The Man Who Brought Baseball to Canada and Founded Birthright: Charles Bronfman

Harley Finkelstein (00:00):
So, episode one of Big Shot.

David Segal (00:02):
Welcome to Big Shot.

Harley Finkelstein (00:03):
Welcome to Big Shot.

David Segal (00:03):
Charles Bronfman.

Harley Finkelstein (00:04):
Charles fricking Bronfman is our first guest.

David Segal (00:07):
Right. So if you don't know Charles Bronfman, Charles Bronfman's father, Sam Bronfman, started Seagram. I think probably the brand had many liquor brands, but probably the one everybody knows is Crown Royal.

Harley Finkelstein (00:16):
Such chutzpah.

David Segal (00:18):
Incredible chutzpah. Then Charles basically, takes what Sam has built. He brings Major League Baseball to Canada. He builds one of the most effective charities on the planet, Birthright. He does Cadillac Fairview, building up all of Canada. Not just that, he creates this incredible legacy. He does so with such character and with this amazing reputation. One thing he said, he said, "If you make, you give."

Harley Finkelstein (00:45):
That's right.

David Segal (00:46):
He created this incredible philosophy around giving but also around building. Didn't he just call you? He called you after the episode.

Harley Finkelstein (00:53):
Oh my God.

David Segal (00:54):
To tell you about something.

Harley Finkelstein (00:55):
It's so funny. So, we finished with him. We did this episode. We talked to him for over an hour. Then 10 minutes later, I see that my phone's ringing. As I pick it up and say hello, and it's Stephen Bronfman, his son. Stephen's like, "Hey, my dad wants to talk to you." I'm like, "Oh, no. What did we do here? Did we embarrass him? Did we insult him? What did we do wrong here?"

(01:12):
He says, "Harley, it's Charles." He's like, "Thank you for the interview." He says, "Just so you know, the reason I did the Montreal Expos, the reason I brought baseball to Canada was I want to prove to everyone including my father, that I'm an entrepreneur on my own."

David Segal (01:24):
Right. That's one of the big moments I think in this interview where he has to walk in to tell his father who he's been working for selling whiskey at Seagrams. That he's about to embark on, not a small entrepreneurial project, but a monstrous one where his name will be splattered across a paper. This is not a Sam Bronfman business. This is not an Edgar Bronfman business. This is a Charles Bronfman initiative.

Harley Finkelstein (01:45):
He did it by himself. One thing that I want people to know is that you and I have been talking around this idea of an archival of Jewish entrepreneurial stories, the anecdotes, the wisdom, the myths of Jewish entrepreneurship. It was only until we read this book, Distilled, which is Charles Bronfman's book that you and I actually decided, "Okay, let's do it," because there's a line in the book-

David Segal (02:06):
Right.

Harley Finkelstein (02:07):
... that basically says, "The one thing school does not teach are the histories, the lessons, the stories of our nation, of our communities of entrepreneurship." We wanted to use this thing called Big Shot as the vehicle to archive those stories. So in many ways, it couldn't be more appropriate for us to have Charles as our first guest because he really was the catalyst to creating this entire show.

David Segal (02:28):
We're going to learn about business. We're going to learn about family. We're going to learn about philanthropy, and community, and how important that is. Charles Bronfman, here we go.

Harley Finkelstein (02:37):
Let's go.

(02:54):
David and I have thought about this idea of archiving the stories of Jewish entrepreneurship for a long time.

Charles Bronfman (02:59):
That's great.

Harley Finkelstein (03:00):
We, David and I, are both entrepreneurs. David built DavidsTea. I've built the company called Shopify and-

Charles Bronfman (03:06):
I drank your tea. It's very good.

David Segal (03:08):
We have a new tea company. We'll set you up.

Charles Bronfman (03:09):
Yeah, we'll set you up.

David Segal (03:10):
It's called Firebelly Tea.

Harley Finkelstein (03:11):
So, we love these stories. In fact in many ways, you have inspired David and I, frankly to be entrepreneurs and to be ambitious. So for a long time, we've thought about this idea, what if we archive stories of Jewish entrepreneurship? We talked about it over dinners, when our kids were playing together, but we never did anything about it.

(03:27):
Then, we decided to read your book at the same time. So, we read Distilled. In Distilled, you write this, "What was missing from history class at least in my day, was the word embedded in the word history. The story. We didn't know our stories or myths. We didn't know our heroes or heroines. These are the things that make a successful society, make its people proud and fortify the fabric of a nation."

