My daughter Miranda, née Buck Wheat, recently traveled to the mountain-city of San Cristobal de las Casas in southern Mexico. THE 18-hour odyssey worthy of Homer, or at-least Homer Simpson.
THE breathless retelling leaving THE kid's father wondering what his daughter must have smelled like?
Which thankfully–at-least on that day–she couldn’t answer!
They’re Just Shy!
Most of my consulting clients allow me to blog about the projects while we work together; why turn down free publicity?
But last week I began a gig with a new client who despite some shyness, wanted to know what paint dealers might think of their line of goods were it to be made available to dealers in THE channel.
And while it will be a few months until they get their answer, we do know this: when they wanted to know what dealers were thinking, they knew who to call!
You’re Next!
Earlier this month I shared that I've begun volunteering with SCORE as a mentor for small business owners and aspirants in my home Fairfield County, Connecticut. Since joining SCORE, I’ve been assigned eight “clients,” five of whom quickly became unresponsive.
Tired of the life of a small business owner before it even began!
The Small Business Administration defines a small business as any independently-owned business with less than 1,500-employees and $40,000,000 in sales, depending on the industry.
Though THE "clients" I've been assigned to date have all been significantly smaller!
Gentleman Jim
In September I blogged that my friend Jim Gorman, a 42-year veteran of Benjamin Moore, had retired.
THE last of a pair of Jim Gorman’s to represent the paint manufacturer in the New York City market during the 1980’s and 90’s.
To avoid confusing the corporate namesakes, Benjamin Moore’s New York team referred to the Jim’s by adding their middle initials, though with Ben Moore employees at the time all clad in blue suits, white shirts and red ties, dealers needed a more robust naming convention to tell THE two apart!
Jim W Gorman became “Gentleman Jim,” for his softspoken manner which seemed out of place amongst the New Yorkers, while Jim S was known as “Budweiser Jim,” for his study of hops and barley.
Which continues in retirement.
During Budweiser Jim's six-decades Benjamin Moore grew from a family-owned regional paint brand with a national reputation into a $2 billion per-year industrial giant, with brands available nationwide at more than 8,300 independent paint and decorating and Ace Hardware retail locations.
Jimmy's perspectives on his career remain a modern history of Benjamin Moore.
On my podcast this week Budweiser Jim gives a Ted Talk on that history. And of the six men who served as the company’s CEO during his tenure.
And while my New Year’s resolution is to shorten my podcast episodes to 20-minutes or less, Jimmy’s history and storytelling skills convinced me to post our entire 51-minute conversation .
which employees and dealers of #BenjaminMoore will find compelling.
For those less devoted, don’t miss Jimmy’s perspectives on the six Benjamin Moore CEO’s which begins at 29:30.
Of-course the last chief executive of Jimmy’s storied career is #DanCalkins, THE current CEO of the Montvale-based Benjamin Moore.
Who coincidentally, was the last Benjamin Moore CEO of my own career, meaning #Dan'sName might have come up.
At 44:25!
