Chris Geiger,

It has taken me far too long to write this letter explaining my attitude about what has happened between you and Marlin, and for that I apologize. As far as I know, we have never met, so you can only guess as to why I came to have such animosity for someone I have never met. I assure you that this is NOT how I normally form opinions about people. Suffice it to say that only a ‘special’ kind of person could incur such prejudice.

On the other hand, I HAVE met Marlin. Many times in fact, over the course of the last 18 years. I, like countless others, initially met Marlin on the side of a trail, broken down. The fact that I had the parts, the tools and the knowledge to fix my rig myself were not relevant to him. He just knew the job would go faster with two people, and THAT was good enough for him. His concern and his helping hands were as genuine then as they are today. That help, and more importantly, that attitude, has never been forgotten by me. I suppose then that the simple answer to my prejudice then would be that someone who means a lot to me has been hurt, and that you somehow seem to be the source of that hurt.

For a time, you had a special relationship with Marlin, a relationship of trust. Marlin did not deal with you at arms length. All who know him know that THAT is not his nature. As a result of your special relationship, you came to learn, as Marlin and I already knew, that there are a lot more opportunities to expand our businesses than we have the time and energy to pursue. Some we pass over, some we mull over, some we pursue as time permits, knowing full well that the world may not wait for us to finish our plans.

What we don’t count on is that someone who is close to us will take advantage of our confidences. Does this make us naïve? Maybe. But if the only other choice is to be jaded, I think we would all prefer to continue believing in a world where people are honest and ethical.

What short-term plans and long-term plans you made AT THAT POINT with that ‘inside’ knowledge is known only to you and your maker. I do not even wish to speculate on that. What I do know as a business man is that opportunity knocks on my door several times a week, averaging somewhere between 6 and 20 new possibilities for business ventures every year, most of which I pass over. I do not believe I am special in this regard; I believe this is common to most businessmen.

So the fact that you, a fellow businessman, chose to create a company primarily focused on offering products already offered by your former employer at best implies a great lack of imagination. The problem here is that having seen the growth you brought to Marlin’s business, no one would accuse you of lacking imagination. Having removed the nicest possible inference about your product choices for your new venture, the only other inferences are much ‘darker’. Hence the arrival of your ‘dark cloud.’

Fast forward to the present. Now you have helped build another financially successful business. Unfortunately this one not only has a black eye, but some suspect a black heart as well. In the intervening time, you have had many opportunities as most businessmen naturally do, to take your business model and move it in a dozen new directions that could have lessened the controversy that has more or less become a constant for you. Instead, you have chosen to remain largely a competitor of your former employer. Obviously you are free to choose how to run your business. Everyone else is equally free to speculate on your choices as well, including your detractors.

That is not to say that you don’t have your own supporters, like Marlin does. The difference is that a lot of people like myself believe your supporters are ‘summer soldiers’ whose loyalty was bought with sponsorships, a LOT of advertising dollars and product discounts. In contrast, Marlin earned his support with an open hand, an outstretched arm and a heart of gold, like my late father did when he was alive.

Back to my point. Every day is exactly that, a new day. Every day you have the choice to continue this controversy or to finally move on. YOU have explored enough new directions at the helm of Trail Gear by now that you could have chosen to trust your imagination and move on to products other than those you originally arranged for DiPro to supply to Marlin. Every day you still have that choice. The fact that Marlin is under-equipped to handle the market you envisioned is NOT reason enough for Trail Gear to stay right where it is. Just because you can, it does not mean you should. Trail Gear deserves a better legacy than being known as ‘the shady business that shut Marlin down.’

Finally, just in case you think I’m coming across as somehow holier-than-thou, I will be the first to say I have made plenty of mistakes in my 16 years in business, some of which have hurt others in the Toyota community. I am far from perfect, and know I’ve still got a lot to learn. I have tried to make amends where I can, and have learned to consult with those in the community whose opinions I value a little more often. They don’t always have a good business perspective, but sometimes that’s a good thing. I will keep trying to be a better person, and a better businessman. I don’t have my father to look up to any more. But I still have people like Marlin.

Sincerely,

Mark Algazy