Sonny Lykos dies

Sadly, Sonny Lykos has died. His wife Barb sent this note to friend Mark Parlee (who posted it on the JLC Online forum):

April 15 Dear Mark Sonny passed away at 2;15 a.m. this morning. Thank You for all your concern. Barb Lykos

I only knew Sonny briefly before his final illness; during our exchanges he shared some of the most fundamental insights about the business -- including an education in the real meaning of Branding -- that it isn't about advertising, design logos, and "sales technique" but it is on how you and your employees relate to current, previous, and potential clients. Effective branding, Sonny taught me, allows you to escape commodity price traps, and crazy and wasteful competitive bidding wars.

You'll find several earlier entries in this blog where Sonny added insightful comments. His knowledge, and insights, reshaped my perspectives about marketing for the construction industry and, I would say, he has been the single greatest influence on my attitudes and philosophies.

Regretfully, we never had the opportunity to meet in person, but I wish to extend my condolences to Barb and his family. He has left an incredible legacy which will continue to assist other contractors find their way in the marketing universe.