Can Eric hold down the fort?

The next two weeks are going to be exciting and down right life changing.  Our son, Josh, is graduating from high school on Saturday.  This kid, who has been a part of our lives, for over 18 years, is about to venture off on his own.  Luckily, the nest isn't quite empty yet.  Jacob is only 13 and will be home for several more years.

So for Josh's graduation gift, he and I are going on a European vacation ( look kids- big ben...) and I'm freaking out a little bit.  I knew the timing would be hard.  I don't want to disappoint anyone who needs my help.  And I have never been away from the office for 10 days.  Ever.

So, I am going to have to accept Eric's help and let go a little bit and trust that he can keep things under control in  my absence.  After all, he did actually successfully run Plattsburgh Housing Outlet for 9 years before I came on board!  And it might be a good lesson in letting go a bit with Josh headed to college this fall.  No parent has ever done their kids any favors by micro-managing their lives and not allowing them to learn to fend for themselves.

So on July 1st, Josh and I will hopefully have an adventure of a lifetime- something that he and I will both fondly look back on as he begins this rite of passage into adulthood.  Like I said, I don't want to disappoint anyone.  Least of all my first born son. 


Congratulations Josh, your hard work and dedication has paid off.  We couldn't be more proud of you.

I don't care who you are, it is nice to be recognized.

Any business is a lot of work.  There is working with your customers to make sure you are doing a good job for them, there is the negotiations with the vendors you work with to get a fair price and good product, and there is trying to work together with your colleagues to create a good work environment and team among other things.

And after all of that, there is the day to day working in and on your business.  At the end of a good, hard day you often wonder if you are doing the right thing and are you doing enough.  Everyone hopes they have but you often wonder.  Once you are out of school, there is not a black and white way of measuring success.  Gone are the days of class rank and SAT score.

So a couple of ways that I hope we are measuring up compared to our competition is based on

employee longevity.  Plattsburgh Housing Outlet has blessed with many long term employees.  Lisa LaPorte, joined the company in 2003 and just celebrated her 10 year anniversary.  And Mike Trombley has been with the company since 1993, almost since the beginning.  In May we had a celebration to recognize their hard work and dedication. 

In April, Plattsburgh Housing Outlet, received national recognition at the Manufactured Housing Institutes's National Congress, when they were named Retailer of the Year for the Northeast and MidAtlantic states.  Each year, the choose 4 companies from across the nation and bestow this honor.

They research a company's reputation and dedication, its community involvement, customer satisfaction among other things.  They also look at the way the company presents itself with model home staging, and customer education initiatives.

http://www.northcountryman.com/news/2013/may/01/plattsburgh-housing-outlet-recognized-sales-center/

So, I have to admit, on the days that business feels hard, it is nice to be recognized and hope you have made your family proud.