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Word on the Street — May 3rd thru May 7th

May 9th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

What’s Your Corporate Culture?

Do your customers and stakeholders share your perception of your corporate culture? Too often, the answer is an emphatic “NO!”

I read an interesting blog post this week regarding American Airlines. Let me start out by saying that I am an “American Guy” when it comes to flying. I fly American Airlines almost exclusively. Having said that, this blog posting really made me reflect on my recent AA flights and realize a few things.

The blog posting, Becoming a Bus Company, is by Seth Godin. He mentions American as an example of a company that has let its standards and culture erode. It’s a symptom of companies (and cultures) under long-term stress. And certainly, no one would deny that the airline industry has faced repeated crises over the past 10 years beginning with 9/11.

When I think about recent flights I’ve had on other airlines, I realize that there was a more positive energy on those airlines.

In the end, it is a Corporate Culture problem. You have to shed your visions of the pretty ad campaigns on TV and print. Culture is not created there, rather it is created in the actually environment. What do people feel and see when they are in your workplace?

Don’t get me wrong, we all put on a little extra lipstick when we’re out in public talking about our businesses, but once someone walks through our doors, it becomes much more difficult to “hide” any product, people, and culture issues.

Ironically, someone sent me a video clip from Tony Robbins this week that talks about building Brand Culture.

What’s your Brand Culture and is it a key competitive advantage in the marketplace? As he mentions, you have to create a culture where others want to do business with you. Once they do, they stick with you. Its the Coke vs Pepsi argument. You either like one or the other right?

So, my beloved American Airlines, after this week and some reflection, you have a lot of work to do I am sorry to say. I will still probably keep flying with you, but with so many other options out there, I am not sure for how long.

What are some good and bad examples of Corporate Culture or Corporate Branding you have seen recently?

Please share your comments here.

Happy Mother’s Day to all! And a very special Happy Mother’s Day to my mom.

Be well and have a safe and restful weekend.

–Kevin Carty

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

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Shooting from the Hip — 2.10 (Customer Assembly Experience)

May 6th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS
Shooting from the Hip (trade show tips)

Shooting from the Hip

This week I feel like Willie Nelson — I am “On the Road Again.”

Yesterday, I had one of the most memorable and rewarding experiences I’ve had with a new customer in a long time.

I arrived at the distributor’s office/showroom a couple of minutes early for my appointment, only to find out they were re-packaging a client’s brand new Magellan MOR Hybrid Display (VK-1078). The client was there as well. I introduced myself and was thanked profusely for the great job Classic Exhibits did. They had assembled it without looking at the instructions, and the re-pack was a dream. We loaded the display in his car and sent him on his way, but not before he told us that he needed an identical unit for his European office by June 1.  I was feeling so lucky I wanted to run out and buy a lottery ticket, but we went for sushi instead (which is just another form of gambling in my book).

The business climate is still decent although we all know that June and July are coming.  Remember, the slow times of the year are great times to contact customers just for the heck of it.

Last week the steelhead were hitting on the river. On Friday, I had a great vacation day reeling my heart out.

Special thoughts go out to the Tom Ciemiega family. Tom was a long-time customer and friend of mine from Detroit who passed away from cancer last weekend. Rest in peace my friend!  Until next week . . .

–Reid Sherwood
reid@classicmodul.com

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Sacagawea Portable Hybrid Display — 60 Day Guarantee!

May 5th, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

It’s Back — The Sacagawea 60 Day Guarantee!

Through 7/31/2010, Your Customer will Love the Sacagawea .  . . OR we’ll Take it Back. No Questions.

The Sacagawea has been a SPECTACULAR hit since its introduction last fall. Recently we added the new PS-Series to the already popular P- and T-Series designs. Now there are 54 standard 10 x 10 and 10 x 20 portable trade show kits.

What makes Sacagawea kits so popular?

  • Complete kits starting at $3100
  • Large, lightweight tension fabric graphics
  • Portable assembly with attached knobs
  • Simple shipping in portable roto-molded cases
  • The industry’s BEST in CLASS packaging
  • Optional counters, pedestals, monitor mounts, headers, and workstations
  • Three attractive designs (P, T, and PS-Series) and 51 inline kits

Contact Classic Exhibits or a Classic Exhibits Distributor for all the details. And don’t wait too long. This promotion ends on 7/31/2010.

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Front Runner Silver, Prelude Platinum, and Eco-Fi Lava Changes

May 3rd, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

Due to production and quality issues with Front Runner Silver, Prelude Platinum, and Eco-Fi Lava, please note the following changes:

  • Front Runner Silver — Discontinued until further notice. We will switch to Koala for all future orders.
  • Prelude Platinum — Discontinued until further notice. We will switch to Shadow for all future orders.
  • Eco-Fi Lava — Effective immediately, on Quadro Pop Up orders ONLY, we will use Front Runner Coal until further notice. Eco-Fi Lava will continue to be the preferred choice on Intro Fabric Panel and Euro LT Modular System orders.

These changes were prompted by stocking and quality issues from the manufacturers. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

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Word on the Street — April 26th thru April 30th

May 2nd, 2010 Mel White COMMENTS

Word on the Street by Kevin Carty

International Partners Visit

This week was busy both with orders and meetings. But I want to speak in particular about the meetings we held on Monday and Tuesday with our friends and partners from MODUL International.

As many of you remember, Classic Exhibits Inc. purchased a company called Modul USA in 2005. At the time, we were Modul USA’s largest customer. In doing so, we became the exclusive North American Network Partner for MODUL International, and with the purchase, we launched ClassicMODUL.

This was significant for the Classic Exhibits side of the business, but it was even more significant for the MODUL product line in North America (USA, Canada, and Mexico). Our relationship with MODUL International is quite different from Modul USA’s relationship with our German partner. Modul USA was an importer. We are a manufacturer, designer, and contract extruder. In striking our relationship with MODUL International, ClassicMODUL obtained the exclusive extruding rights within North America. Meaning we can (and do) extrude the majority of the profiles sold in North America. In fact, many of the most common profiles we use every day are pushed by an aluminum extrusion provider just a few miles from our location in Portland (which saves on shipping costs and turnaround time).

ClassicMODUL Aluminum Extrusions

www.classicmodul.com

The MODUL relationship has been important for Classic Exhibits, ClassicMODUL, and ClassicMODUL Distributors because it allows us to better manage inventory and to do so at a better cost to our distributors. While price is certainly a key component, it’s inventory control that presents the largest benefit to distributors. We currently have extrusion depots in Portland, OR, serving the West of the Mississippi region of the US and an extrusion depot outside of Hartford, CT serving the East of the Mississippi distribution. Soon we plan to open a location in the Southeast as well to serve from Texas to Florida and from the Carolinas to Missouri.

Well, I am happy to share with you that we reaffirmed our relationship with MODUL in North America this past week, and reviewed some exciting new profiles and accessories. These profiles will be available in the coming months.

On multiple occasions, you have heard me stress the value we place on our partnerships with vendors like Optima Graphics, Eco-systems Sustainable Displays, and Brumark (to name a few). But it is equally rewarding to have such a great relationship with our European partners. Relationships like the one we have with MODUL International allow us to better serve our distribution and manufacturing here in the States for years to come.

A special thanks to James and Bernd for their time, ideas, and partnership. James and Bernd — Be sure to spread the good word in Europe about the excellent Oregon Pinot Noir wines you discovered during your trip. And, yes, it did rain nearly every day you were here, but that only lasts for nine months. 🙂

Be well and have a safe and restful weekend.

–Kevin Carty

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

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