OREM — Les McGuire never differentiated between work, family, home and recreation. To him, it was all just life.
"He lived life to the fullest," said friend and co-worker Wade Sleater. "He loved playing basketball, being home with his kids, playing basketball with them in the back yard. The guy, everything he did, he just called life."
That passion fueled him in his role as an entrepreneur, executive and motivational speaker with "Producer Revolution," a movement designed to help empower people to take control of their lives and see themselves as actors, rather than reactors.
But 35-year-old McGuire's passionate expressions were cut short when he, along with business partner Ray Hooper, 35, and their corporate pilot, Blaine Pugmire, 31, crashed into Utah Lake June 8 while returning from a conference.
An event tonight at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City is planned to honor the men and share their vision with others. More information and free registration can be found at www.producerrevolution.com.
"The purpose of the event, first and foremost, is to honor publicly the legacies that Ray and Les and Blaine . . . left behind," Sleater said. "The second part of it is making sure people understand what those legacies are."
The three men all shared a similar passion for life, Sleater said, and were excellent fathers and husbands who loved spending time with their families.
Sleater, CEO of Engenuity and Atlas Marketing, worked with all three men for several years, although Pugmire had only recently been hired on as the corporate pilot.
The men traveled frequently for seminars and conferences, sharing their ideas about how to live a productive and happy life.
The premise of Producer Revolution is teaching people how to become producers, not just consumers. Consumers often want something for nothing and do very little to add to the world around them, whereas producers are busy trying to create value in their lives and the lives of others, whether it's financially measurable or not, Sleater said.
Cody Moore, a business vice president and "right-hand man" to McGuire, described Producer Revolution as a way to help people take charge of their lives.
"Consumers are writing the story of their life every day as the victim," he said. "Producers write their story as the hero, no matter what happens."
The businessmen are also are hosting today what will become an annual Legacy Golf Tournament. The proceeds will go to the Pugmire family to help provide for his widowed wife and young children.
"We hope the message (of the event) is that people have a choice to change their life rather than continuing to live a life of mediocrity," Sleater said. "These men . . . (had) a passion for helping people understand how to accomplish those things."
E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com