Breakfast of Champions

Yesterday marked one of my favorite traditions at Close To My Heart: the annual employee appreciation breakfast. You see, I think we have the best employees on earth—they work so hard, whether shipping boxes in the warehouse, producing stamps in manufacturing, building databases in IT, designing catalogs in marketing, balancing books in finance, or answering the phones in Consultant Services. Whatever their role, each individual does it with pride, commitment, and real talent. After many years in this industry, I have learned that I’m not in the scrapbooking or stamping business, I’m in the PEOPLE business, and yesterday, I was able to thank the wonderful people who work behind the scenes to make Close To My Heart a world-class enterprise. They deserve it!



We start with a hot griddle and gallons of pancake batter—David has long mastered the post of “senior flapjack flipper.” I think he has way too much fun with this role, but he sure knows how to cook up the perfect cake. Our VPs dispense the trimmings, from bacon to strawberries, and the entire management team is on hand to ladle out syrup, pour juice, and squirt just enough whipped cream over it all to make it divine. Our team is so large that we need to eat in shifts, one department at a time—the whole event runs nearly until lunchtime, but everybody gets their fill! It’s my job—and my joy—to thank each employee personally and present them with a gift. It’s a morning of hugs and handshakes, and my heart is full every year! Thank you, thank you, to my dear friends for also being such wonderful employees: this really was “the breakfast of champions!”