There are certain times of year when people make a conscious effort to think about the things for which they are grateful.  Thanksgiving in November is one of those obvious times of the year. But as you may have noticed, it is not November and it is not Thanksgiving.  So why then is a thank you appearing on the Fearing’s blog?

Because recently we were honored by Marcus Theaters, a division of The Marcus Corporation, with their coveted Vendor Partner of Excellence Award for 2017.  As President of Fearing’s, I and our VP of Sales, Chris Matson, were flown to Cancun, Mexico where we participated in the Marcus annual corporate event.  This event concluded, as these events often do, with an extravagant awards banquet where Fearing’s was acknowledged as a valued partner and presented with a beautiful trophy piece for our work in designing and implementing the audio and video systems in the Marcus Take Five Lounges and lobbies of their theaters around the Midwest. It was a whirlwind event, a very proud moment and an exciting time indeed.

In reflecting on this event, it occurred to us that instances like this can be a tipping point for a company. In one direction, it would be easy to fall into the mindset of, “Ah ha!  We have made it. We are excellent, and we know it–even the shiny award we just won says so,” and herein often lies the very beginning of the end. When given such accolades, the can ego can, and often does, grow unchecked where it can do a lot of damage.

Or, in the other direction, a company’s leadership can recognize that this award is nothing more than an acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication demonstrated by a large group of people who were not at the fancy banquet. It is in this direction that we have chosen to go.  It is here that we will take the opportunity to thank those individuals who actually made Fearing’s receiving this award possible.

It all starts with our sales team, headed by VP of Sales Chris Matson.  The team’s relentless drive to create deep and meaningful relationships with our customers starts and keeps this ball rolling on a daily basis.

Then it moves to our engineering team, led by VP of Engineering, Ehren Tresner.  Our engineers and designers are incredible in their ability to think creatively around corners when designing these systems. They are also quite detailed oriented in that they include all the small things that make the systems so exciting.

Next is the procurement team –these are the folks who do the tough negotiations on pricing for the products we need and then manage with grace and dignity the huge influx and outgo of inventory through our warehouse.  They are also the ones who ensure that the goods we need arrive on time.

Of course, none of these projects would go anywhere without our installation team.  Our skilled project managers Ben Voeck on AV, Dave Poley on Security, Rene Mirabel on Residential, and Josh Schaeffer on Structured Cabling, skillfully lead their installation foremen and technicians in all aspects of project development and implementation.  These guys are the boots on the ground when it comes to getting projects completed. They have the unique ability to untie knots on the spot and get the job done no matter the challenges they face. We consider them to be our equivalent to the Marines in that they can see the obstacle, improvise, adapt, and overcome.

All of these systems, regardless of how well designed or how carefully installed, would be worth next to nothing if it were not for the efforts of our programmers. These are the gifted geniuses who understand, write and speak the language that gets this gadget speaking with that doodad.

No thank you would be complete without acknowledging our administrative team.  The fine folks who take care of scheduling, billing, paperwork, phone calls and exercise the disciplined managing of an untold number of other tasks that would stop our forward progress dead in its tracks if left unattended are truly the oil that keeps the gears of this machine turning.

Outside of our walls are even more people and organizations to whom we are truly grateful.  Our suppliers whose work gets us the products we need in a timely manner. Our IT company whose efforts keep our own internal systems running smoothly are greatly appreciated.  Our accounting firm whose completed tasks keep our beans counted. Our cleaning lady –where would we be without you? We are grateful to all of you for the work you do on our behalf. But more than anything, we are especially grateful for all of our customers.  Not only Marcus, a company to whom we are exceedingly appreciative, but dozens and dozens of other companies and residential customers, big and small, who trust us to design and implement the AV, security and structured cabling systems they need in order to run and grow their own businesses.  We appreciate you, and we truly understand that this is where it all comes down to in the end, for without you –our customers– there would be no Fearing’s AVS.

From here, we look forward to the rest of 2018 with great anticipation.  We do not see the receipt of this Vendor Partner of Excellence award as a place for us to stop and enjoy our past achievements, but rather, as a signpost pointing up toward ever greater things ahead.

Thank you!