Dale Carlsen

Transcription

[Dale Carlsen - Founder of Sleep Train/Sac State Alum] >> Hi; I'm Dale Carlsen and I started Sleep Train after graduating Sacramento State in 1984. First time I walked on Campus at Sac State, I was a very timid, shy, scared young man. The campus and the campus life and the people I met on campus brought my inner energy out, my inner person out. And I became more active, more energized, and more excited to be there, and it really built the foundation of who I am today. When I got out of college I didn't open up a store. I didn't open one right away. I went and learned about the business first. When I started the business my dad at first was dead-set against it. I went against his advice and opened it up when he was out of the country. When he came back he gave me a great piece of advice: he said "If you want to be successful, surround yourself with good people, treat them right and make everyone successful. That's really what's grown our business: I have great people to work with. [Manager: thank you for calling the Roseville Sleep Train] Our company is proud to operate in the communities we do business in. We believe we bring a lot to those areas. We bring employment, we bring a better night's sleep, and we bring help for kids in the neighborhood and kids who have been forgotten in the foster care system. The foster kid program began here at Sac State. I did a paper when I was going to school on a group home here in Sacramento. Sac State does a great job. They have a guardianship program here, which allows foster kids to come to Sac State and enjoy the education. I think the key to success in the current economy is to think outside the box -- try to do things different. You have to define who you are, and then constantly redefine that as the world changes around you. I continue to learn every day. I look at mistakes as opportunities to learn to do things differently, better. I keep my ears open to hear what other people have to say of how to do things better, and I'm constantly learning. I can't imagine what california would be like without public education. California once had the best education system in the world. We've let it lapse. We've not dedicated the resources to it that we need to. Higher education pays back for all us. By having an educated population we learn new things, we create new jobs, we build new businesses, we develop new ideas, we come up with new products. Without education we won't have that. I had a great experience. I thought I had a great education, and that it was valuable. I'm Dale Carlsen, and I was made at Sac State. >> ------ [Public Affairs - Sacramento State] -------=>>