John Chester, Wild Apple

What Goes on the Road

Having been in Las Vegas last week, I hereby break the rule that “What goes on the road stays on the road.” Unfortunately for you, it’s a tame read. The so-called West Coast Art & Frame Show (I didn’t find any coasts) just took place, and I finally (yes, I was a “Vegas virgin”) saw why this city is the world’s capital for trade shows & conventions: It’s so dang easy. From air travel, to local transportation, to hotels and restaurants, the business travel hassle factor is greatly reduced. And if you can put up with the over-the-top, over-stimulating unreality of it all, it’s certainly entertaining. 

Having the convention site connected to the hotel where most attendees stayed had intangible benefits. Art publishers, framers, and retailers ended up gathering for impromptu parties in the late evenings, bringing a sense of camaraderie in the industry, and breaking down some of the walls that can exist between fierce competitors.

Las Vegas has been making inroads in attracting the art & framing industry, and it has been pulling a lot of the furniture and home furnishings showrooms from High Point. Seems like a decent bet that some day Las Vegas is going to be the home of every convention in every industry. 

As for gambling, I did sit at the roulette table for a while, and doubled my whopping $50 before losing the earnings and ending up where I started.  For me, I’d rather bet on our artists and employees – I think the odds are a whole lot better.

Company Dreams

That (This is a letter sent to everyone at Wild Apple.)

We might take some moments to reflect on the impact of one person, even if we are open for work on Martin Luther King Day.  King put into powerful, moving words and poetic cadence a message that will resonate for a long time.  His message is build largely around the elementally simple concept of respect for all people.

Can we relate the civil rights movement to our daily work lives and our little company?  That might be a stretch.  We’re not a non-profit, or political, or cause-based organization.  At the same time, I hope we feel plugged into something more noble, something more than just getting through the week.  Do we treat each other (and artists, customers, suppliers) with respect?  Do we create good jobs?  Do we support our community?  Does our artwork improve people’s surroundings?  Does our business provide a living to artists in their lifetimes?  Do we minimize waste and pollution?  Do we understand the positive power of humor and bring it inside and outside our workplace?

If we can answer some or all of the questions with a yes, then perhaps we’re working at more than “just a job.”

Happy Martin Luther King Day.

Holiday Work

One of the coolest things we have done for the last several years is shut Wild Apple for the week between Christmas and New Years.  "Cool" from employees' perspective anyway, since it doesn't count against vacation time.  (We try very hard to let customers know about it well in advance!  And if you are a disgruntled customer, call me directly for a personal apology!)  The holidays can be a pretty stressful time, and taking work out of the equation lets people have time with family and hopefully get a little down time.  As much as I love the company, I love the time off myself!

Except that when I breezily come waltzing back in, asking everyone how was their break, I find out that a bunch of people came in and spent a chunk of time working.  Among them, our finance and accounting group did a lot of year end work, and in particular, Linda spent 3 long days fixing a computer glitch.  Not that she would mention it - someone else had to tell me about it.

How lucky to be working with people who have that kind of personal commitment.