Let’s Lace them Up together
My grandfather, fondly known as “Poppy,” was an athlete, farmer, teacher, coach, and mentor. Most importantly, he was my best friend. He believed in empowering individuals and communities, delivering impact, and capturing the collective wisdom of all people. He was the ultimate thought leader.
When I began my career in sports marketing in 2001, he gifted me the 1951 Chuck Taylors he had worn during his time playing basketball at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.
“Megan, I know it’s not much, but hopefully you’ll look at these every day and remember to lace them up for everyone you meet,” he told me. “You never know who you’ll meet, or when you’ll meet them, but be an athlete when you do.”
Ah, an athlete. You know us.
We grind.
We show up — and are on time.
We work hard.
We’re loyal.
We listen and we study.
We take directions.
We rely on strategy.
We empower our teammates.
We are legacies — and we are leaders.
I realize now that my and Poppy’s shared passion for people, sport, and strategy were the fabric of our relationship, stitched together during all the time we shared with our family or the moments when it was just the two of us, when we played one-on-one or broke down game film.
In his shirt pocket, Poppy kept a small spiral notebook and ballpoint pen. His perfect handwriting carefully outlined his “to-dos” for the day and filled most pages, but his basketball playbook sketches in the back of the notebook always caught my eye.
“Megan, let me show you this out-of-bounds play, I call it #5.”
“Megan, this is how they should have moved the ball through that 2-3 zone. They did too much dribbling, you have to pass through a zone. It’s all about ball movement.”
His sketches were clear yet he’d never move on to the next sketch without asking me in his quiet, yet direct voice,
“Do you see it the same way, or would you do it differently?”
If I did, he’d say, “Show me, don’t tell me. Here, draw it up and take me through it. I’ll listen.”
Listening became learning — and learning from Poppy was infectious. Stories of best practices in farming, teaching, or coaching filled the cab of his ranch truck.
I was never sure what to do with his pearls of wisdom until I formed Alluvium Strategies in 2023.
“ Megan, did you know that alluvial soil is the most fertile soil in the world? It’s formed in riverbeds, with the elements of clay, silt, and sand, and produces diamonds.”
Alluvium Strategies is a nod to Poppy. What he taught me during his lifetime fuels our work and delivers diamond solutions. Our team is composed of industry-leading consultants who draw up strategies specific to the needs of our client’s department or organization.
We are a boutique by design because we want to be hands-on. Every person Poppy talked to felt special like they mattered; we’ve applied that at Alluvium because we want our clients to know we’re invested in them. Like him, we are intentional, deliberate, and dedicated to results. We are proudly rooted in his legacy. And we can’t wait to work with you.
Let’s lace them up together,
Megan Curry
Founder & CEO
