Player Piano Company
By Craig Brougher
I moved to Wichita Kansas for a year after my divorce, and worked at the Player Piano Co. for just a little over a year as their production manager. There was a lot of things wrong, but not with their gracious- ness. They were the most grateful and polite folks anyone could ever work for.
I have to say this too -- it wasn't just toward myself. Durrell Armstrong is able to keep his help forever, because that is how the company is structured. That is Durrell's personality, and it runs as an unbroken thread throughout the company. People want to be liked and trusted, and relied upon. That is Durrell Armstrong in spades!
So I have to guess that if anyone is unhappy with his own personal treatment, he needs to get on the hook and call Durrell Armstrong personally and tell him exactly what he feels. Sometimes a new person who hasn't gotten the laid-back feel of the place will toss some rough stuff off at you over the phone. Durrell doesn't like that sort of thing, and will _gently_ take care of it for everybody involved.
Something else I can safely vouch for, as far as Durrell's character is concerned. He keeps his word to his suppliers. Even when things are very slow, he always gets them paid, somehow. If he gives you his word, he keeps it, in my experience, and I think that tends to be universal.
The reason Durrell got rid of the computer was because of the terrible management he endured because of it. He lost his entire mailing list, trusting in his computer expert, who threw away the hard copy! Then he had a disastrous crash and was left with nothing, for a long, long time. How they ever made it is a miracle. They are still recuperating! Some years later, I put him in touch with a guy who said he could recover it. I don't know what happened after that.
I would hate to see anyone turn company complaints into a general dislike for the man. It'd be hurting a nice guy who has had a lot of hard knocks, a Spartan existence at times, and has gotten through it all, never quitting, and providing a good living for his managers and faithful employment for all who have ever worked for him. I personally think he is a good example for us. He does the very best he knows how. Don't make fun of the old-fashioned record-keeping system, either. It _never_ goes down, and if there's a mistake, you don't need to employ a lawyer or Mafia hit man to get it taken care of!
There is absolutely nothing bad about complaining to Durrell if you have had shoddy treatment. That only helps everybody.
Craig Brougher
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(Message sent Mon 20 Jan 1997, 13:59:16 GMT, from time zone GMT.) |
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