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What I’ve Learned (or The Tao of Jen)

October 10th, 2012 Mel White COMMENTS
What I’ve Learned (or The Tao of Jen)

Lessons Learn by Jen LaBruzza

Lesson #43:  Understand Your Customer’s World, then See How Your Product and Your Company Fits.

If Willie Nelson can have a Tao, well, then so can I.

I’ve been on the job as Classic’s Western Regional Manager for a few months. Let me just say — working four hours a day is exhausting. 😉 Over the past 60 plus days, I’ve learned a few things, made some mistakes, and grown not only as a professional, but also as a person. Here are a few personal “pearls of wisdom” I’d like to share about my experience as a newbie at Classic Exhibits.

1. “I know what I’m doing, I know what I’m doing, I know what I’m doing.”

I’ve had to come to terms with my own insecurities. This may sound a little odd, but to do a good job, I have to know I am doing a good job. While I don’t know everything – not by a long shot — I do know there is always someone on Classic’s team who will support me and who I can turn to if I need help. That alone lessens my anxiety.

Heading into my first trip to Seattle I was full of “What if’s”:  What if I don’t say the right thing? What if I don’t know the answer? We all have those insecurities and doubts on a new job, even when it’s an industry we think we know. I’ve learned that I work with brilliant people who care, who want me to succeed, and who will be there to back me up.

Repeat . . . “I am pretty good at my job, and I’m working on getting better.”

2. What I thought I’d be doing vs. What I do vs. What my friends/family think I do.

If you’re on Facebook or any of the other social media venues, you will probably smile or chuckle when you read the above statement. The “What I Think I Do” meme has become the latest fad with its interesting twist on self-reflection.

Having worked with distributors in the past, I felt I had a pretty good handle on what I’d be doing. But after my second trip, I realized that this is more than a job. Yes, I am a cheerleader, a problem solver, and a trainer, but I am also a friend.  Being a friend may be more important than the other three.

3. “Understand your customer’s world, then see how your product fits in. Get out of the office and visit them where they live and work.” – Rich Banfield

The whole reason for my job is this one premise. As distributors, you know your market and your customers. As manufacturers we strive to listen to you and apply your ideas and suggestions as often as we can. Where would Exhibit Design Search be without your willingness to share your ideas and insights? I have come to appreciate and believe in “Shared Knowledge, Shared Success.” It’s a breath of fresh air actually and goes hand in hand with Classic’s Can Do manufacturing attitude.

Classic talks about that “Shared” concept a lot. You may not hear it all the time, but trust me, I hear it ALL THE TIME. It’s important to the company. We see it as two-way communication where your contribution matters and is essential to how Classic functions. It’s not a top down approach. It’s not an “our way or the highway” attitude. If you’ve ever worked in those environments, you know exactly what I mean. We want to know what’s happening in your world and how we can better support and react to it.

These last few months have been fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what the future brings. Next time I see you, challenge me about what I’ve learned. As a former teacher, I’ll be ready for the pop quiz. Just remember to grade me on a very generous curve.

Jen LaBruzza, Western Regional Manager
jen@classicexhibits.com

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SKU …. Part Deux: Word on the Street — October 1st thru October 5th

October 7th, 2012 Mel White 2 COMMENTS

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

Teacher’s Pets

Two weeks ago, we hosted our second Shared Knowledge University training. It was a very successful educational and networking event with an outstanding group of new and veteran distributors. To the attendees, we loved having you here. The give and take, your humor, and your insights made it truly special. If there was an award for Teacher’s Pets, you would have all won.

The two day training was conducted at the Classic Exhibits facility and a nearby Courtyard by Marriott. We started the mornings at the Marriott covering topics such as Exhibit Design Search, ClassicMODUL, design, project management, and presentations by Optima and Eco-Systems Sustainable. We even reviewed Classic’s business philosophy and Bread Crumb Orders. Then after lunch, we headed to Classic for hands-on product training where the attendees toured the shop, learned about the rental program, and  spent about three hours each day disassembling products as well as learning the how, why, and when of the Classic product line.

