Johnny Blogger

Resilience

After the flooding in Vermont two weeks ago, our town is recovering. Wild Apple was unscathed (except for a torn up parking lot and a few days of no power), but for some families and a few local businesses it is very slow progress. Woodstock has pulled together just the way one would hope and imagine a small town can.

Yesterday's 9/11 coverage reminded me how much the man-made incident a decade ago dwarfed our recent natural disaster. Yet many of the emotions are similar - anxiety, loss, fear, frustration, and the need to reach out to give and receive comfort.

I remember the need to get home right after 9/11. Four of us from Wild Apple were stranded in Chicago where we were attending a printing technology trade show. We couldn't fly, couldn't get a rental car, no trains, so we ended up buying a used minivan and driving all night. Certainly not the most dramatic story, but all of us have our personal memories of that day.

The traumas experienced by our national and local communities demonstrate human resilience, and serve as a reminder not to sweat the small stuff.

A Flood of Relief

Yesterday (Sunday) morning as Hurricane Irene approached Vermont, I thought I'd go over to Wild Apple and take advantage of the rainy day to catch up on paperwork. I had to wade through a small ankle-high overflow from the brook, but no big deal.

Karen was also there, and she showed a little more concern - and sense - about the storm. So we used a ton of cardboard to "sandbag" the most vulnerable door. I checked the water level every half hour or so, and every time the water was higher and closer to the building. Eventually Dianne called to say she and her husband were concerned I'd get stuck in the building and they made me leave (rightly so). My last check revealed a tiny leak, not under the cardboard-sandbagged door, but coming in at the base of one of the walls. The brook overflow was up to my knees on the way out. The entire parking lot was a river.

I was 100% certain we would have flooding in the building, and I spent the afternoon watching endless TV coverage of blown out roads, flooded homes, and destroyed businesses around Vermont and right in our town of Woodstock. Meanwhile, it rained and rained. There was no way the water wouldn't penetrate the warehouse.

Sleep was scarce - I think I saw every 15 minute interval on my clock. Finally dawn arrived, dry and sunny, and the flooding had clearly receded. I headed over to Wild Apple, with a couple of detours due to bad roads. As I approached the office, I saw the overflow from the brook had completely disappeared, and 2/3 of the parking lot was clear, if a bit muddy and messy. Entering the building, I was relieved that the water hadn't come all the way into the offices, and progressing further, that the water had not touched the printing presses, my worst fear.

Taking a deep breath I continued into the warehouse braced for...an inch of water? a foot? a nightmare? But all I saw was dry concrete floor. Hopes rising along with the fear of jinxing it, right up to the wall where there had been that little leak when I left - totally moisture free! No one was there to high five or fist pump but this was one extremely happy camper.

There's nothing like the relief of being wrong when you know something is going to go badly. It's as good as waking up from a bad dream to safety and a beautiful day. I couldn't be more grateful.

Wildo Marco Applo Polo Explores China

I just returned from a trip to China, a trip I admit I was dreading due to the grueling travel, the killer heat, the anticipated pollution, and the fear of rampant counterfeiting. I met with customers in several cities with the goal of building Wild Apple's business in China, and tapping into the country's shift from an all-export economy to a robust domestic consumer market. The enormity of the Chinese middle class and the growing prosperity is easy to see with the naked eye, and such a contrast to the stagnant economies of North America and Europe.

It turned out to be an awesome trip, as customers responded very positively to a large portion of Wild Apple's artwork. My clear impression is that the companies we work with are legitimate players. It would be naive to think Wild Apple will not get ripped off to some extent, as even giant companies like Disney, Apple, and Nike can't eliminate counterfeiting. But every brand name company you can think of is doing a lot of business in China, despite the aggravation. The general consensus is that the counterfeiting problem is slowly improving, and it certainly appeared so to me in comparison to my last trip 5 years ago.

I did get a little time for personal treats, like walking a small section of the Great Wall and sampling (ok, gorging on) succulent peking duck. I was not forbidden from the Forbidden City, and I endured the endless line to view Chairman Mao's body (or wax replica), along with a billion of my new friends.

Under the Spotlight

If you're looking for material to give me a hard time, have I got something for you.  Vermont Business Magazine did a profile of Laurie and me in their July issue (click here for article).  It's a well-written story that reflects a lot of what our company is about, but be forwarned: it's long.  As in, how could anyone write that much about us. If you manage to dig through it, you'll see me refered to as a "power yuppie" with "chopped white hair" who "thinks he's funny."  While I'm the comic relief in the article, Laurie is the "slim, fine-boned" genius.  Pretty accurate reporting, I guess.

