they're carrying exceptionally more amount of weight than we are. So we're sweating and struggling together. But to take on another challenge, I think is really kind of the goal for a number of reasons. And I think it kind of comes back to whenever I spoke at Mitre foundation last year is just being that example for the youth, right? Taking on a challenge, coming back, showing the youth what they can do, they can take on their own challenges no matter what level they are at, and supporting them and being a pillar in the community. Because as I say to anybody that I'm in kind of any room with is in 30 or 40 years, we're totally out of the game, right? All the adults in the room, we're out of the game. My kids are 10, nine and six. They're going to be running the country. Your kids are going to be running the country, Adams. Everybody's are going to be running the country. So we have to be that good example of why we're here for each other, you know, and to do something well worth doing while we're here.
[00:11:10] Speaker C: Wow, that's so beautifully said. I'm so glad that you found these two to come over and talk.
Anything else you want to add?
[00:11:17] Speaker A: Yeah. One of the things that left with me is an image is we got to the top of the mountain and I told Matt the story and he kind of alluded to it during his speech tonight. But one of the veterans, he's a double amputee below the knee, and we went on a training hike earlier in the year and he had some struggles and then he led our group and he set the pace our whole trip. Wow. So when we got to the top of the mountain, we finally made it. And like, I thought I Was in pretty good shape. Capable human being.
And it hit me really hard. I struggled. I even doubted myself and I made it up. And I can't imagine what these veterans were going through. He makes it to the top of the mountain and he kind of like, he grabs the sign and like, puts his head into it and like hits it. And you can just see just emotion just being released. And like, I made it, I did it. And it was really emotional. He was crying. I started crying.
The porters and the guides were singing and it was amazing. Everyone's hugging and like, that image, I'll just. It'll live in my mind forever. And coming into it, they said like, yeah, this is a life changing trip. You know, I was kind of like, oh, this might be a cliche, like, okay, whatever, but 100%, I stepped off that mountain a different person.
[00:12:25] Speaker C: Wow.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: And yes, we talked to Daniel after it, you know, we had dinner and we were just, you know, reflecting on our trip and he just said he's like, I doubted myself months leading up to this trip that I was going to make it up. You know, he was leading us the whole way up. And he goes, I need to make it up this mountain for everybody else. And it was really moving. It was touching. I get chills talking about it. And I mean, like, no doubt about it. I stepped off that mountain a different person, not only because of Daniel and the veterans, but also because of the people, the guides and the porters.
[00:12:55] Speaker E: Yeah, these guys, they go through such significant life changing injuries. They think these sorts of challenges are outside their abilities. They can't do it. And both the other amputees that we have on this trip, Chris and Dan, both said they've never done anything so hard. They didn't think they could do anything so hard, and then were able to do it 20 years after their injury. And, you know, for them to see that they were able to pull this off just kind of allows them to think about other challenges that they might be able to accomplish. And really that's the essence of what our organization is all about, what we're trying to do.
[00:13:27] Speaker C: Right. Because it builds your confidence. Right?
[00:13:29] Speaker D: Yeah. It's all a mental game, as we all kind of discover at one point in our life or another. But it just gives you that little boost of confidence to say, hey, all you have to do is take one more step and then you're gonna pass out before you die. Just take one more step.
And I think as long as you're willing to do that, and I will tell you it takes courage. It takes courage to say, yes, I'll go on that trip and I'll tackle that. I'll do my best to tackle that goal.
[00:13:55] Speaker C: Right?
[00:13:56] Speaker D: Yes. It takes courage to step out on that race. It takes courage to walk into a hospital room and support kids with cancer, just like you guys and all the beautiful nonprofits here tonight do.
[00:14:06] Speaker C: It takes courage to serve our country on the battlefield. And you guys have done that. So thank you for your service.
[00:14:13] Speaker D: We're very fortunate to be given the opportunity not just for the country, but for those that are within it. Yeah, the friends, family, and the strangers down the street.
[00:14:21] Speaker C: Wow. So powerful. That's amazing. So how do we find out more about your organization?
[00:14:25] Speaker E: The best way is check us out on the website, nplb outdoors.org you can also find us on social media using that same tag.
[00:14:33] Speaker C: Okay, so say it again slower.
[00:14:35] Speaker E: NPLB outdoors.
[00:14:38] Speaker C: No person left behind. Outdoors.org got it. Okay. Awesome. Well, thank you, gentlemen. This has been a great conversation. I appreciate your time. Thank you. Have a great night.
[00:14:48] Speaker D: Thank you so much.
[00:14:49] Speaker C: All right, take care.
[00:14:52] Speaker B: The Clear Impact podcast is brought to you by Mitre Brands University. We are a part of mitrebrands, a family of leading window and door brands united by our passion for quality and relentless pursuit of 100%. At Mitrebrands, our common purpose is to deliver value by manufacturing the finest products, services, and customer experience every day, everywhere. Our window and door brands deliver regionalized expertise, products and services, all backed by a national company.
Mitre Brands University is here to educate you, our listener, so that you can be a more informed consumer of window and door products.