We finished each day off at a unique Portland venue. Night one, we spent in a classroom of sorts as we had dinner at the Historic McMenamins Kennedy School. Great food and fun, all while the replacement referees in the NFL sealed their fate during the final seconds of the Seattle Seahawks Monday Night football game.

Tuesday evening, we gathered at Widmer Bros. Brewery, one of the founding craft breweries in the Pacific Northwest. I appreciate everyone’s patience with the small room. The close quarters meant we got to know one another a litter better.

Enthusiastic Attendees

The key to any event is attentive and enthusiastic attendees. It makes a big difference when people are plugged in and ready to learn. The SKU attendees came prepared to learn and be engaged. We really appreciated that! This event’s attendees came from Georgia, Virginia, NY, California, Tennessee, Oregon, and Washington. Great group!

Second key is content. I hope we achieved the goal of having excellent content. Thanks to our partners from Eco-Systems Sustainable and Optima Graphics. We appreciate your participation. I also want to thank the Classic Exhibits presenters who worked hard on their content and who’s participation made a big difference.

Mel took the role as Captain Stubbing once again leading most of the aspects of the training and doing yet another phenomenal job, all the while being two days out from separating his shoulder on the Club 815 ride. Very impressive. I on the other had once again took on the role of Julie McCoy planning all the evening and lunch events on the “Lido Deck.”

We welcome your feedback on improving the SKU trainings. So please, if you attended SKU, please share your comments and suggestions with us. We will continue to tweak the event to make the experience be the best it can be for all who attend. For those who want to attend the next SKU, please let us know. We are planning a spring session but would be happy to hold one earlier if there is enough interest.

Lastly, Class of September 2012, I am very proud of you all, but remember your pledge! I have no shame yanking your diplomas if I bump into you at my local grocery store.

All the photos are compliments of Ann Keys-Spencer from Exhibit Expressions. We SINCERELY thank her for her expertise and commitment to capturing the flavor of Shared Knowledge University. So many amazing photos!

Kevin Carty
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

 

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Bread Crumb Orders

October 4th, 2012 Mel White COMMENTS

Sandwiches, French Toast, and Bread Pudding

Recently, we conducted another session of Shared Knowledge University (SKU), our two day distributor training program. On the first day, we started the meeting by discussing “Shared Success,” “Shared Responsibility,” and “Shared Knowledge.”

These philosophies serve as the foundation for our business, not only with distributors, but also with Classic employees and our suppliers. Shared Success and Shared Knowledge depend on honesty, trust, and respect. That starts with us. We strive to work within these guidelines, but it would be naive to assume that every distributor views our business relationship as a partnership. To many we are simply a supplier . . . and we understand and respect that. We have to do our part, but  there is “Shared Responsibility.” All parties have to be engaged and contribute their fair share 0n every order, quote, and design.

In an ideal world, your order would be a loaf of bread. Fresh and ready to use. We would use that bread to make you a sandwich, french toast, or bread pudding. We wouldn’t ask you to supply the milk, sugar, eggs, lunch meat, or condiments. Nor would you care. You would trust us to handle the details, to make what you ordered, and to serve it prepared and delicious. In real life that rarely happens on display orders. Occasionally on a table top or a counter request, but not very often.

Most times, we receive 1/2 to 3/4’s of a loaf of bread, a few chunks, and some bread crumbs. The bread crumbs come in dribs and drabs. It’s manageable. We can still make you a sandwich, french toast, or bread pudding. It’s not ideal, but that’s OK. We understand. Your client may be giving you bread crumbs and chunks, and you pass them along when you get them.

