Last year was a tough year for business. The economy was arguably one of the worst in memory. This did not deter the gritty folks at Sherwin-Williams. They decided to keep battling and to create some good competitive fun in a difficult environment. The Indianapolis Sherwin-Williams District challenged the Detroit Sherwin-Williams District to a contest to open the most new national accounts. Now rilvarys between Indiana and Michigan are well noted and few places in the country have felt the full force of this current economic downturn like the beleaguered people of Detroit. However, there is no quit in those Detroit folks and they accepted the formidable challenge. The gauntlet had been thrown. When all was said and done and despite some good spirited bantering, the brave hearted people of Detroit had prevailed. This was of course a tough loss for the Indianapolis crew but in the words of their District Manager, they decided to “loose like princes” and decided to commission a special award plaque to present to their victorious brothers-in-arms.

I am sentimentally attached to the people in Indianapolis, however I have had the opportunity to work in Detroit and I am fully aware of the tenacity and competitive spirit and occasional trash talking of those plucky folks. I had hoped for an Indianapolis victory but it is hard to not feel good about a victory for Detroit, a city where victories have been hard to come by of late. I felt very honored when I was asked to make them a special award plaque for the aforementioned competition.

I originally selected a piece of clear maple. White and straight grained but lacking any special character. I choose instead a piece of very old curly cherry, dark and aged with ripples of red color running through it. The well recognized “cover the earth” logo of this fine old company presented a few design challenges but looked nice on the old cherry. The most important thing to me was that the client liked it. This special care and personal involvement is exactly what I try to offer my clients. A special contest between such fine organizations in such a tough year deserves a special recognition. It deserves an intensely personal plaque, hand planned, hand chosen and hand made. If you have need of a special piece to commemorate an event or provide an earned “well done”, contact me. I would love to make something special for you.

Congratulations to Detroit on their victory. Well done to Indianapolis for their grace and to The Sherwin-Williams Company for their perseverance in difficult times. It was a pleasure for me make this for them.

George