In April of this year my mother, tired of hearing the incessant paint shouts emanating from my upstairs office decided to leave the (un)comforts of home and move into an assisted living facility in nearby Greenwich, Connecticut.
Bored with the prospects of a life in Stamford with me and Guy, THE old lady was looking to spend more time with people her own age.
Which it seems, six months is enough of!
When speaking of her dormitory for the elderly, my mother’s chief complaint is that, “Everybody here has lost their memory!” Mom adding that her thrice-daily trips to the dining room are an endless repetition. A real life Groundhog Day.
At-least that's what she tells me every time we speak.
It’s possible that when my mother reads this blog Monday morning she’ll be miffed at my poking fun of her fading memory. The risks of being a bloggers mother! Anyway, I won't see her again until Tuesday, so I should be ok.
In THE Business
In 2019, after 112-years and four-generations, Tremont Paint ran out of Lipton’s. Once one of the nation’s oldest paint dealers, the name Tremont Paint is now lost to time due to my family’s inability to produce a proper heir.
Though the stores are gone, my family’s journey through the independent paint dealer channel is not done. The life of a consultant and content creator has me in-touch with paint dealers as much now as when I was "in THE business."
Still, despite my continued presence in the channel, if my family’s century-long paint journey is to reach a second century it will need a better plan than just my intended longevity.
A Rosie by Any Other Name
Thursday on LinkedIn my nephew Andrew Rosenbaum announced that he had accepted a job as a sales associate in the southeast region for Benjamin Moore. And while he’s on the other side of the counter, Andrew now joins his great-great-grandparents, great-grandfather, grandfather and uncle into a career in the independent paint dealer channel.
Andrew’s announcement also extended the family’s relationship with Benjamin Moore another generation. A relationship which already dates back to the days of brothers Benjamin and Robert Moore.
Six Months Free
After selling Tremont Paint I signed a one-year contract to work for Benjamin Moore chief executive Dan Calkins as his strategic Counselor. My intended tenure at Dan’s side cut short at six-months, due to the pandemic.
The early departure leaving me with a story to tell, and six-months paid time off. Both compliments of #Dan.
Among the lessons learned in my brief tenure inside Montvale was how ill-suited I am for the corporate world. Policies about jeans and sneakers strained my wardrobe and sharply contrasted with both my personal sense of style and my 45-years of experience as an adult allowed to select their own wardrobe.
Andrew of course won't have any of those problems. As Benjamin Moore's most junior territory man it may be a while before Andrew has to dress for a conference in #Dan's suite!
And while he won’t be selling paint on the streets of the Bronx, Andrew still represents my family’s fifth consecutive generation in the independent channel.
Which makes his mother, grandmother and uncle proud.
Of course as a Lipton your job is to sell the paint and create an heir, and continue THE family's heritage.
Andrew already has that covered.
My family smells like paint thinner!
