Cheddar’s Trip to New York Stock Exchange to ring the bell!

Marc and I took a little trip to NYC last Wednesday to ring the closing bell of the New York Stock Exchange (now called NYSE Euronext).

I was hoping he would pull the ears out when he got up there, and sure enough, true to brand, he wore them the entire time he was on the balcony. That’s dedication, folks. Here’s a play by play of the few minutes just before 4pm:

I was walking to the podium with the CEO of the exchange, Duncan Niederhauer, just minutes before the closing bell. I had the ears in my back pocket when we stopped for a short chat just behind the CNBC TV set. I tapped Duncan on the arm as I pulled out the ears and said, ‘Hey Duncan, how do you feel about me wearing these while we’re up there?’. Duncan said, ‘Well, let me tell you the facts. The market is down about 150 points so this might be perceived as you poking fun at this whole thing. Is it part of your brand?’ I said, ‘Yes’. Duncan said, ‘Then I’d do it.’

We proceeded to the podium with just 90 seconds to spare. During a quick rundown of what was about to happen, Duncan instructed us that we would be clapping for longer than we might have clapped before. I mentioned something about the 8 minute timeout during the second half of a Hoosier Basketball home game. He said, ‘Ok, maybe you’ve clapped longer’. Before I knew it, Duncan was tapping me on the shoulder at 15 seconds to 4, yelling, ‘Bring us home, Marc!’

Sincere thanks to Startup America for this opportunity, and NYSE Euronext for the hospitality. It was an unforgettable experience.

Video proof: