bestmoments - Summer Classics

July 31, 2015
BESTMOMENTS
The front lobby of
Summer Classics new
Corporate
Headquarters.
Preparing The Magic!
Mark Griggs, V.P. Marketing
Summer Classics Companies
Every detail is presently being
attended to as we prepare for
Garden Party 2015. The lists are
checked and rechecked to ensure
perfection. This year our guests
will enjoy a magic filled and
informative visit with
presentations by professional
industry speakers, first class
entertainment, gourmet dining
and the real stars of the show…
our 2016 collections! We’ve
already confirmed our largest
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group of attendees ever! Guests
will be treated to our timeless
southern hospitality while we
introduce the highest quality and
best designed line of outdoor
furniture in the industry arising
directly from our 35 year legacy of
taste and grace.
Magic will be front and
center as we introduce our
beautiful new home in Pelham,
AL. With a flourish of
showmanship and slight of hand
we’ll provide our collection
introductions. From our Essentials
Collection of perennial favorites
to what is assured to be the
introduction of the hottest new
surprise collection in the outdoor
world, White Label. Space is
limited, and only a few spots
remain available. You don’t want
to miss what will be the event of
the season.
BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
President’s Letter
Whirlwind!
“In Chicago, we introduced
an entirely new concept
called "White Label.” It will
include a limited supply of
high end product, with a
limited distribution
method.“
Bew White, President
Summer Classics Companies
It has been a whirlwind! First, the
Atlanta market during the first week of
July, then on to an extremely successful
premarket in Chicago two weeks ago,
where we introduced over 200 new
products and 75 new fabrics. Then,
we are rolling our way to Las Vegas on
August 1. In Chicago, we introduced an
entirely new concept called "White
Label."It will include a limited supply of
high end product, with a limited
distribution method. We also introduced
a selection of new frame finishes and a
color called Kubu, charcoal, and slate
gray. With the ability to mix these
products within collections and even use
Kubu with teak accent pieces. We also
introduced an entirely new collection of
accent tables in various designs, which
could be used with our products or other
manufacturer's products. We believe the
cutting edge nature of these items will
bring interest to the line.
Bew White
key strategies to be able to increase
productivity and product awareness on
the West Coast.
morning we have three outside speakers,
which include a retail expert, the
Traditional Home magazine editor, and an
inspirational speaker who will talk to us
On August 11 and 12th we are
about effectively handling change and
planning the largest Garden Party ever communicating more effectively. We plan
to use our Pelham location to show
in our new headquarters in Pelham
Parker James and our new Essentials
Alabama. As a result, we are expecting
over 40 new dealers to attend to view our program. We’ll use the new building for
Gabby and the introductions of our new
2016 line. Also many vendors’ bankers
and our Chinese partners plan to attend, products. It all starts Monday night in
what we call “the shower room”, and
as well as many of our Asian team
members. This promises to be the biggest follows Tuesday morning from 8 to 12:30
with the speaker series at the Hyatt
Garden Party ever as we open our new
headquarters, have our events in our new Regency. Tuesday night’s dinner features
a magic show.
location, and concentrate on the dealer
Next week in Las Vegas, we plan to and their needs.
There will likely never be another
open a 15,000 square foot showroom
event like this for Summer Classics.
showing both Summer Classics and
Monday night promises to be
Parker James to help implement our West exciting as we have a cabaret show as
Coast strategy. We are working on several well as a special magician. On Tuesday
Operations Update
Synchronizing
Dick Cross, Co-CEO
Summer Classics Companies
Dick Cross
This “digging in” has exposed several
opportunities for upgrading our proficiencies,
only visible now by virtue of being located
together in our new facility.
Work continues in better
synchronizing the handoffs between
cushion operations and shipping, and in
improving the corresponding
information flows to customer service.
This “digging in” has exposed several
opportunities for upgrading our
proficiencies, only visible now by virtue
of being located together in our new
facility.
Concurrently, we gained ground
battling the summer heat by refurbishing
existing fans in the shipping area and
committing to new ceiling units in the
cushion plant.
