Seems like I am ALWAYS on the road.  I freakin’ love traveling for work.  Heck, if I could be gone three weeks a month – I’d be fine with that.  I love seeing America on someone else’s dime.  Thanks to such a sweet gig at PlattForm, I’ve been to more cities than I can shake a stick at.

Hello, Newport News.  Hello, Miami.  Hello, Houston.

In case you didn’t know, my job is a TV producer/director.   I visit colleges from coast-to-coast to produce commercials for them.  Invariably, I have a top-notch crew with me.   Believe me, they make me look good.  And after 50+ trips together, I’ve grown slightly attached to them.   They’re young, aggressive and dynamic … and somehow they look up to me.  It’s inexplicable really.  As long as this rag-a-muffin team is alongside me, I’m rarely outside my comfort zone – no matter what city we’re in.

Hello, Phoenix.  Hello, Pittsburgh.  Hello, Las Vegas.

This week is a rarity.  Five different campuses in three different states – spread over two weeks.  If you’ve never been to Chillicothe, Ohio … you haven’t lived.   Or Owensboro, Kentucky for that matter.  Some of these schools have amazing effective, efficient institutions nestled within one-horse towns.   You know you’ve gone RURAL when you’re reduced to staying in a Do-Drop Inn instead of, say, La Quinta.

Hello, Murfreesboro.  Hello, Poughkeepsie.  Hello, Reno.

The highlight of any trip are meeting the clients and interviewing all the students who are excelling thanks to education.  Some of these kids have the most ridiculous hard-luck stories you’ll ever hear.  And yet thanks to training, they’ve managed to get back on their feet and succeed. It’s the ultimate before/after story.  And it’s pretty impressive to see in action.

Hello, Chicago.  Hello, St. Louis.  Hello, Fresno.

I’ve racked up more frequent flier miles than I care to admit.  And don’t even get me started on my Marriott points.  Bill Marriot called me last week personally to say thanks for single-handedly paying for a new Courtyard Inn in Biloxi.  It makes me proud to be a road warrior.  Plus, I know I can make a friend where ever I go.