Peter Hayes, health benefits strategist at Hannaford Bros. Co, was born and raised in Maine, where his family goes back five generations. “My four brothers are still there, but my sister,” he said, “has moved out to California, so we’re out here to give her a hard time.” After a brief stint as a geology major, Hayes studied economics and entered the family business, before joining Hannaford, the largest supermarket chain in the Northeast. Read more about him below.
Q. What music have you listened to today?
A. I’ve got an iPod, so I listened to a lot of Eagles, Bob Marley, BB King. My son was in the car with me so he listened to Coldplay.
Q. What is your favorite word?
A. Laughter.
Q. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A. I wanted to fly jet fighters. As you can see I have glasses. I actually tried to enlist in the Air Force, but because of my eye sight I couldn’t. I had to get back to reality.
Q. What is your favorite cocktail?
A. Beer. I make my own.
Q. What is your greatest extravagance?
A. Skiing. It’s not inexpensive, but it’s a blast.
Q. What is your favorite thing about Los Angeles?
A. My little guy and I have spent three days at the beach, so I’d say the weather and the beach.
Q. What was the last thing that inspired you?
A. Leadership. There have been certain times I’ve seen an individual make a difference. I’m a staunch Republican, but I’ve been impressed by Obama’s ability to communicate. Personal leadership is what I find inspirational.
Q. What is your fondest childhood memory?
A. I grew up in a family of five siblings. My fondest memory is every year we’d go skiing in Montreal.
Q. What is the best advice you have received?
A. My son, he’s 21, was pronounced clinically brain dead in December. The advice we got from the chaplain was, “Listen to him, he’ll tell you what to do.” And today he’s fine. We listened to him. They said there’s really no hope. He’s come all the way back, he has no brain injuries at all, he’s leading normal life. The chaplain said, “Don’t listen to the doctors.” They called him the Christmas miracle. He defied all odds.
Q. Who is the one person living or dead you would most like to meet for a drink?
A. It’s going to sound weird, but I’d love to sit down and talk to Bill Clinton. Or Eric Clapton.
To read more about Hayes’ panel on medical tourism, click here.
*Photo by Aaron Salcido.