(03:51):
So, this book is the reason we actually started the show. So for you to be our first guest is a great honor for us.

Charles Bronfman (03:56):
Thank you.

Harley Finkelstein (03:57):
Thank you for being here. The first thing I want to start with is part of what we think is important about Jewish entrepreneurship or unique is this idea of chutzpah. I'm curious, when you hear the word chutzpah, what do you think about it?

Charles Bronfman (04:11):
Chutzpah is daring but in a not nice way. The chutzpah of that person to think that he can rule the world. Putin's got a chutzpah in spades right now. So, I don't think of it in that way. Chutzpah in business is another matter. Chutzpah in business is damned good.

Harley Finkelstein (04:33):
Damned good.

Charles Bronfman (04:34):
Because if you don't have some chutzpah, you're not going to get very far. I'm sure that both of you, you weren't the first tea company in the world.

David Segal (04:42):
No.

Charles Bronfman (04:42):
You weren't the first Shopify company in the world.

Harley Finkelstein (04:44):
Certainly was not.

Charles Bronfman (04:45):
You had the guts and the drive. Chutzpah in business, I think is really drive and not giving a damn about all the procedures and things that are in the textbooks.

Harley Finkelstein (05:00):
One thing that we want to talk about, you touched about your father telling you around the dinner table, Shabbat's dinner, or I think it was lunch on Sundays, right?

Charles Bronfman (05:08):
Lunch on Sundays.

Harley Finkelstein (05:09):
He used to tell you that leave something on the table in any deal. When David and I study the things you've built, one of the things that we noticed is that there's always a capitalistic business bend to it, but there's also a community side to it. In the '60s, you very famously brought Major League Baseball to Canada. I think it was '67, is that right?

Charles Bronfman (05:30):
Well, our first game was '69.

Harley Finkelstein (05:30):
'69.

Charles Bronfman (05:34):
We got the franchise '68.

Harley Finkelstein (05:36):
'68. So 1968, you bring Major League Baseball to Canada. You famously, it was just the Expos, but you also brought baseball to Canada, had never been here before.

Charles Bronfman (05:45):
Well, Minor League had been.

Harley Finkelstein (05:47):
Minor League but never Major League before. You got a bunch of partners to come in with you. Some of those partners got cold feet. Tell us a bit about that because you had to step in, and that's a story that Dave and I are fascinated with.

Charles Bronfman (05:58):
Well, I'll tell you the whole story. I was at a YPO meeting in Puerto Rico with my late wife. I got a call from Gerry Snyder who was at that time, the vice chairman of the executive committee of the city. He said that Drapeau, the mayor at the time, wanted to have baseball in Montreal, and blah, blah, blah. He wanted 10 people, a million dollars each. Would we join? I said, "Sure. We join if there is a roof on the stadium because of the weather." He says, "Of course."

(06:38):
My wife said, "A million dollars, just like that." I said, "Don't worry, it will never happen. That's all nonsense. Let's go to the party," which we did. I never really thought about it again until one night we were in bed. I hear the 10:00 news, and I hear them say, "Here's the news and about baseball in Montreal."

David Segal (06:58):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (06:59):
I said, "Oh shit, we're in the glue." That was on a Thursday, I think. We had a partners' meeting on Monday at the Windsor Hotel, which was owned by the Websters.

Harley Finkelstein (07:14):
On Peel Street.

Charles Bronfman (07:16):
Right. That's where our Claridge offices are now, or I should say Stephen's Claridge office, used to be mine. He gave me the privilege by the way, of having a meeting in his office yesterday.

Harley Finkelstein (07:29):
He's very kind.

Charles Bronfman (07:29):
Very kind. He even had me sitting beside him behind the desk.

Harley Finkelstein (07:37):
Very nice.

David Segal (07:37):
Very nice.

Harley Finkelstein (07:37):
A real magic.

David Segal (07:38):
There's a great scene in the book that really resonated with me where. The Expos was really, it wasn't a Bronfman project. This was a Charles Bronfman Project.

Charles Bronfman (07:46):
Charles.

David Segal (07:47):
Right. Not Edgar, not Sam. There's a scene where you walk in to tell your father that you're going to be bringing Major League Baseball to Canada, and you've been obviously working at Seagrams but this is a big deal. This is not, I'm going to start another schmatta company. This is, I'm going to have my name splattered all over the papers and bring something incredibly new to Canada, the new frontier of baseball. Talk to us about that moment. What were you feeling walking into that meeting?

