LOVE NOTES JUDGES: Michelle and Peter Wirth
Michelle and Peter Wirth are helping the SSO judge the Love Notes contest. Michelle tells their story:
Our story begins at Mercedes-Benz. I was working in PR at MBUSA and Peter in Product Management at Daimler in Germany. He came to the US in 2003 to help launch the SLR, an all-carbon-fiber super sports car to be introduced in the US market soon after. We met in the basement of “building 3” (along with the rest of the PR department) where Peter and his boss, Rob, were all set up to give us a first look and deep dive into the special car that had yet to be revealed to the US media. I was one of the last people to arrive at the meeting along with a few others.
I immediately saw the silver sports car parked in the middle of the basement garage and all my colleagues milling around it, heard Rob kick off the meeting, looked up and I saw Peter appear from behind Rob and begin speaking. I looked up, looked into his eyes and melted. (Is this what they call “love at first sight”?) My gaze immediately went back to the gas cap of the car and didn’t move for the rest of the presentation. I can tell you everything about that gas gap and the depth of sparkle in that silver paint job, but if you ask me today what he said during that presentation…I have no idea.
Soon after that presentation, he made up excuses to come see me at my cubicle. One time he brought over an exploded view diagram of the engine of the SLR….with each tiny bolt and screw perfectly placed for the picture…because he thought it would be useful to me. (It was completely useless for my job, but memorable, nonetheless.)
He returned to Germany after 6 months in the US on this special project. We dated 2.5 years long distance before he moved to the States. We were married in 2008 and have 4 children…