Risk & Business Magazine F.A. Peabody Insurance Spring 2017 | Page 5

16
feature
WELCOME
ABOUT TED * :
A TALE OF EMPOWERMENT
CONTENTS
5 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
6 HOULTON WATER COMPANY:
Power To The People
8 ELLIS FAMILY MARKET:
Always In Good Taste
9 PROSPECTS FOR PENNIES
Find Gold In Abandoned Advertising
10 CUSTOMER SERVICE VS. CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
Knowing The Difference
12 UNMISTAKABLE HABITS OF IRRESISTIBLE PEOPLE
14 ONE DAY A WEEK
This Entrepreneur More Than Doubled His Revenue
20 COACHING:
It’s An Ongoing Process
22 SEVEN SIGNS YOU ARE GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL
24 TOPGRADING SNAPSHOT
How I Avoided A Costly Mis-Hire In One Minute
25 R. E. LOWELL LUMBER:
Insights Where Hard Work Is The Family Tradition
26 MADIGAN ESTATES:
A Business That Never Retires
28 RAWCLIFFE’S SERVICE CENTER:
Offering More Than An Ounce Of Prevention
30 PATTEN LUMBERMEN’S MUSEUM:
Log On To History
The wheels of time allow us to reflect upon the past with an
objective view that present living simply does not allow. Warren
Buffet once said, “In the business world, the rearview mirror is always
clearer than the windshield!” We take known and unknown risks
daily; some more than others, but it is a constant that prevails
every single day in business. The past is clear because it has
already happened. While luck may play a role in future events
at times, finding consistent good fortune in business requires
drive, determination, and then more drive.
Our chairman, Bob Anderson, uses the term “smart lucky”
to describe the outcome of placing yourself or your firm in
a position that increases the probability of success. You won’t
win them all, but the odds will be in your favor over the long
run. Knowing how to do this consistently takes a certain level
of respect for the history and experiences one has learned from
those that have come before.
I’m impressed by businesses that have stood the test of time,
particularly small family businesses that have negotiated the
perpetuation of their going concern. There is a lot to consider
when transitioning any organization; however, family-held
enterprises possess an interesting complexity due to the close
relationship of the decision makers involved and often their
reverence for those that came before. Whenever you see a
successful business or organization, there is no doubt that
somewhere in its past, someone made a courageous decision.
And those that carry on successfully have learned how to adapt
and make additional courageous decisions.
With 2017 being F. A. Peabody Company ’s 90th year in business,
I am pleased to bring you our fifth edition of Risk & Business.
This issue celebrates “a history of business creation.” The local
articles found in this issue are a representation of firms with
a generational past who are anxiously looking forward to the
future. From health care to automotive care to electrification
to milling wood and selling groceries, our featured local stories
are a reflection of histories past, present, and future, where bold
steps have been taken to adapt.
Sincerely,
Christopher B. Anderson CPCU, WCP
President
F.A. PEABODY INSURANCE
5