Saturday, July 21, 2007
Business insider
Relishing 'My Dinner With Alan'
Bryce Hoffman / The Detroit News
"I realize by writing this book I might be ending my career with Ford," wrote author Clifton Lambreth in the introduction to his just-released book "Ford and the American Dream," a sympathetic critique of the struggling automaker.
But instead of a pink slip, the veteran Ford manager received an invitation to lunch from CEO Alan Mulally.
The pair met for lunch at Fair Lane, the former residence of Henry Ford -- a fitting venue considering that Lambreth's fictional main character is transported back to the early 20th century and dines with the company founder in the same building and discusses where the once-great automaker went wrong and how to get it back on track.
"Mulally thanked me for having the 'courage to write the book.' He was keenly receptive to openly discussing issues facing the company," Lambreth said.
No word on who picked up the check.
Front page feature
Ankur Dholakia / The Detroit News
Clifton Lambreth, author of "Ford and the American Dream," got lunch with CEO Alan Mulally, above, who thanked him for "having the 'courage to write the book."
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