Charles Bronfman (08:12):
Well, let's go back a little bit. I always wanted to do something for my city and my province in the country. My mother wanted me to be a player, not a physical player in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, or they wanted me to be involved with the museum. I didn't like classical music when I was a kid. I was a skinny little runt. I decided I was a jock, and there's no way I was going near a museum.

(08:41):
I learned on the piano how to play. God Saved the, I guess King man, with one finger. I also learned the William Tell Overture, why? Because it was the theme song with the Lone Ranger on radio. So, I was allowed to do that. I allowed myself to do it. So now, I always still wanted to do something, and I love sports.

David Segal (09:04):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (09:04):
My mother used to tell me that at Canadian's games, I was more tired than the players at the end of the game.

David Segal (09:11):
So emotional.

Harley Finkelstein (09:11):
Because you were cheering, jumping up and down?

Charles Bronfman (09:11):
Cheering up and down.

David Segal (09:14):
Cursing.

Charles Bronfman (09:15):
Following the puck. Richard has the puck. Doug Harvey's on ...

Harley Finkelstein (09:20):
You're a commentator?

Charles Bronfman (09:23):
Right, to myself.

Harley Finkelstein (09:25):
To yourself.

Charles Bronfman (09:28):
So then this thing came up, and I thought that would be cool. I said, "Well, this is my opportunity." I didn't think about being splashed in the newspapers or anything else. I just said, "This is an opportunity to do what I always wanted to do, which is something for the city, for the province, and the country." So, I've spent the summer going back and forth between Drapeau, Saulnier, my partners. It was sort of a ring around the rosie.

Harley Finkelstein (10:00):
But you're supposed to be selling whiskey?

Charles Bronfman (10:00):
I'm supposed to be selling whiskey. So then, people are dropping out. I'm buying it more. One day, I walked into my father's office. Now, he used to like reading the New York Daily News because he particularly liked the comics. He particularly liked Dick Tracy, Joe Palooka. Also, he used to like the gossip column written by Walter Winchell.

(10:33):
I walked in, he's got his newspaper in front of him, sees him. Before I walk in, I said, "Now if he says anything, no matter what he says, keep your cool."

Harley Finkelstein (10:44):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (10:44):
"Just keep your cool," because I've been taking French lessons. I closed the door. If the door was closed, it was an invitation for him to walk in. All the doors of Seagram were always open.

Harley Finkelstein (10:59):
To invite him in?

Charles Bronfman (11:00):
Yeah. That anybody could walk in.

David Segal (11:02):
Door closed, makes it seem suspect. When was the door closed?

Charles Bronfman (11:06):
He liked the looks of this young lady who was teaching me French. She was damn attractive. So, he used to always wander in. Then, he would ask me questions during all this time. "Well, what are you doing?" I would say, "Well, there's about this baseball thing." He said, "Baseball. Hell, you're supposed to be selling whiskey." That was the background of my walking into his office.

Harley Finkelstein (11:32):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (11:33):
He has the newspaper in front of him. I said, "Dad, I have to talk to you." He said, "Yes, my son." "Well, it's about baseball." Newspaper goes up in front of him. I said, "Well, my sisters and brother should not be invited in by me because I don't see it ever making a profit." So he looks at me, and he said, "So, who's going to pay for it?" Now, you can see [inaudible 00:12:04] in front of his face. He figures I'm going to hit him for a loan.

Harley Finkelstein (12:07):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (12:08):
I said, "So, I'll pay for it myself." "You got that kind of money?" I said, "Barely, but I can do it." He called Leo Kolber.

Harley Finkelstein (12:17):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (12:17):
If you recall, he's our majordomo, and guru, and everything else, asked him if I had the money. Leo said, "Yes, he can do it." My father said to Leo, "You talk him out of this crazy idea." Leo tried, but we had done some homework. We had studied the finances of some of the ball clubs, just like you fellows would. We thought it would be valuable if we could get a decent television contract, which we got. So, things looked like it wasn't desperate and we could have a chance.

David Segal (12:56):
Right.

Harley Finkelstein (12:56):
It's amazing.

David Segal (12:57):
You learned some incredible lessons with the Expos. A couple that stood out for me is you're bringing this player up who I believe is supposed to be a major star on the team. Willis, I believe it was?

Charles Bronfman (13:09):
Wills, Maury Wills.