Gathering Bread Crumbs

Then there are the bread crumb orders. We get a few chunks of bread and a trail of bread crumbs. Most times, those are manageable too, if the bread crumbs come early. However, to prepare your order, we have to perform some culinary magic. We have to form the crumbs into a recognizable loaf. This takes time and effort. We do our best not to miss any crumbs. We really do. We work hard to gather every one . . . but bread crumbs are easy to overlook and even harder to reassemble into something appetizing and edible. Those orders follow the 80/20 rule. They consume 80% of our time and typically represent about 20% of our sales volume.

Builds Strong Bodies 8 Ways!

You get chunks and bread crumbs from your customers. Ideally, you want them to hand you a loaf of bread just out of the oven, not stale and moldy. But they don’t. We understand that. We really do. And frankly, we’re guilty as well. On occasion, you get incomplete orders from us.

Fortunately and unfortunately, we live in a world of instant communication. Clients give you information. You want it off your desk so you pass it along. Here’s a chunk, here’s a crumb, here’s the hint of more bread to come.

Don’t misunderstand us. We want your orders. Every single one. If we were less about Shared Success, we’d dictate how you submit orders and reject them if they didn’t follow a specific format (like many of our competitors). Instead, we take a different path. We’ll take them in whatever format makes sense to you. All we ask is that you to take those bread crumbs, gather them over a day or two if possible, and form them to chunks. Chunks are easier to handle and rarely get lost.

Am I sounding a bit parental? Perhaps. But my intent is more informational than to lecture. To us, it’s all about Shared Responsibility and Shared Success. We need to work together. It’s that simple.

Go get that loaf of bread. We prefer whole wheat, but we’ll settle for rye or pumpernickel. We even learned to love Wonder Bread during the recession. 😉

Here’s to a successful Fall and Winter!

–Mel White
http://www.linkedin.com/in/melmwhite
mel@classicexhibits.com

*********************************

Based in Portland, Oregon, Classic Exhibits Inc. designs and manufacturers portable, modular, and custom-hybrid exhibit solutions and engineered aluminum extrusions (ClassicMODUL). Classic Exhibits products are represented by an extensive distributor network in North America and in select International markets. For more information, contact us at 866-652-2100.

 

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Things Legends are Made From: Word on the Street — Sept. 24th thru Sept. 28th

September 29th, 2012 Mel White 3 COMMENTS

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

OK, well maybe that is a bit overstated 🙂 … or maybe not.

Last Saturday September 23, Club 815 Powered by the EDPA Foundation saddled up to ride and to raise money for Mike and Janet Swartout. The event was the Eschelon Gran Fondo of Hood River.

To say that this event and everything leading up to it took on a life of its own would not be descriptive enough. This event became one of the most personally inspiring events of my life. And it was not just about the “day” of the ride.

From the outset, each team member took this ride very seriously. Serious in their training, serious in the way they raised funds, and serious in their understanding of why we were riding. We were riding for one of our own — much more than just a co-worker, associate, or friend. Everyone approached this ride like it was for a family member. And it was.

To Donate:

https://ssl.charityweb.net/echelongranfondo/hood_river/club815poweredbytheedpafoundation.htm

I wanted to acknowledge this TEAM of exceptional people:

  • Tony “Layers” Ricci
  • Betsy “Veggies” Ricci
  • Greg “Marathon Man” Garrett
  • Mel “Crash” White
  • Dave “Weird Science” Brown
  • Charlie “Super G” Shivel
  • Joel “Grumps” Roy
  • Grant “King Of The Mountain” Murrell
  • And…myself Kevin “White Cheeks” Carty…don’t ask…cause I won’t tell

To my fellow riders — Proud, Honored, Inspired and Blessed are the words that come to mind when I try to describe how I feel about your participation, training, and dedication to the ride. You all are exceptional individuals that I am fortunate to count as friends in life.

Some particular comments….

Mel White…I am particularly proud of you my friend. You trained like no other. And it was not just that you were training for the ride. You really put your heart and soul into the “cause”– the real reason we all were there. Thank you!