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Just this week we were visited by the
buyer from our second largest cushion
customer, Thos Baker. In addition to
conference discussions and pouring over
spreadsheets on past orders, we spent
considerable time on the cushion line
critiquing current production and
discovering opportunities for further
gains in quality and consistency. Great
thanks to Rita, Alfonso and Wayne in
supporting the effort and in formulating
our plan.
The combination of the heat and
peak loading of our facility added up to a
challenging month in July. But our team
has proved its mettle and is well
deserving of the slowdown we are
expecting as we move into the end of
summer and early fall season. Take a
moment and walk through the cushion
and shipping areas. And let your
colleagues there know how much you
appreciate their efforts.
BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
CMO Update
A New Department
Gabby Update
Oh Atlanta!
Parker James Update
Vegas Baby!
William White, Chief Marketing Officer
Summer Classics Companies
William White, President
Gabby
Harold Hudson, President
Parker James
As Garden Party nears, the team is
preparing many of the details
surrounding the event. It’s sure to be a
grand unveiling of the new building, a
great lineup of speakers, and a special
time with customers and colleagues with
surprises along the way. We encourage all
employees to introduce themselves to
customers and make them feel welcome
at our new headquarters. We are also
working on several projects as part of our
annual marketing plan for each business
unit:
• An overarching marketing strategy
• Budgets for each business unit • Media mix with coop dealer
advertising programs
• Surveys and more strategic
product development, pricing, and
demand planning processes
• Web development and digital
advertising strategy
• Ongoing technical training
• Automated collateral fulfillment
program
• Content creation and PR
partnership
• Dashboards with full Metrics
Gabby returns from a successful
Atlanta show and races back into
another one out in Las Vegas. Atlanta
was fantastic as many employees
attended that hadn’t before. We had a
talented magician, a full bar, margaritas
and some lovely food prepared by our
wonderful showroom manager, Kayte
Granick. Customers were upbeat and the
numbers showed it! See our market wrap
up here - http://gabbyhome.com/blog/
oh-atlanta-market-wrapup. Rob
Robinson continues to write some nice
compelling content for our blog.
All of these initiatives will be built
into a master marketing plan that will be
ready September 1st for our fall business
planning sessions. We will continue to
meet with each unit to discover how we
can perfect these plans over the next
several weeks.
Parker James has been busy these
last two weeks with the aftermath of the
Pre Market in Chicago. We head to Las
Vegas in the morning for our new
showroom at the Las Vegas Market
Center. Parker James will be showing in
Building C in conjunction with Summer
Classics. The Parker James showroom is
adjacent to the Summer Classics
showroom and we have our own hallway
entrance and also a door leading into the
Summer Classics space.
Parker James will be showing all of
their new 2016 products along with
current 2015 product that will be
Our annual survey just went out
carrying over to 2016. The 2016
thanks to the efforts of Andrea
Container Catalogue and Price List
Rezzonnico, Linda Thach and our design are now available. Either your Parker
team. We have received the needed
James Sales Representative will be giving
responses in just two days and look
you a new catalogue or we will send one
forward to reviewing this data to make
directly to you. To assure you get a
some important marketing decisions. We catalogue you can request one via your
have also placed some national ads in
Sales Representative or send an E Mail to
both Veranda and Milieu which will
Rhonda Rutledge at
run in the fall. We look forward to a more [email protected].
strategic and ongoing cooperative
If you are a Casual Classics Member
advertising strategy in 2016 to expand
we also have a Casual Classics Catalogue
Gabby’s brand awareness. we would like to send you as well.