Hysterical Time at Historical Society

Every other Thursday Wild Apple holds an all company staff meeting. We look at new artwork and new licensed products, we go over financial results, sales trends, company projects, as well as mundane houskeeping items.

Today, at Dee's suggestion, we changed it up and held the meeting offsite. It wasn't far, only a 5 minute drive, but it was like stepping into a different universe - one that's hidden in plain view. Our venue was the Dana House, home of the Woodstock Historical Society, a compact gem of a building with a treasure trove of art, furniture, toys, maps, musical instruments, fashion, and I can't even remember what else.

How long have I lived in Woodstock? (21 years.) And how many times have I toured this museum? (Um, zero.) It's that too-common phenomenon of taking for granted what your home town offers.

We had a shortened Wild Apple agenda (and coffee and donuts) in the library, followed by a five minute intro to Dana House, and then all were free to roam the house, museum, gallery and gardens. Like me, most were pleasantly surprised at the depth and richness of the collection, and feeling kind of guilty for lack of awareness.

A nice way to break the routine, get the intellect and visual senses stimulated, and have a non-business outing with co-workers. Note to self: field trip = good thing.

SURTEX, For Sure

Hard to believe that it’s been 3 weeks since SURTEX! I usually try to report on a show within a few days, so I guess I’m in the Blog Doghouse. With apologies for tardiness, here a few observations about the show:

1. It rocked. Not because there were so many customers (in fact very few new "walk-ins"), but because the customers were so focused and attentive and productive. We don’t actually measure such things, but our Average Meeting Length had to have been oodles longer than ever in the past, because licensees were reviewing portfolios so thoroughly. And I think I’m right in reporting that every client who made an appointment or said they’d "come by" actually did!

2. The show looked good and professional, and the mood was upbeat. Probably not as euphoric as last year’s show, when it seemed as though all licensees woke up at once from a deep recession-induced slumber. Whereas last year clients were looking at anything and everything, this year they seemed to have a strong sense of their own design needs.

3. New York woke up - hungry for your hotel and restaurant money. Much more activity and buzz – and crowds – everywhere we went than the last several years. I take that as a good economic sign in general despite the specific damage to my own American Express.

And now Licensing Expo Las Vegas is only a week away! Please "come by" the booth (#5401) to meet Cathy and Gretchen – and get some Vermont Lake Champlain Chocolate!

Art Doesn't Grow on Trees

So often people in our industry think of the cost of a print as just the cost of paper and ink. They know we pay royalties to artists, and they realize in a vague way that there is some cost to developing artwork. But they generally are not aware of how much work and expense is involved in finding, creating, collaborating on, modifying, and preparing artwork.

There is a way to keep art development costs down, and that's the approach of simply mimicking popular artwork already on the market. It might be possible to do this with minimal art development staff.

But you wouldn't get innovative new content, colors, themes, styles. Wild Apple chooses to aggressively publish approximately 50 high quality new images every month, and to continuously search for new artists and new artwork.

While the circumstances of individual images vary widely, it can cost over $1000 to get an image ready - not including the actual printing, not including artist royalties, not including sales, marketing, accounting, customer service, warehousing, shipping or other supporting expenses.

Art doesn't grow on trees; it has to be searched out, cultivated, and harvested. Art questing takes travel, research, and lots and lots of time. Recruiting artists, negotiating contracts, providing art direction, inspiration, style and theme concepts, feedback and occasional therapy requires dedicated staffing. Handling the artwork includes shipping originals back and forth, ultra-high resolution digital image capture, color correction, formatting, proofing, digital storage, retrieval & back-up, and constant investment in technology to keep the whole system organized and productive.

With the industry's relentless downward pricing pressure, I admit to sounding defensive or sensitive. I often do feel that the value brought by art publishers is undervalued, even though it is the artwork itself that drives the consumer sale. It won't be the first or last time I say: It's all about the art!

Summit for Sobriety

My son has been on a long tough journey, with much better views now coming into view.  He is starting an amazing new journey, which I'll let him explain in his words:

 
Mission Statement: Summit for Sobriety is attempting to raise awareness about sobriety and a life of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. We are raising money for patient-aid donations that provide treatment for people suffering from chemical dependency.

