Sew What? Star of the Month – Sept. 2010

Meet Antonio, Sewing Machine Operator

Antonio has been with Sew What? for two years

What kind of work did you do before coming to Sew What? I sewed shirts and pants for a company in downtown L.A.

What do you like most about your job and why? I always liked the idea of sewing drapery, so when I saw the ad in the paper, I came. Something about theatrical drape was very interesting.

What keeps you motivated at work? More than anything, my coworkers. I get along with mostly everyone.

What would be your Karaoke song of choice? Vicente Fernandez – Las Llaves de Mi Alma.

What is your favorite dessert? Cheesecake.

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Carley’s Having a Baby!

Carley, our Purchasing Agent, is getting close to her due date (early September), and we are all so excited for her and her husband Caleb.  It has been great to follow her along in the process, see the Ultrasound photos, and find out it’s a girl!

A couple of weeks ago, Silvia (you know her, she is a contributor to this blog) threw a baby shower at her home for Carley, and we had a great time.  Check out Carley opening baby gifts:

Silvia made some great food for the shower (love those potato tacos!), and Violet brought some darling ladybug cupcakes – yum!

Now, we are all waiting with bated breath for the big day (and waiting to find out the new baby’s name).  We are going to miss Carley a lot while she is out on maternity leave (could happen any day now), but we are so excited for her and Caleb to be welcoming their first child.

Congrats to Carley, Caleb, and their entire extended family!

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Megan on Blog Talk Radio

As a result of her trip to Shanghai in June, Megan was introduced to Angie Strader, host of “What’s Your Bottom Line?” on Diva Toolbox Radio Network, and was asked by Angie to appear on the show.  The show aired live last Tuesday, and it was a really interesting experience, both for Megan and the rest of us here in the office.

Megan was asked to call into the show, as well as go onto the show’s webpage, a few minutes the show went live at 2:00 pm Central Time (noon here on the West Coast).  Angie had another guest for the first 15 minutes of the show and then went live to Megan as that day’s featured guest.

It was really a fun experience here.  Megan sent out a company-wide e-mail asking that she not be disturbed during the live radio interview, and even put a warning sign on her closed door (it reminded me of those red lights at TV studios – “Silence – Taping in Progress). 

Meanwhile, we all logged onto the Internet to listen to the interview while we worked.  It was a great interview, but a little surreal to be sitting in our offices a few feet away from Megan and yet hear her being interviewed on Blog Talk Radio!

If you want to hear more from Angie Strader, you can listen to “What’s Your Bottom Line?” live each Tuesday at 2:00 pm Central Time (3:00 pm Eastern, 12:00 noon Pacific), and there are also a number of previous shows available.  I’ve also just checked out her blog, and I found her posts quite interesting.  I especially liked the post titled, “Why the heck are you going it alone?”

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Two Years Injury Free!

Today, Sew What? celebrated an incredible feat – two years (730 days) injury free!  What do I mean by “injury free”?  I mean that there have been no workplace injuries at Sew What? in two years.

This really is an amazing accomplishment.  Most traditional offices don’t think too much about workplace injury – there just isn’t very much likelihood for injury.  It’s different at a manufacturing company like Sew What?  Our sewing and warehouse staff work with a variety of machines (sewing machines, grommet machines, forklifts, large format digital printers, etc.), and even the slightest distraction on the part of the staff member could result in an injury.  Many of our custom stage drapes are large and heavy and unwieldy.  So to go two years without an injury is a tremendous accomplishment.

We are so proud of our staff for their diligence in working safely.  Every 90 days, we celebrate by providing a catered lunch to all of our staff, and on the large milestones, we take the celebration up a notch.  This time, in addition to a delicious catered lunch, we brought in a mariachi band to entertain.

The mariachi band was a hit!  Many of our staff are Latino/Latina, and so they had a great time singing along.  The rest of us simply enjoyed the music (and even some dancing!).

I want to send a big Felicidades (Congratulations) to the entire Sew What? family – we truly appreciate your dedication to safety!

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Sew What? Inc. on the Web

As social networking becomes more and more popular, businesses have started to get involved as well.  In prior posts, I have linked to the Rent What? page on Flickr, which is a great resource to share photos with folks around the world. 

Well, recently, we decided that it was time that Sew What? have a presence on Twitter and Facebook.  Want to follow our Tweets?  Use @Sewwhatinc.  At Facebook, we are Sewwhatinc. 

See you on the Web!

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Sew What? Featured in Australia

As you may know from reading this blog, Megan (founder & President of Sew What? Inc.) was born and raised in Australia.  Though she has lived in the United States for many years (and is now a US citizen), it is still a kick to find her and Sew What? Inc. recognized in her home country.

The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald recently published an article about Megan and Sew What?, and I really enjoyed reading it – it gives a true portrayal of Megan, the company, and the many roles that custom stage curtains play.  

The staff photo used in the article is especially fun to see – all of us had a fun time posing for Megan.  She gathered us all together with a bunch of fabric and said, “Have fun,” and we sure did!  Here is another one taken during the same shoot:

I think these photos really show the spirit of Sew What?  We take our work seriously, but we still have fun while doing it!

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Sew What? Star of the Month – July 2010

Meet Mari Chui, Sewing Machine Operator

Mari has been with Sew What? for 2 1/2 years

If you could take a vacation to any place in the world, where would you go, and why?  I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii.

Who is your favorite recording artist?  Jenni Rivera

Do you have a special talent?  Making desserts

What is your favorite movie/show?  La Familia Peluche

What is your favorite memory from Sew What?  The Christmas parties and the games we play always make me laugh.

What project have you worked on recently that was interesting or challenging? The drapes in a sheer silver fabric that were shirred with elastic instead of lift lines. It was VERY challenging, but it worked out!

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Sew What? Star of the Month – June 2010

Meet Gloria, Sewing Machine Operator

Gloria has been with Sew What? for nearly three years

If you could take a vacation to any place in the world, where would you go, and why?  I’d go to Aguascalientes in Mexico to be with my family.

Who is your favorite recording artist?  Vicente Fernandez and Camilo Sesto.

Do you have a special talent?  Shopping!

What is your favorite movie or television show?  Spanish soaps and the news.

What is your favorite memory from Sew What?  I love the Christmas Party because I enjoy it to the fullest!

What project have you worked on recently that was interesting or challenging? There are two projects -  a digital for Green Day and a big red star on a frame.

(Note: You may remember meeting Gloria back in January.  She is our Star of the Month again in June, so this post is an opportunity for you to learn more about her).

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Thinking about Employee Longevity

I was reading an article recently regarding the effect of high employee turnover on a company – including loss of productivity, quality, and profitability.  Did you know that it can cost a third (or more) of an entry level employee’s annual salary to hire and train a new employee, and even more to replace a mid-level employee?  Not to mention the (unseen) costs that can occur in terms of quality of service or goods produced, customer satisfaction, and so much more that may occur when a company has high, frequent turnover in staff.

I am really proud that we have such low turnover – I just figured out that the average amount of time that our current employees have been here is nearly five years!  How many companies can say that nowadays, with people moving from job to job? 

I think that employee longevity has been one of the keys to the success and continued growth of Sew What?  Our employees have been here for awhile, they know their jobs, and that shows in the quality of our products and our service.

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May Anniversaries

This month we have three anniversaries, for a combined total of nineteen years at Sew What?

It really is a source of pride to have so many long-term staff members – they are one of our greatest assets!

Sara, Sewing Machine Operator – 7 years

Raul, Shipping & Receiving Coordinator – 7 years

Roberto, Sewing Machine Operator – 5 years

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