If you want to preview the new 2016
William returned from another Asia Parker James products you can click on
adventure where he worked to finalize
the link below and you will be able to see
the new products.
dozens of new samples for the fall
https://www.dropbox.com/s/
October market. Aaron Pierce, Pam
ekamml4exykxjvi/
Cheung and the Asia team worked
NewProducts2016.pdf ?dl=0
diligently as we met with our supply
Parker James will also be displaying
chain to work on improving systems and
all new 2016 product and 2015 product
processes to reduce returns. Finalizing
our Asia Operations manual is a big during “Garden Party” in two weeks here
initiative for Gabby as we continue to see in Pelham. We are excited about the
upcoming opportunities to show you our
challenges with color, construction and
new products.
packaging. We are also in the process of
interviewing for a customer service
position to help support our continued
growth. All of these efforts will help us
improve delivery, consistency, and
customer satisfaction.
Wish us luck in Vegas!
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BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
Marketing Update
Making Our Own Magic
Mark Griggs, V.P. Marketing
Summer Classics Companies
Marketing is continuing to gel into a strong new
business unit for Summer Classics Companies. The
team is working hard to bring the magic as we
approach Garden Party 2016.
We’ll be creating everything from the invitations Mark Griggs
to the place cards and we have many surprises to
Our catalogs will have industry leading photos
provide our guests along the way. We know everyone
and design once again thanks to LeeAlice Hamm.
is really going to enjoy the event and we look
LeeAlice goes above and beyond to produce
forward to being a part of making it memorable.
outstanding work, including the cover design and
idea for this year’s Garden Party invitation. She is
Maris Geiger handles every request thrown her being supported by our newest Graphic Designer,
way to meet our many needs for Garden Party in
Renee Milligan. Renee has proven to be a real multiaddition to her duties for supporting retail and her
talented member of the team.
fellow department members. When Garden Party
guests see the many special items she’s created for
Shows and fulfillment are a very important part
them they’ll understand why she’s the best.
of our business. In this busy season, Jamie Monroe
is always on the run supporting our marketing at
We are having success on multiple fronts. Our
multiple shows. Gwenn Harris is helping to support
broadcast and print programs have seen tremendous
Jamie and his projects while providing all of the
gains in efficiency! Our goal is to continue to
important marketing materials that our customers
improve these areas of the business. Our new print
request daily.
media marketing matrix developed by Rob
Robinson and intern Brandon Poley will help us
create better plans and make better decisions with
our print process moving forward.
Linda Thach has quickly become an
indispensable member of our staff. Linda is our
Digital Marketing Manager and she has made it
seem as though we’ve always done social marketing
and conquest email. Her command of the websites
is providing the company with many advantages.
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“We’ll be creating everything from the
invitations to the place cards and we
have many surprises to provide our
guests along the way. “
BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
Contract Update
Magic is in the air!
Don Smith, V.P. Contract Sales
Summer Classics Contract Sales
Greetings and salutations from the Contract
Sales Team! Seems like almost every month we are
fortunate enough to introduce you to a new face,
and this month is no exception as we welcome our
first-ever sales representative outside of North
America. Juan Aristy has joined us, and will be
promoting and selling our products in South
America, Central America, and to a lesser extent to
some contacts in the UAE. We are very excited to
welcome Juan aboard and we enjoyed him mightily
during his visit to our beautiful building this month
for training.
On the trade show front, other than an NEWH
event in San Francisco, we have been fairly quiet.
Alas, with all of the paperwork for the show season
that starts up around October, we definitely are
appreciative of a brief reprieve. We are looking at
one new show for 2016, the National Apartment
Association event, and we will definitely keep
everyone informed as that unfolds. We also will be
hosting our SCCS sales meeting here in Pelham
beginning August 30th and concluding September
1st , so between that and Garden Party, this place is
going to be awash with new faces and loads of SC
hospitality.
As July draws to a close we also prepare to bid a
fond farewell to our fearless and intrepid intern Lee
Templeton. I think it is very safe to say that we will
all sincerely miss his drive, devotion, can do attitude
mixed with just the perfect amount of jocularity. Lee
has been instrumental in working on our launch of
telesales and amazingly he cold called a lead that
resulted in a quote his first week (sale pending) and
made an impromptu presentation at Top Golf for us
while he was there. As well as being the guinea pig
for our implementation of ACT! while taking care of
Insert Confetti!
Sales are up from last
year by 30%!
