This is part of a Series of some of my favorite places, people, or things, either Past or Present.
In going through some older photos and documents, I ran across this now (2014) twenty-four-year-old newsletter. It reminds me of some of the creative talents that i learned when i worked nearby, oh-so-many years ago.
The Roaring Mouse was an in-house newsletter back in the summer of 1990 for a company that I worked for called "Gargano & Associates". It was a "creative/marketing organization" that had been in business for 35 years at that time, but has since closed.
The newsletter stated that the philosophy of the company was that "Customers' Needs Come First" and the business was geared towards that end.
An exerpt by Tony Gargano (the founder and owner) from the company newsletter:
"When clients call me, they expect me to empathize with their need to make more money and outsell their competitors. Well, that's not my main concern...and it shouldn't be theirs either. I try to understand the needs of the prospects they want to reach. I serve their customers...and they should too!"
"If you understand that no one else cares about your needs -- that they only care about how you can serve their needs, fulfill their desires, protect them, and enhance their status -- you'll own the world."
Staff photo from Gargano & Associates for the newsletter
Tony said he was a student of the human condition and that "human nature is immutable. It doesn't change, from the time you were born to the time you die. Our stimuli and our responses are basically the same; only the terminology changes as you get more sophisticated. We all want to be handsome, successful, warm, wealthy and loved!".
The newsletter was designed to help the reader understand what his company was doing to help them out and further help their business succeed.
This was 1990 and stress at work was a part of many folks lives, especially those in the marketing industry. To address this, the back page of the newsletter included an article on how to "De-stress yourself" and how to handle the "normal" stresses of everyday life. Within the article was a four-point plan to be able to distinguish what we can change from what we can't, and put us back on the right track to solving problems that come up.
This four-point plan is as-follows:
One: Determine if the problem can be solved.
Two: The best approach may be to avoid the situation as long as this doesn't become the overall pattern for dealing with things.
Three: An optimistic appraisal of the situation can provide a psyocholigical escape route from a seemingly hopeless situation.
Four: Confrontation to trigger changes for the better, not just venting how you feel, can help reduce stress for some individuals.
Each of these strategies is useful towards being successful in managing different types of stress. The "trick" is knowing when to apply which one.
Now, in 2014, these ideas still apply and the "tricks" should still work as the stresses have increased many times over in the world we live in since things are so much more connected as well as faster-paced than they were in 1990.
There was also a recipe for a Sicilian Meat Roll (yum!) as well as a recommendation by the staff of a pizzeria in downtown Ferndale (even more yum!) that the crew would many times order food from for lunch or a late-day meal.
Recipe from staff member Julie Walker
The company is no longer in business, as Mr. Gargano passed-away a number of years ago, and the staff has all gone elsewhere.
The memories and the talents that i have and use on a daily basis from that time, will live with me forever... and i appreciate the lessons i learned there.