On a misty night in 1999 I "accidentally" met a man named James at the entrance to the Post Office across from Union Station. That was the beginning of the unique, interesting, and rewarding ride that has become the ACS Thinktank. James was an eccentric and very private "Howard Hughes in his later years" type. But James and those like-minded and like-hearted individuals he assembled were also brilliant, visionary, creative, spiritual, and wanted to privately contribute to the betterment of the area and the world in some unique way.
The group didn't want to be constrained by any rules or regulations and also wanted to preserve the privacy of their lives...for reasons that will become clear soon enough. The answer was a private club that worked on whatever it wanted to do at the time. Initially the meetings were just brain-storming sessions on issues and problems pertinent to each individual member. There were a lot of little "Secret Angel" types of activities...which were by far our favorites. Eventually there came social commentary (which became known as "common"tary) and a creative problem-solving model that would strip down any situation to its' foundation and then rebuild it from a uniquely creative and alternative view. There was a realignment plan produced for the National Football League; helping an old friend take his business model to the next level by introducing creative business development and sales techniques; taking over a school for disadvantaged and at-risk kids and implementing bold and successful learning philosophies; and through it all there was a special kind of "public advocacy". We didn't mean to become public advocates at all. As mentioned before, we would have preferred to stay small and just do "Secret Angel" projects. In fact, as we move forward with new members, we may revert to only the Secret Angel projects.
By word of mouth people became aware of the groups' unique ability to find creative and helpful approaches to almost any situation or problem. The group would sometimes even anonymously help people or offer suggestions without recognition. For a while the group had no name, as there seemed to be no need for one. But someone pegged the organization as a thinktank made up of creative common-sense thinking...America's common-sense thinktank...later shortened to ACS Thinktank because the initial moniker was just too darn convoluted...and it simply stuck. Most of the time we were just nicknamed, "the Thinktank Club".
Each of the individuals in the group seemed to share many common characteristics, though the "projects" they each wanted to work on was varied and personalized. Though I fancied myself a creative and unique individual with varied background in everything from sports to music composition to business to engineering to education, I never seemed to exactly fit in with the rest of the group for some reason...and soon you will see why. After James passed away I sensed that the other "members" started to head off or seemingly disappear as well. It wasn't until much later that I learned what had brought this wonderfully eccentric group of individuals together in the first place. It wasn't their common interests, their need for privacy, or even their unique creativity. What originally brought together this group to want so badly to accomplish so much in virtual anonymity was that they were all dying... terminally ill. So when Doc told us he was off to Europe and Asia to spend the rest of his life experiencing the world, I didn't realize he was literally going away to die. And when Trader Dan left me a goodbye letter asking me to find creative ways to continue on with the work we had all started, I didn't realize his travels were taking him out of this world.
So here I am, charged with the awesome responsibility of allowing others to take advantage of the original group's processes, successes, and creative ideas. I am currently a senior partner in a well-respected M&A Brokerage firm in Kansas City. I will endeavor to continue the ideals, philosophies, creativity, and especially the spirit of the incredible band of characters that were and still are the ACS Thinktank. KChelp.org and its' uniquely popular "PAY IT FORWARD" program are still alive in their honor. Maybe, with a very few new interested people, we will go back to only those "Secret Angel" days. Regardless of which direction we go now, there have been many along the way who have donated time, money, the use of their homes/offices, and their creative spirit to advance these endeavors. Some are still involved as we patiently wait for select others to come along for this great ride...
...Perhaps you are called to do so...
Contact 816.256.4839