David Segal (13:11):
Right. So Maury Wills comes to town and he's coming from LA. He had some controversy around him. He of course, underperforms. It doesn't work out. I believe the lesson you took away from it was, if we're going to bring people to the frontier of baseball, they need to see it as a promotion not a demotion.

Charles Bronfman (13:29):
Absolutely.

David Segal (13:30):
How has that shaped your thinking in business and philanthropy in general and some of those lessons you learned with the Expos?

Charles Bronfman (13:36):
I would say in philanthropy, I think I used all the knowledge that I picked up in business over the years including that. I also learned that you can have a plan and you can have something in here, but you better use this. I also learned from business that everything can be measured, everything. The only thing you have to do is set up the standards. Now for instance, Birthright. What was the standards for Birthright? Well, there wasn't any. So, we had to invent one.

Harley Finkelstein (14:15):
Because it had never been done before. There was no precedence.

Charles Bronfman (14:19):
Kids had gone to Israel but very few of them. So now, we figured. We get 10,000 kids to Israel, it will be a mechaye. So we had-

Harley Finkelstein (14:32):
Was that the first goal? The original goal was 10,000? Something like that?

Charles Bronfman (14:36):
Sure.

Harley Finkelstein (14:37):
Give or take.

Charles Bronfman (14:38):
If we could do that, and we figured we'd give it a three-year shot, Michael and I. If it didn't succeed in three years, we'd ask guys to give us money and tell them the three-year horizon. If it doesn't work, thank you very much. We all gave it a try. So, everything we found was measurable. I learned that from the Expos. I learned that from Seagram, more probably from Seagram than anything else.

Harley Finkelstein (15:11):
I want to talk a bit about Birthright because you talked about the initial goal of Birthright being something around 10,000.

Charles Bronfman (15:19):
After three years.

Harley Finkelstein (15:20):
After three years. So David and I, ran the numbers because we're also numbers people. It turns out, you're about at 800,000 kids at this point-

David Segal (15:27):
60 countries.

Harley Finkelstein (15:28):
For more than 60 countries. I want to understand from your perspective. There's a lot of people that could have done this Birthright thing. There's a lot of people that had more resources or understanding of it. Why did you as Charles Bronfman, feel like this Birthright thing was so important?

Charles Bronfman (15:47):
Well, in the first place, you have to understand that we had no idea what we were doing. Second thing, you have to understand is that we can afford to lose. So, it's not that much of a jump or a gamble because it was this before the Vivendi disaster. So I had more money, much more money than I have now. So, I could afford to lose.

(16:17):
Michael Steinhardt could afford to lose. In fact what we did was, we financed the first trip, the first winter ourselves. It could cost us $15 million each.

Harley Finkelstein (16:31):
Wow.

Charles Bronfman (16:32):
Which was okay because we could afford to lose that amount over a period of time. So, that was number one. Number two, in my foundation, we had been in the business of playing with the major religious movements, and UJA, and so on, in trying to get more kids to Israel. Our problem was, we were the only ones who wanted to have more of the religious movements in particular. We're very happy with the profits they were making on these trips because they used the money to fund youth trips in America. We didn't know that.

David Segal (17:15):
What I find amazing about Birthright is you talk about this in the book. You like to amplify the network effect of a project, and you do one third private donors, one third from the community organizations, and one from the government. In the case of Birthright, it's the ultimate complex sale. You have to not only convince private donors, not only convince the State of Israel, but you've got to get these individual Jewish federations who have strong agendas, opinions, their own trips.

Charles Bronfman (17:43):
We never got them.

Harley Finkelstein (17:44):
How do you think about that? Obviously, Birthright had such a huge impact, but you have all these different parties with different opinions that all want to sway a certain way. Fundamentally, you just want to connect Jews around the world to Israel. That's all that matters to you.

Charles Bronfman (17:58):
Well, the fundamental thing was particularly starting with North America. Arrival of Jews came to North America and all of us made out.

Harley Finkelstein (18:12):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (18:13):
So now, the trick was how do you make Americans, and Canadians, and Russians, and Australians, et cetera, how do you make them Jewish? So we figured that we would use Israel as a tool, as a lab to make these people Jewish. We would put no pressure on them if they wanted to remain Jewish or become Jewish because they were just secular.

(18:40):
Fine, if they didn't, it's their loss. We never put anything on them. We always had education. The education has changed over the years to keep up with the times and the generations but it worked. It worked. The other thing, and this was my insistence. I said, "Guys, they got to have fun."