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“Juan Aristy has joined us, and will be
promoting and selling our products in
South America, Central America, and
the U.A.E.“
Don Smith
dozens of other tasks and projects around the office
including researching and presenting a method to
management allowing for a reduction of our catalog
postage by more than $10,000.00! Great job Lee, we
will miss you until you come back to assist with the
sales meeting.
We have also had some fantastic photo shoots
and we are on target to deliver our catalog on time
and beautifully with special thanks to Marisa,
Deana, Renee, Chris, Allen and a host of others. I
know we hear it all the time but this is such an
amazing team and we are all so very thankful for
everyone’s efforts here at contract.
What am I missing…hmm, could it be sales?!
Yes indeed as of this writing we are on target to
meet our billing and shipping goals which means
that we will be up from last year by about 30%
(insert confetti here). Those increased sales are
coming from all corners of the nation and our inside
sales support folks are definitely burning the
midnight oil to get all of those quotes and orders
entered. Which also means that operations,
purchasing, design, finance, logistics…okay
everybody is doing wonders to support us.
For those that are curious, the new fish is still
alive but is seriously interested in companionship;
maybe a guinea pig in one of those little roller ball
habitats?
BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
“A side benefit of the EDI setup, is we are
re-working the way we store order tracking
information within Syspro. This will allow
better visibility to customers and customer
service within Syspro, and will give us the
ability to print the tracking information on
the invoice that the customer receives via
email.”
Ben Erickson
Information Technology Update
New!
Ben Erickson, V.P. Information Technology
Summer Classics Companies
The IT department is working diligently to setup all the new
stock codes, fabrics, BOM’s, and pricing. We are completely
overhauling the pricing methodology this year to maintain both
2015 and 2016 Suggested Retail pricing simultaneously, in
order to seamlessly bridge the gap during the pricing overlap
(now until end of December). We are also working towards
finalizing the EDI process for Thos. Baker orders. Chris and
Shane have been working with SPS Commerce, the 3rd party
VAN selected by Thos. Baker, and are in the final stages.
Testing of the process will begin soon. A side benefit of the
EDI setup, is we are re-working the way we store order tracking
information within Syspro. This will allow better visibility to
customers and customer service within Syspro, and will give us
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the ability to print the tracking information on the invoice that
the customer receives via email. On another note, David, Chris, and Geoff have been
participating in online Syspro training this week on system
setup and administration. This is our first real look into Syspro
7 and will help us become familiar with any changes prior to
starting training for end users. We are targeting November 1st
for implementing Syspro 7, which will give us the platform to
better utilize Syspro and add on additional functionality. Thankfully, the majority of users will not have significant
changes to their screens or processes, so there should be a quick
learning curve for adoption.
BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
Retail and Licensing Update
Team Building
Tom Livingston, V.P. Retail & Licensing
Summer Classics Retail Stores
When you think of July you typically the images that
come to mind include the American Flag, fireworks,
picnics, and days at the lake or beach. For 2015 you
will also remember a long string of days above 95
with thunderstorms and really high humidity. Not
always great for retail – but it was still a productive
month with some great success stories.
To headline our success, a couple of our
licensees came out swinging for the fences in July.
Both Bob Fortin in Columbus, OH and Allison
Carothers in Louisville, KY posted some great
numbers – hey BOTH will finish over 40% higher in
written sales than last year. Impressive results no
matter how you look at them. The corporate stores
worked to overcome the challenges of the month
and look as though they will repeat last year’s July
sales results. The corporate stores still will continue
to show double-digit improvement YTD over 2014!
I want to pass along some huge recognition to
Charlotte, Richmond, and San Antonio - who are all
blowing out last year’s results for July. Those teams
are to be congratulated.
July was also a month of preparation for the fall
season as we had Chris Hutchens buying at the
Atlanta market for accessories for the stores. As the
stores prepare to add a significant amount of Gabby
for the fall, the emphasis at market was on interior
accessories. The corporate stores will have a
decidedly different look after Labor Day this fall.
We cannot wait to set the new look in September!
