ARLINGTON, Texas — The Southwest Car Wash Association (SCWA) has revealed its keynote speaker for the 2016 Convention & Car Wash EXPO, according to a press release.
Captain Richard Phillips will share his grueling tale of survival as a “floating CEO in charge of the day to day operations,” stated the release, and will discuss lessons learned to help those attending the SCWA event have a “better perspective on how to make [their] businesses more successful.”
In April 2009 for five days, Phillips became the center of an extraordinary international drama when he was captured by Somali pirates who hijacked his ship, reported the release, which was the first hijacking of a U.S. ship in more than 200 years.
During the standoff, Phillips offered himself as a hostage to protect his crew, continued the release.
The U.S. Navy responded to the scene, informed the release, and negotiations commenced between the pirates and the captain of the USS Bainbridge.
On Friday, April 10, Phillips jumped out of the lifeboat and managed to swim a few yards toward the nearby destroyer, but the pirates went in after him and managed to haul him back in, noted the release, and the standoff continued until April 12 when Navy SEAL snipers saw one of the pirates aim his AK-47 machine gun at Phillips’ back and concluded he was in “imminent danger,” saving Phillips life.
This siege and rescue was retold in the recent movie starring Tom Hanks, added the release, and was titled, “Captain Phillips.”
Registration for SCWA’s 2016 Convention & Car Wash EXPO, which is scheduled to take place Feb. 28 to March 1 in Arlington, is now open, reported the release.
Read the entire release here.