Harley Finkelstein (19:06):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (19:06):
You don't learn anything if it rammed into your head.

Harley Finkelstein (19:10):
Totally.

Charles Bronfman (19:10):
So let everybody party. Let them have fun. The second thing that I insisted on was what's called the mish kashmim, which is the encounter with Israelis.

Harley Finkelstein (19:21):
I've gone on that trip. I've gone on Birthright, and I spent the five days with the soldiers. Not only from, again my father's immigrant from Eastern Europe. I'm a secular Jew. I'm not religious. That Birthright trip had such a profound impact on me that it ended up, David knows this, but my wife and I have recently built the only synagogue in Downtown Ottawa now.

Charles Bronfman (19:42):
Oh, wow.

Harley Finkelstein (19:42):
The idea for building that synagogue, it's called the Finkelstein Chabad Center, came from Birthright. When I came back, I had this deep longing to create something. It felt that Canada, our capital is Ottawa. It's a G7 capital. For us not to have a synagogue in downtown, didn't feel right. Even though I'm not a religious Jew, I felt compelled to do so. So, that synagogue is now up and the building is up in Ottawa. I did that because of the inspiration that I got through Birthright.

(20:09):
You're right. It wasn't just the trip. It was very fun, but it was this connection that I received from that. Spending time with the people in the Tzahal and the Jewish Army, that really did it for me. I want to talk and pick-up on something you said, which is someone said to you, "We need the money. We can't find it." You said, "Go find it."

(20:26):
There is something deeply rooted in Jewish people. This entrepreneurship thing I think is so unique. Dave and I, there's a Mark Twain quote that we sometimes talk about, which is Mark Twain actually points out that as a percentage of the population, the Jewish people are so small. We're tiny. Yet from an impact perspective, especially in the area of business and philanthropy, but also business, we are disproportionately impactful.

(20:53):
I'm curious. David and I are inspired. We're not blowing smoke. We are inspired by watching you, and your father, and also your son. Stephen is a mentor to me and to David as well. We really admire three generations of Bronfmans. There is something unique about the Jewish people and how they approach entrepreneurship in business. I'd be curious to know, you've been around for nine decades. What do you think is going on here? How did this happen?

Charles Bronfman (21:21):
It has to, going back a hell of a long time. There is something in the DNA. I don't know what it is. One day, they'll find out that sets us apart because it's not just in business. You take the legal profession, and take the music-

David Segal (21:40):
Medicine.

Charles Bronfman (21:41):
... the conductors, the principal players. It's in art. It's in any discipline you want, there is a disproportionate amount of Jewish stars, shall we call. Even people in the orchestra or in the art world who are Jewish.

Harley Finkelstein (21:59):
It's unbelievable.

Charles Bronfman (22:02):
It's totally unbelievable. I don't know where it is. If I took a look at my son. When he was 14, 15, 16-

Harley Finkelstein (22:16):
This is Stephen?

Charles Bronfman (22:16):
... 17. This is Stephen. I look at the man today, there is no relationship. They are not the same people. I would have lost a heavy bet that Stephen would turn out to be the way he is.

Harley Finkelstein (22:32):
It's unbelievable. One of the things obviously that I think is part of it is this general or this inherent desire for survival. Shopify is a labor of love to me. It's a big company. Now, DavidsTea was labor, but we started this because we were interested. We were curious. Our parents, our grandparents, your father did not start because he was curious. He did so because-

David Segal (22:53):
He needed money.

Harley Finkelstein (22:53):
He needed money. It was survival.

Charles Bronfman (22:54):
Right.

Harley Finkelstein (22:55):
I think that survival aspect to entrepreneurship is embedded in the Jews that start those companies.

David Segal (23:02):
There's a line in the book that I'm dying to talk to you about. It really hit me hard, where your father writes you a letter on your bar mitzvah and says, I'm going to paraphrase here. Something along the lines of a man's future is determined by his actions. Well as it to walk amongst kings, but never lose the common touch. What do you think your father would have said about Birthright?

Charles Bronfman (23:25):
Oh, he would've been thrilled, absolutely thrilled. See, the baseball thing, getting back to that. He became the number one fan of the Montreal Expos, number one. I remember one time. I came downstairs in the morning and he said, "What did your goddamn fool manager do last night, in the seventh inning?" They were playing the Dodgers. I said, "Dad, I was asleep." "What do you mean you were asleep?" I said, "You see, I'm selling whiskey for you. I want to be wide awake in the morning, so I got to do my job." "You're not keen." That was one of his favorite expressions. I said, "I'm very keen. Did you?" So, he told me.

