Some recent FB posts regarding HNG has me reminiscing about a wonderful team in Ft Myers FLA where we reproduced actual illustrations by some of the greatest teams of artists possibly ever assembled under one roof. Truth be told, it was an eight quonset hut campus.....the artists occupied a double-wide back towards the back. Twenty hours a day (2 shifts) on eight presses (including two all-over wing pallet machines) and all we did was our own stuff. Sim process was only being done by a select few then (probably three companies). We had a lock on that business with the only competition in Gunnison CO. It didn't occur to most/all of us that we were breaking new ground. There was no PMS mixing software. Kassy developed about 600 colors that were mimicked in the Art Dep. Different artists used different mediums and most of them seperated their own work. It didn't matter that we had 30 million+ years. We were just a bunch of misfits in cutoff jean shorts and sandals (the girls often wore bikini or halter tops!) who printed sim process on tees/fleece, and yes....canvass bags. Every Friday there was a raffle under the tiki hut where more often than not, the winner bought the drinks.
We didn't know at the time that it was the best job we would probably ever have. It certainly was for me. Weekends in the Karmann Ghia convertible usually landed me on Sanibel/Captiva Island looking for shells....and yes, bird watching.
So thanks to Geoff Baxter, Richard Greaves, and others, for granting me; the only "outside" production guy to join them.
And thanks to you all as well who may have read this far and granting me this slightly tearful post
best tp
