Are the tradeoffs that highly successful executives make — prioritizing wealth and recognition over family and a more grounded life — truly worth it?

That’s the central question that prompted Butch Meily to write From Manila to Wall Street, a memoir reflecting on his time nearly 40 years ago as a close aide to the brilliant but often brash Reginald F. Lewis, the first African-American to build a billion-dollar company.

Lewis was a trailblazing businessman and investor who, in the 1980s, bulldozed through racial barriers. Financier and philanthropist Michael Milken described him as “the Jackie Robinson of American business.”

Although Lewis died of a brain tumor at age 50 in 1993, the actionable insights gleaned from Lewis’s business life remain relevant to this day, chief among them his motto: “Keep going no matter what.”

Lewis reached extraordinary heights, bringing Meily along with him. Nevertheless, the lives of both men serve as a cautionary tale of the price each paid for their achievements. Their enduring legacy: build boldly, lead wisely — but never forget to live.

[A native of the Philippines, Meily currently serves as president of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation, a private-sector disaster management organization. Earlier in his career, he worked in public relations for both Burson-Marsteller and Howard J. Rubenstein Associates.]

Monday Morning Radio is hosted by the father-son duo of Dean and Maxwell Rotbart.

Photo: Rene S. “Butch” Meily, From Manila to Wall StreetPosted: June 2, 2025 Monday Morning Run Time: 47:30 Episode: 13.48

Pick up a copy of All You Can Eat Business Wisdom for yourself

Fun, well organized, and brimming with useful information, this is a book that some will want to read cover-to-cover and others will treat as a reference book to look up subjects as needed; either way, it’s a delight. 

— Kirkus Reviews