(24:15):
Why was he such a fan of the Expos? Because he found out that his kid had some guts to go and do it. That's what he admired. He admired people who could go out, and be successful, and take a chance.

Harley Finkelstein (24:32):
Talk a bit about the types of partnerships that you've been through in your life because whether it's Birthright, Cadillac Fairview, Montreal Expos, Major League Baseball, philanthropy, there's something to the people you work with that are quite exceptional.

Charles Bronfman (24:45):
Well, in the first place, I am not a loner. I don't do well by myself. Now even the sports, for instance I was a reasonable tennis player but only in doubles. In singles, there'd be people who I could wipe the floor with, who would beat me because I was unsure of myself. If I had a partner, I knew that partner. I didn't have to depend only on myself. I had somebody to fall back on. That was true in business also and in philanthropy. I like to have people who have the skill sets I don't have, and I have the skill sets they don't have. That's the partnership and it works.

(25:30):
I don't like change. I think once you have the chemistry with somebody, you keep that chemistry. For instance, John McHale was our president of the Expos. Maybe he shouldn't have been all the time, but he was because I didn't want change. Jeff Solomon, who is regarded as the number one CEO-

David Segal (25:57):
Right.

Charles Bronfman (25:57):
... of philanthropy in the United States. Jeff works for me for 25 years. My assistant's been with me for over 20 years.

Harley Finkelstein (26:05):
Wow.

David Segal (26:06):
Yet, you're not afraid to make the changes when the chemistry is not there. Gary Carter, who is the well-known hero of the Mets when he won the World Series, you traded him from the Expos. I believe the line is, "No chemistry."

Charles Bronfman (26:19):
It's the only trade I made.

Harley Finkelstein (26:22):
He was an amazing ball player and he's such-

Charles Bronfman (26:25):
He was for the Mets.

Harley Finkelstein (26:27):
Not for the Expos.

Charles Bronfman (26:28):
As I said, we can lose as well with Carter as without Carter.

Harley Finkelstein (26:33):
This show, this archive that we're trying to create here, we hope that it lasts and exists for many more generations. I'm curious, based on all the things you've done, what would you want to say if you would be able to put this into a time capsule. In 20 years from now, a group of Jewish entrepreneurs that live anywhere in the world are watching this and they're hearing, if I may say so, the iconic Charles Bronfman. What do you want them to think about and maybe instill with them?

Charles Bronfman (27:07):
I think that there are two that you think about. I always know my dad said this, and I just worship him as may have come out in this discussion. He said, "First of all, choose your country. See that it has a good economy and is fair-minded with socially. Then, choose your industry. Make sure your industry is a healthy one and it's going ahead. Then choose your company, but first you must choose those other two. If you choose right in the company, don't worry about it. You'll succeed.

Harley Finkelstein (27:45):
Wow.

Charles Bronfman (27:47):
So, I think that's the important thing. The other point is don't be a pig. You are part of a community. You're part of a society. The wonderful thing about making is giving. Give, help others who can't help themselves. Help others to be as successful as you. Just look after your community, particularly if you're Jewish. Nobody's going to help the Jews except the Jews. Always remember that.

Harley Finkelstein (28:18):
I love that. First, pick your country. Then, pick your industry. Then, pick your company. I think that's incredible.

Charles Bronfman (28:24):
Well, you guys both did it?

David Segal (28:26):
Yeah, we're starting.

Harley Finkelstein (28:28):
We're still trying to figure it out. That's the reason why these conversations are so important to us. It's one thing to make a little bit of money and build a nice little business, but now to figure out what's next and how do we give back.

David Segal (28:39):
How do we have more impact?

Harley Finkelstein (28:40):
How do we inspire and how to have more impact? This book is the reason why this entire show got started. It was the proverbial kick in the butt that we needed because you talked so much about the value of story. Actually, you are guest number one. This entire thing was really built around this idea of more stories, and more myths, especially this topic of Jewish entrepreneurship which we think is one of the most interesting topics, but it's not captured anywhere. To have you, Charles, as our first guest is so humbling. We're so grateful for this and just wanted to-

Charles Bronfman (29:09):
I'm delighted to have been here. God bless you guys.

Harley Finkelstein (29:13):
God bless you.

David Segal (29:28):
Thank you.