Remembering and celebrating Herb Kelleher, founder of Southwest Airlines
Pedestal Source was honored to build displays for the airlines’ limited edition commemorative statuettes unveiled at its 48th anniversary celebration
Southwest Airlines celebrated its 48th anniversary in June with the unveiling of four statuettes of its beloved founder, Herb Kelleher, who passed away earlier this year.
Herb was an American hero and brilliant businessman, who pioneered an organizational culture model that companies all over the globe, including Pedestal Source, have adopted. He proved time and time again that building and growing a successful, profitable company does not have to come at the expense of valuing people—both employees and customers—above all else.
Two years ago, Colleen Barrett, President Emerita of Southwest Airlines, commissioned four bronze statuettes of Herb as a gift to Herb’s biggest fans—his Southwest family. The project took on special significance after Herb’s passing. The sculptor created the mold especially for this limited-edition project, and they serve as a reminder of the values Herb lead with: hard work, fun, and above all, love.
The statuettes are on display in Dallas at Southwest’s Corporate Headquarters in Pedestal Source lighted cases, designed to showcase the incredible detail of the pieces while keeping them safely protected.
Pedestal Source’s founder, Greg Glebe, is a long-time student of Kelleher and his company and committed customer of Southwest.
“Herb always stated so clearly that the team comes first, the customer second,” Greg said. “It was a radical and honest approach to building the best organization. This profound truth impacted me on a visceral level. It is obvious that we all care about our customers, but if we don’t have a culturally cohesive and united team we cannot deliver the mind-blowing service that is our objective here at Pedestal Source.”
The team here at Pedestal Source was honored to work with Southwest on this project to commemorate its brilliant founder. We’ll always remember his words:
“The essential difference in service is not machines or ‘things.’ The essential difference is minds, hearts, spirits, and souls.” – Herb Kelleher