The Pelham showroom sponsored a
“Birmingham, meet Gabby” event in July as we
continue to introduce the Gabby line, including
upholstery, to the Birmingham area. In excess of 90
people attended the event to listen to Rob Robinson
entertain, hear a Gabby history lesson, and to listen
to Chris Hutchens share designer tips. This was a
great evening enjoyed by all and a unique
opportunity for us to share our Passion for Gabby
with the community. The feedback and response
was great, and the passion for Gabby continues to
grow.
As we look to August, Garden Party is focus.
We will welcome our stores, licensees, and key
vendor partners to the new corporate office in
Pelham. The focus of the time that we will have
together will be to preview new product, to build
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“Teamwork is the ability to work
together toward a common vision. The
ability to direct individual
accomplishments toward organizational
objectives. It is the fuel that allows
common people to attain uncommon
results."
Andrew Carnegie
stronger teams, and to builder healthier businesses.
Starting Sunday August 9, we will spend some
important time together team building. Monday will
start with product training, transition to specific
methods to build a healthier business and team, and
will conclude with a dinner and entertainment.
Tuesday will include a group of talented speakers
and more time to see product and network with key
Summer Classics team members. The time together
will fun, but a great investment into the health of
our teams and our business.
As always, the retail team gives a tremendous
amount of thanks for the all the SC teams that help
make what we do possible… Thank you to those
that make the product, that purchase the product,
that ship the product, that help support us
financially, that help support us from an HR
perspective, and that help to support us from a
leadership perspective. Your help and support are
invaluable and we appreciate what you do!
BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
Human Resources Update
Janet Ward, V.P. Human Resources
Summer Classics Companies
The month of August signifies the end of summer and for
many of us, getting our children ready for back to school. This
is also a good time to check your first aid kits as well as finishing
any needed repairs around your house (which usually leads to
the need for a good first aid kit). Here’s a sample list of a good
first aid kit to keep in your home:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Absorbent compress
Adhesive bandage
Adhesive tape
Antibiotic treatment
Antiseptic swab
Antiseptic wipe
Antiseptic towelettes
Burn dressing
Burn treatment
CPR barrier
Cold pack
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eye covering
Eye/skin wash
Gloves
Hand sanitizer
Roller bandage
Sterile pad
Triangular bandage
Skin adhesive
Band-Aids
Tweezers
Remember to keep a full kit in an easily accessible place in
your home as well as a smaller kit in your car for emergencies
while traveling. Sometimes these items are on sale during the
back-to-school season so be sure to check them out while you
are shopping for school supplies and clothes.
Congratulations go out to Wright
Currie and his wife Erin as they
celebrate the arrival of their beautiful
little girl, Mae Hudson Routh. She
arrived into this world at 3:40 p.m. on
July 27th to eager and excited parents
at a healthy 6 pounds 15 ounces. Our
fondest wishes are with the happy
family!
As a reminder to those employees who have vision
insurance, always check while scheduling your appointment
that your vision provider is in your network. We now have two
vision networks, VSP and Davis, and each eligible employee
either elected VSP, waived coverage or defaulted to Davis.
There are different providers in these two networks so if you
finish your appointment and then find out that your provider in
not in your network, you will be on the hook for the charges.
So ALWAYS check first. And remember, call HR if you have
any questions on your benefits.
New Hires
Please help me welcome the following
employees to our family!
Jesus Valencia Martell
Pelham Warehouse
Steve Preston
MIS
Rachael Boyington
Customer Service
Brandon Bowman
Distribution – Shipping
Daniel Parker Distribution – Shipping
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Welcome aboard!
