Friday, July 30, 2010

Bluefig Site Redesign


Long overdue, we are going to revamp Bluefig.net within the next 60 days. Get ready you needle jockeys, it's coming!

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Sometimes a fresh set of eyes.

I was reminded today that I, nor anyone, has all the answers. We have long been struggling to develop a niche in a specific industry but have had a hard time getting traction. I decided this week that I would throw my stubborness to the side (temporarlily, probably) to ask some competitors their opinions. Sage advice came from the one group I most likely should have courted all along. They collaborated eagerly and gave me the right reason to continue, and the tough decisions I have to make don't seem so tough now.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The End of Customer Service

I have a wedding to go to this weekend, so I thought I better purchase a few new duds that aren't embellished with LUSB logos (enter shameless plug at wedding here.) I walked in to Nordy's, a standby for excellent service and always a fine choice for emptying the wallet. The men's department was empty, crickets making the only sound audible with the exception of a sporadic overhead page. With nary a representative around, I stumbled through the sparse offering, settling on a few selections before ambling around and dispensing of them as quickly as I found them. I spent nearly 20 minutes wandering, making eye contact with two representatives numerous times, even receiving a mildly cordial greeting. After an additional 5 minutes, I gathered my thoughts and scooted out the door.

Meeting up with my wife shortly after, we walked passed the men's store once again, where for some reason, we were treated as lepers once again. My wife bought a jacket which incited a smoldering argument between cashiers, ignoring the fact we were waiting patiently through this spat, and were handed our bag as a sendoff.

Somewhere, maybe due to recessionary tactics and sluggish retail sales, Nordstrom lost its way. I was literally shocked. For crying out loud, we were about the only people there tonight? And still we were treated like we had boogers on our foreheads. I expect more out out Nordstrom because they set the bar high, but it seems they have lowered the standard set so many years ago by the Nordstrom family. Or maybe, it was just a bad night to be shopping.

Either way, it reminds me that I need to do a better job in my own house, keeping a vigil at how we treat our customers and making our team stronger than ever. Lots to do tomorrow...

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Safety First...

Today was a great day for development on the safety side of things. Overall, we have our new lift-rated bags flying out the door right now as their unique hard shell and Dry-tight lid are making a splash, and for good reason. The key for us is to continue to innovate here, and not let ourselves get stagnant through the course of the day. Look for a few new styles to hit soon. We think you are gonna like 'em!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Barefoot Bandit

The kid finally was stopped. After some prolific theft, flying planes, evading the police and apparently vacationing in Bermuda, Colton is back in the pokey.

So what gives? His mom plays apologist and Facebook racks his fans in the thousands. He's a regular fugitive celebrity, like Natural Born Killers portrayed so many years ago. Are we that fascinated with some kid that makes bad choices? Oh wait, I forgot, he's misunderstood...

No sympathy here, just shear disappointment in our ability to reason right and wrong.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Congrats Espana! Now get to work...

My father's homeland, Spain, won the World Cup. My congrats go out to my far reaching tie to this country. Now, hopefully, the country can refocus and reunite to rebuild an economy in shambles, and an ever increasing dissension among provinces. Time to put some rubber on the road, Spain, not just more running of the bull...

Of course, what would a fine international event be without a horrid act by terrorists. Detonating bombs near innocent civilians is of course cowardly, and perhaps one of the most unintelligent, shortsighted ways of trying to build your case to the world, however, it is the world we live in now - unintelligent. Throughout history it has been shown that the ignorant and uninformed have routinely found ways to be acknowledged. The biggest question we should all be asking is, will we (insert world here) let them do this indefinitely, or find a way to educate the uninformed and offer them an alternative to this ridiculous, selfish behaviour?

Friday, July 2, 2010

Random News...

AP reported today that the health care legislation enacted a few months ago will result in longer waits and crowding at ER's due to insufficient capacity and shortage of GP's. Does this really come as a surprise? While training for new providers was announced in the legislation, it could be some time, and more importantly unknown, if their impact will solve the burden placed on health care providers (not insurance companies!) I haven't clearly defined my stance on this issue. I do believe that if one needs care, they should have access to it (not free access), however, the legislation did little to address tort reform and decreased Medicare coverages, so how could that possibly solve the problem? The jury is still out, and as with all legislation served up by our 'representatives' in Congress, I am skeptical...

Our continued involvement in manned space travel will end soon, stripping the number of astronauts from over 100 to less than 10 in a few years. The southern states of Florida & Alabama will lose many jobs as NASA shrinks towards robotic development, and Texas will see serious job loss near the space center. We'll be paying Russia, Japan, and European countries to fly our cargo and robotics into space, at a whopping $50k per 60kg. Isn't that outsourcing? The cardinal sin of campaigners? I'll agree that NASA has done a poor job of PR in the last say, 30 years, but to strip it down to an R&D lab is a bit much for me to understand.

Today I bury my father, Joseph Fernandez Macia, who died 7 years ago. We've waited too long to put him to rest, but the time is right and his spirit is living among the grandchildren and his family stronger than ever. I miss you Dad, wish we could spend one more day fishing together on the ocean, and share a laugh over a beer. You are truly missed and forever in our hearts...