Goal: We are working to eliminate the stigma associated with people who suffer from this disease, and prove that a limitless life of recovery is possible through the “gift of sobriety.”

Our Part: Climbing Mount Rainer is a symbol of our dedication to a meaningful life of recovery, service to others, and a need to raise awareness about this prevalent problem. Climbing a mountain, like a life of recovery, is difficult yet ultimately rewarding.

Hello, my name is Tommy Chester and I am an addict.  I am proud to admit that I am an addict and an alcoholic living a life of recovery. In sobriety I have found a life that is worth being proud of. Every single day I feel blessed, I have amazing friendships, a wonderful relationship with my family, I am on the “Dean’s list” in college, I am able to participate in my favorite activities, and I have a wonderful recovery community around me. I feel gratitude every single day for the opportunity I have been given.

However, my days have not always been so bright. I have failed out of college…twice, I have alienated countless friends, I have been arrested on drug charges, spent time in psychiatric hospitals, offended employers, locked my self inside my house on week long drug binges, kicked out of boarding school, lied, cheated, and stolen. But none of these troubles can compare to the despair I felt, the inability to stop on my own. I woke up each morning with sheer determination to stay clean and went to bed with self-loathing suppressed by a haze of chemicals.

After waking up in a police holding-cell, in France, with a black eye, and no memory of the previous night, I decided that I needed help. It was then I was given the opportunity of a lifetime. I was sent to the Hazelden Center for Youth and Families. It was there that I discovered that I had a disease recognized by the American Medical Association. Furthermore there were ways of recovering from addiction. It was in those thirty days that I decided that I wanted to live in sobriety.

However Hazelden did not teach me how to stay sober, it taught me that I wanted to stay sober. It was Gray Wolf Ranch in Port Townsend, Washington, which taught me how to stay sober. During my time there I was connected into the recovery community, and given the tools I need to stay sober. Not only was I shown a life of recovery, but also I made lasting friendships that mean the world to me.

One of these friendships is with Andrew Thomas. Andrew Thomas and I went through both Hazelden and Gray Wolf Ranch together. It was at Gray Wolf Ranch that our friendship blossomed, and where we learned that we needed to give back to recovery community what was so freely given to us. However it is also where we realized that there was a critical flaw with the treatment system, only people with reasonably wealthy backgrounds were able to attend. 

In discussing what we might be able to do, Andrew and I decided that we would start a fundraiser. We decided that we would climb Mt. Rainer as symbol of our dedication to meaningful life of sobriety, thus we named our fundraiser “Summit for Sobriety.” Summit for Sobriety is a fundraiser for 4806 Foundation. Many young adults cannot afford treatment for their addiction or alcoholism; this is where the 4806 Foundation steps in. The 4806 Foundation provides patient aid donations that give countless young adults the opportunity to find a beneficial life in recovery.

We are asking for donations to further our cause. All donations go directly to the 4806 foundation. The 4806 Foundation is 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit organization. If you are interested in supporting our cause, or interesting in helping the countless suffering addicts and alcoholics who cannot afford treatment, then visit our website at:

http://summitforsobriety.com/

Or Contact us at:

Summitforsobriety@gmail.com or Tommy@summitforsobriety.com or Andrew@summitforsobriety.com 

Appreciatively, Tommy Chester

Happily Punk'd

I've been punk'd.  At least my office has.  While I was away at a trade show, the final rankings came out for Best Places to Work in Vermont, and Wild Apple came in #3!  Some of the employees celebrated by creatively "redecorating" my office.  Here's the two minute video:

(Note: please don't make me explain the hundreds of mini ET's - suffice it to say it's part of a long non-sensical tradition.)

 

Frame Art Expo Milan - Molto Bene!

 
Frame Art Expo in Milan, Italy was clearly a success. That is saying a lot for a first-time show. We made new contacts with framers and art dealers in Russia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Bosnia, Turkey, Dubai, Egypt, Cypress, Moldova, in addition to seeing existing customers from western European countries. 

The show was well-organized and had an elegant look to it, with uniform tall black walls throughout. This show will alternate locations, with next year taking place in Rome. I'm 99% sure Wild Apple will exhibit again. 

Not that it really matters, but this exhibition center wins best trade show food ever in the history of the universe, with fresh salads and cheeses and prosciutto and bread. Outside the show, of course, it was time for gelato (ice cream)!