Sam Welsch was many things to many people, but to me, he was a boss, a friend, and, most importantly, a mentor. Over our more than 16 years of working together, I came to appreciate his dry wit, his passion for organics, and his incredible work ethic. I feel tremendously lucky to have known Sam in a way that many may not have.

Despite our differing personalities, Sam and I truly made a great team—perhaps two sides of the same coin, or a venn diagram overlapping in our sense of humor and purpose. He had immense vision, excelling at creative brainstorming, problem-solving, and seeing things from unique perspectives. He was also remarkably adept at thinking and speaking on the spot. I always admired these qualities, as I've always been more of a "doer," often struggling with the broader vision and "what if's" in life. He, however, recognized my strengths and gently, confidently encouraged me in those directions.

I truthfully cannot recall a time we had a significant disagreement. From the beginning, he treated me as a peer, always asking for my opinion and input. We often sought each other out to refine language in drafts, play devil's advocate, work through complex cases, or simply express frustration and seek support on certain decisions. We worked seamlessly together for years. Even recently after he officially handed over the reins, I frequently reached out to him for his opinions and ideas; the wealth of his knowledge and experience was simply unmatched.

One of the many things I'll miss most in our day-to-day work is his ability to randomly recall a powerful quote relevant to any decision or discussion. He'd use them as reminders not to sacrifice progress for perfection or to refocus on the core purpose of our efforts during difficult times. He even coded some of his favorite quotes into the homepage of our custom internal database. I hope our team will appreciate these bittersweet reminders when we log in each morning.

One of the last quotes he shared was from Wendell Berry: "We don’t have a right to ask whether we’re going to succeed or not. The only question we have a right to ask is what’s the right thing to do? What does this earth require of us if we want to continue to live on it?”

Looking back, the timing of those words feels incredibly poignant. I know Sam was preparing me for this difficult moment, for moving forward in his absence. He repeatedly told me he felt confident and happy knowing OneCert was in good hands, that he felt relieved. I knew he already trusted me to oversee our daily activities and our team's ability to think critically and apply regulations. This final quote was a gentle yet powerful reminder of the even harder part of my role at the helm of OneCert: finding the courage to stand up and speak out for what is right.

His willingness to be the "agitator" was perhaps what I admired most about Sam—another quality I saw in him that I don't possess. It's rare to find someone with the conviction to stand up for their values and argue in a room full of people, to dissent. I may have endlessly teased him for saying something along the lines of "I am not arguing with you, I am telling you why I am right," but I also deeply admired his courage in doing so.

I hope you will join me in honoring Sam's legacy by finding more strength in our own voices, guided by his unwavering belief. With his wisdom, his words, and perhaps a few powerful quotes, I hope to make him proud. Fittingly, this morning’s quote was, "Nothing worth having comes easy.” — Theodore Roosevelt. 

Presenting Sam with his retirement gifts earlier this year.