For those of you who don’t know. Mel fell hard on one of the downhills and separated his shoulder. And kept riding!!

Dave Brown…Since I first mentioned this event, you were all in. During his training, Dave would send me his training ride stats. How far, how fast he rode, and how he felt during the training ride. One thing was always consistent. He would say “whenever it got hard I just kept telling myself this is nothing compared to what Mike is going through.”

Grant Murrell…my stepfather. Grant and my mother have been two of my biggest supporters, certainly in life, but especially when it comes to all things cancer related. When I told them about Mike, they both just said, “What can we do?” Thanks for always being so supportive. All my friends from the ride appreciated getting to know you both. Thanks Mom for being a “Mom” to us all on the day of the ride

Charlie Shivel…Dude, all I can say is that your source for inspiration on this ride “inspired” me. Referring to your fundraising letter in particular, it bled character! Thanks again for hanging with the slow rider for awhile at the beginning. It was fun riding together for 40 miles or so.

Joel Roy…I am been trying to get Joel to do one of my crazy events for years. Once he heard about this one and why we were doing it he committed immediately.  Hopefully now that you have done one of these, you think I am a little less crazy than before.

Greg Garrett…Greg is an iron man. He came off riding across the entire State of Iowa for Rag Brai to do this event. And thankfully Greg shares a similar riding style as me. We essentially rode the entire 80 miles together. Good fun and great opportunity to get to know you even better my friend.

Tony and Betsy Ricci… Our resident couple on the ride. They flew all the way from Florida for the event. Granted they have recently adopted Oregon as their second home for vacations, but they both trained very hard on the flat lands of Florida for this mountain-filled ride. And they did amazing. Thanks for showing us how great it can be sharing events like this with the ones closest to you. Very cool!

Lastly from the entire team — Mike and Janet, you were our fuel. Seeing you at the start line in the morning gave us inspiration and motivation to attack the nearly 7000 feet of climbs. Then to actually see you out there on the course rooting us along as we topped the big climbs was awesome! Could not have asked for better cheerleaders.

In closing, one post ride comment: “We may have bit off more than we could chew.” Let me explain in case the other riders do not want to brag. This ride was so HARD. So hard that the organizers actually backed off from 100 miles to 80 in the final week or so. Along with there being 7000 feet in climbs, we were all greeted at the 50 mile marker by 45 mph winds. Not gusts! Steady wind. What does that look like? Here is the best way I can describe what that does to a rider.

As I came off the biggest climb (1400 ft and 6%-9% grade), we had a downhill that was nearly 6 miles long. Normally coasting time baby. But not when that wind shifted into a headwind. I literally had to peddle downhill for 6 long miles. As if the climb was not hard enough!

Mike and Janet Swartout

Anyway, I want to thank you all again for supporting our team. Without your generosity in donations, we would not have been talking about this today. You truly helped to make a difference not only for Mike and Janet, but also in the hearts and minds of all nine of us that rode. Thanks so much

To Jeff Provost, Dave Walens, and the entire team from the EDPA Foundation, thanks for your generous support in being the vehicle for our fundraising efforts

To the team, see you next year. We are already planning our next adventure.

Make sure you take a look at the slideshow here. You can see some of the beauty of our great state and the riders that took on the challenge.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevincartys/sets/72157631644595802/show/

Be well and have a wonderful weekend.

Kevin Carty
http://twitter.com/kevin_carty
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kevin-carty/3/800/32a

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Posted in Kevin Carty, Word on the Street | 3 Comments »

iPad Kiosk and Backwall Solutions from Classic Exhibits

September 18th, 2012 Mel White 1 COMMENT

In this (informal) informational video, Mel White from Classic Exhibits reviews the company’s assortment of iPad solutions, including kiosks and backwall attachments. Prices vary from $129 to $679. To see the complete product line, visit the Workstations and Kiosk Gallery in Exhibit Design Search.

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Posted in Classic Exhibit Systems, Mel White | 1 Comment »

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