August Birthdays
Name
Department
Born
Johnathon Hank Epperson
DC SHIPPING
1-­‐Aug
Jaquail Rutledge
DC SHIPPING
1-­‐Aug
Linda Ronald
RETAIL SALES
1-­‐Aug
Zared Klinner
SEWING
6-­‐Aug
Sabrina Russell
CORD/VELCRO
6-­‐Aug
John Vigilante
RETAIL WAREHOUSE MANAGEMENT
7-­‐Aug
Willie Moore
GABBY/SC HOME WAREHOUSE/SC HOM
9-­‐Aug
Eric Surls
RETAIL WAREHOUSE
9-­‐Aug
Chris Nelson
MIS DEPARTMENT
10-­‐Aug
Cody Proksa
DESIGN DEPARTMENT
10-­‐Aug
Jackie O'Rourke
RETAIL MANAGEMENT
10-­‐Aug
Geoff Feagin
MIS DEPARTMENT
11-­‐Aug
Don Templeton
SALES DEPARTMENT
12-­‐Aug
Shelley Glasgow
CP SUPPORT
12-­‐Aug
Kelly McGuire
CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT
13-­‐Aug
KrisZn Herring
ACCOUNTING -­‐ FINANCE 16-­‐Aug
DEPARTMENT
Billy Allen
INVENTORY CONTROL FOAM
18-­‐Aug
Brandon Dummermuth
RETAIL MANAGEMENT
20-­‐Aug
Rickey Green
FACILITY DEPARTMENT
22-­‐Aug
Brian Jones
DC RECEIVING
23-­‐Aug
Tammy Fowler
CORD/VELCRO
25-­‐Aug
Ralph Hoggle
CLEANING
28-­‐Aug
Kathleen Creech
RETAIL SALES
30-­‐Aug
Biance Moreno
RETAIL SALES
30-­‐Aug
Angela Scollo-­‐Huff
SALES DEPARTMENT
30-­‐Aug
Drew Mersinger
RETAIL SALES
31-­‐Aug
Ramon Sandoval CALIFORNIA WAREHOUSE 31-­‐Aug
BESTMOMENTS July 31, 2015
Press and Announcements
Rob Robinson, Public Relations Manager
Summer Classics Companies
Nashville Yelp Review
Date: Thu, Jul 30, 2015 19:38
Summer Classics - Nashville, 2600 12th Ave S in
Nashville, TN.
Review :
I had great experience here. Met Brittany the minute
we walked in the door, and she was fabulous! She
helped us pick out furniture without overwhelming
us (which is easy to do). Then she came by the house
and measured the new porch (while dodging work
men) at no extra charge. She brought back
accessories to choose from once the furniture was
delivered. I would highly recommend Brittany and
Summer Classics if you need furniture!!
Review Rating : 5.0You can view the entire review
here : http://www.yelp.com/biz/summer-classicsnashville
“I remember driving past this building
as a young boy around 1963 when I was
13 years old and asking my father what
that building was, because I’d never
seen a building that big, and he told me
about Moore Handley.”
Bew White
Gabby Press 2015:
• New England Home Connecticut. Summer issue.
Feat. Lewis Chandelier.
• Traditional Home. June issue. Feat. Hodges Side
Table.
• HGTV Magazine. June Issue, page 60. Feat. Nina
Table.
• Magazine Maison et Demeure (Canada). Article
feat. Barkley Side Table.
• Gray Magazine. April/May issue. Feat. Shelby
Coffee Table.
• Beautiful Kitchens & Baths. Feat. Olsen Pendant.
MOORE HANDLEY RETIREES TOUR
• Veranda. March. “Get the Look”. Feat. Vivian
SUMMER CLASSICS
Bar Stool.
Retired Moore Handley employees led by Mark
Bentley father of Summer Classics own Paul Bentley • Architectural Digest. March. “Most Wanted”
column.
toured the facility that served as their former
• HP Market Style Report. Feat. Beckwith Coffee
corporate offices and distribution center. More…
Table.
• The Designers' Guide to Las Vegas Market,
Summer '15 by The Editor at Large
<[email protected]> Featuring the Dean
Father-Son Story:
Mark Bentley of Moore
Handley with son, Paul
Bentley of Summer
Classics
Paul Bentley said, “It
was an impactful
experience. I had 2
people come to me
saying they would like
to work at Summer
Classics, which is a
testament to the
environment Bew has
created here.”
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