Napa, CA Wine Weekend & Conference 2008

Frank likes to describe my annual Napa business conference as a "Boondoggle" ...that is until he came along for the weekend on this years event. Each year we invite about 20 customers to our conference in Napa Valley and each morning is spent in break out meetings discussing how to increase business with each customer and afternoons are spent in "team building events" usually wine tasting tours while at night, spectacular dinners are enjoyed at some of Napa's most beautiful vineyards. OK... it's not all that bad! Preceding the actual conference Frank and I joined a small group of both Brother people and customers for a wonderful weekend filled with special events. Brian and Susan Vincent hosted our group on the first day at the Nappy Valley Food & Wine Festival and Wine Auction where we sampled the finest culinary fare and wines from the very best restaurants and vineyards of Napa. On Saturday we toured the Vineyards of Source One, Fisher and Peju to name just a few and then dined on a long picnic table in the middle of a Vineyard for a delicious BBQ dinner as the sun set over the Napa Valley.

Pictured here are Dave & Frank (Top left), Mark Lewis & Jim Noon (Top Right), Ryan & Tracy Warsaw (Center), Nancy Long & Dave (Left) and a group photo featuring Brian and Susan Vincent.

Cutrone, Michaelson, Gallucci Dinner in Little Italy

I never thought I would actually say "Last night I had dinner with friends that I've know for Twenty Years" That was the case recently in May when John, Ed, Tom and myself met for dinner in Little Italy. John was my very first boss at Brother and while he left the company almost 20 years ago, we still keep in touch. Ed has left Brother for over 10 years and it seems like yesterday we were all working together creating some of the best memories I have of working at Brother over the past 25 years. Tom was the Typewriter Buyer at J.C. Penney when they were still headquartered in New York City. John and I actually sold JCP the first Brother personal fax machine that was then priced at $999.99 and it was considered a break through in price and technology. Today, a personal fax is less than $50. Yes indeed, times change but the night out with John, Ed and Tom reminds me of how great it is to keep in touch with great friends that help shape my life.