Skip to main content

FIELD NOTES: I yam what I yam

It is common to see semi-trailers emblazoned with "Atlantic Packaging" chugging down U.S. 74 through Wadesboro. But I was under a misconception about these trucks until just last week. 

In 1994, as my wife and I were beginning to seriously consider moving to North Carolina, I acquired a list of Charlotte-area businesses from the Chamber of Commerce and sent out a couple of dozen letters along with my resume to gauge potential employment opportunities. The companies I solicited were large and involved in industries I thought would be interesting. It's important to remember that the internet was in its infancy in the mid-'90s. There was no Indeed or Zip Recruiter, or even LinkedIn. The generally accepted way to get your name out there in a city far from home was to send a nice resume package to companies, more or less at random. 

One of the companies on my interest list was Atlantic Envelope. Most people probably wonder why an envelope company would interest me; it's not the sexiest of sectors. But I was an avid reader of sales and motivational books by such authors as Zig Ziglar and Harvey Mackay. Mackay had famously worked his way up through an envelope company, and many of the practical examples in his "swimming with the sharks" books were based on those experiences, so to me, the envelope industry seemed, if not cool, at least familiar. I never heard back from Atlantic Envelope; in fact, out of perhaps 30 letters sent, I received no bites and just a handful of courtesy "we'll keep your information on file" responses.

I had always assumed that those Atlantic Packaging trucks were the corporate evolution of Atlantic Envelope. It made sense. With the rise of email and low-cost laser printing, the printed envelope industry has probably faced hard times, and the technology is similar enough to consumer packaging to make the transition. But it turns out that is not the case. Atlantic Envelope went out of business in 2005, and Atlantic Packaging is an entirely different company that shares a similar name and logo. 

Another of those "cold call" letters went to a company in Gastonia called Pharr Yarns, or at least I know that now. The listing of businesses I got from the Charlotte Chamber contained pertinent information on thousands of companies, and as a result, the printing was very small. So small that an "r" and an "n' right next to one another might appear to be an "m." And that's how I sent a letter expressing my interest in a job to a company I thought was called "Pharr Yams."

I didn't keep a copy of the letter and don't recall precisely what I wrote, but based on the template I was using, the first line was something like, "Based on my long-standing interest in tubers, I am inquiring about a position with your outstanding yam operation." 

I have a sneaky suspicion that a framed copy of my letter is on display somewhere in a hallway of the Pharr corporate offices.

But that's not the end of the story. Many years later, I was speaking at a community college event, and one of the other speakers on the panel was the CEO of Pharr Yarns. I couldn't help myself, dumped my usual icebreaker joke, and told the Pharr Yams story. Without missing a beat, the CEO responded, "I'm sorry it didn't work out with Pharr Yams, but I'm glad you found a job with Mitchell Community Collards." My kind of CEO! 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

FRIDAY MATINEE: Midnight Mass (🍺🍺🍺🍺)

I held off writing this review until I had seen all seven episodes of the new Netflix limited series “Midnight Mass.” I’ve been burned in the past by shows that start out well and then devolve into silliness as they progress. While “Mass" doesn’t completely stick the landing, I think even the East German judge would give it a solid 9. Taken as a whole, I think it is as effective a piece of horror as the combined “It” movies from a few years ago, and right on par with “Hereditary” and “Midsommar.”  The story revolves around a man returning to his childhood island home after a prison stay for a drunk driving accident that killed a teen girl. Coincidentally, it is the same day the island’s beloved elderly priest, Monsignor Pruitt is supposed to return from a trip to the Holy Land. Unfortunately, the priest has taken ill and is being treated on the mainland. A temporary priest arrives to take his place.  The story takes a little while to get going, and anyone who’s familiar with t...

Don't Listen to the Old Man in the Pickup Truck

As economic development director for Anson County, I strongly urge you to vote FOR the Mixed Beverage* Election November 8th. But, more importantly, I encourage you to listen to the voices of the young professionals upon whom the future of the county will depend. If you look closely at the lower right-hand corner of the blue and white signs urging a FOR vote on Mixed Beverages, you will see they are paid for by YP Anson. So what is YP Anson? Is it some political action committee funded by out-of-state alcoholic beverage manufacturers and casino owners? No, it's Young Professionals Anson, an organization made up of and funded entirely by local business people and community members under the age of 40.  They are the bankers, real estate agents, lawyers, shop owners, entrepreneurs, factory managers, and tradespeople who will lead Anson County into the next decade and beyond. Most of them were born and raised here, left to get a college education, and chose to return and raise a family...

Ancient Artifacts, Huntersville Edition

On Saturday, I replanted a flower bed near my garage. I have been trying to grow lavender and creeping jenny there for the past few years and the results have been underwhelming. I decided to pull everything out, double-dig the whole bed, add some peat to improve drainage and replant it. About halfway through the process, my shovel hit something metallic. Looking down, I was able to make out the remnants of some sort of cylindrical object. Believing that I might have stumbled onto a major archaeological find, I proceeded slowly, carefully removing the accumulated dirt and debris from around the object. Although it was now badly deformed and in two pieces, it was immediately clear to me that the artifact was originally a single tube-like structure, about five inches tall and two inches in diameter. It was made from a light, flexible metal and painted in bright red, green and white shapes. Although the condition of the object made it difficult to ascertain what the design might have ...