Dick Hakes

Iowa

Former publisher of the Chamber Executive Network newsletter. Now a retired writer living in the Iowa City area.

Articles

The wake-up call: 75 has come to stay

Mar 15, 2024 | stormlake.com | Jen Olson |Dick Hakes

A few days ago, I woke to an astounding thing. Some 75-year-old guy was staring back at me from the bathroom mirror. Wow, I said to myself. Just … wow. Honestly, I never expected to make it this far. Genes rule, and Mom, Dad and two brothers died in their 60s, which means I’ve been on bonus time for a while now. Bonus time is OK. It’s still time. But how by the Thunderbolt of Zeus did this happen?
‘Fob foibles’ plague we of the tech-challenged persuasion

Dec 8, 2023 | stormlake.com | Amber Mohmand |Dick Hakes

I love my 2014 Camry because it is uncomplicated and starts with a mechanical key. My wife’s newer Fusion starts with an electronic key fob. The problem with the Fusion is, if you drop your wife off at Kohls and drive to Costco for gas while she shops, you don’t want the only fob to the car to be in her purse at Kohls when you shut off your car to fill up in the busy Costco gas line. Because, duh, you can’t restart the car without the fob.