Take a look at our newsletter this month.
Life It’s impossible to let Breast Cancer Awareness Month pass by without taking time to applaud my wife, Cheri. Not only does she own half of the business, coach our employees through CrossFit drills, and have enough fire in her little body to kick my butt one-handed, but she’s been cancer- free now for more than five years. Cheri’s battle with breast cancer started when she was 42 and discovered a lump on one of her breasts. Her sister had died of breast cancer at age 40, and Cheri was so afraid of an awful diagnosis that she didn’t say anything about what she’d found. A month later, she finally mentioned it to me, and I convinced her to have it checked out right away. When the results came back on the biopsy, her worst fear was confirmed — it was breast cancer. At that time, Cheri’s life was incredibly busy. She was running operations at Lynnpro until 2:30 p.m. each day, then zipping over to our pizza parlor to work for the rest of the night. She even spent her weekends at the restaurant. When the result of the biopsy came in, her first reaction was, “I can’t afford this time off.” Looking back, I think that moment laid the groundwork for the major life change we’d make later. Cheri was determined to fight her way through her illness in as little time as possible. When we asked the doctors about the best way to meet the cancer head-on, they suggested a double mastectomy, so that’s what Cheri had. From there, she went into chemo. She was lucky to get into a trial program that had her go in just every three weeks, so she wouldn’t have to miss work. We owned two family businesses, and, even though I told her to focus on getting better, she didn’t want to let our employees down.
From the time of her diagnosis, through the double mastectomy, chemo, and reconstructive surgery, Cheri only missed five full days of work, and took maybe 15 half-days off. Even then, the half-days were only because the chemo clinic was more than an hour from our house. Cheri was a trooper, and she still is. She was declared officially cancer-free more than five years ago, and her doctors always say they can’t believe she’s doing so well. I consider myself a very lucky man. Cheri’s experience with cancer changed her perspective on health, and, even before her reconstructive surgery, she developed a passion for fitness. She’d regularly do as many as 140 pushups, 15 minutes of
jumping rope, or what seemed like 9,000 jumping jacks without taking a break. Her constant refrain at the time was, “How can I push myself?” After her reconstructive surgery, she was actually disappointed she couldn’t do pushups as well anymore! Since those days of treatment and surgery, we’ve changed our lives drastically. We sold our pizza parlor and refocused on Lynnpro with a healthy work-life balance as our top priority. Cheri and I don’t work nights and weekends anymore. Instead, we travel all over, doing more than we ever thought possible. Last year, we saw 85 concerts in less than six months, and we still make it a point to catch live music regularly and bike every weekend.
As for the business, instead of chasing money, we attract it. Our saying is, “We don’t hunt with our business. We farm with it.” Abundance is our mindset, and we firmly believe you can reshape your life by thinking positively — where your thoughts go, your abilities will follow. All of that said, the specter of breast cancer still hangs over our family, and we make sure our 30-year-old daughter, Miranda, checks in with her doctor regularly because her genetic likelihood of getting breast cancer is high. This month, I urge you to celebrate the cancer survivors in your life, mourn those you’ve lost, and do what you can to help with the search for a cure.
“This month, I urge you to celebrate the cancer survivors in your life, mourn those you’ve lost, and do what you can to help with the search for a cure.”
–Jeff Saxby
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HOW’S THAT FORODDS?
Reggie ‘Mr. October’ Jackson’s Legendary Game worked to improve his play. Growing up, Jackson played baseball, basketball, and football and excelled at all three, though football was his strong suit. He was scouted and given opportunities to go pro straight out of high school, but, on the advice of his father, he went to college on a football scholarship. Thanks to a $5 bet, he tried out for the baseball team at Arizona State University and made it. Jackson was the first black person on the team, and, even though he experienced discrimination, he never let it stop him. From the minor leagues into the majors, Jackson’s ambition got him through many tough times, as did the constant support of his father and of Oakland A’s manager John McNamara. Jackson always dreamed of playing for New York, and, eventually, his dream came true when he signed with the New York Yankees in 1976. To this day, Jackson holds many prominent records, including being the first player to earn more than 100 home runs for three different teams (the A’s, Yankees, and Angels). He even has his own candy bar, the “Reggie! Bar,” which debuted during a Yankees game in 1978. Let’s see if any of this year’s playoff games stir up as much excitement as Reggie Jackson’s did in his heyday.
Some people shine brightest in the spotlight. When put to the test, they deliver every time. Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson is one of those people. During the sixth game of the 1977 World Series, Jackson hit three home runs in a row, securing the Yankees’ victory over the Dodgers and winning them their 21st World Series title. The legendary playoff game also earned Jackson the nickname “Mr. October,” which has stuck to this day.
Like many stories of greatness, Jackson’s featured a lot of hard work behind the scenes. He dedicated himself to his sport and constantly
THE BRISTOL MUM-A-THON ROAD RACE CUSTOMER SPOTLIGHT: It’s high time we showed some love to the Bristol Mum-A-Thon, the road race we affectionately consider our “spookiest” client. Not only is the race coming up this month on Sunday, Oct. 20, but this year marks its 50th anniversary raising funds for worthy causes. For 2019, the three-fold race — which includes an 8-mile run, 8K dash, and non-competitive “Monster Mile” — will benefit the Veterans Strong Community Center of Bristol, and we’re incredibly proud to provide its T-shirts. “I have had several other T-shirt companies build out my work, but they can’t come close to what Lynnpro gave me,” says Mum-A-Thon race director Andrew Barton. “Now, the shirt I have them make is extra special because it glows in the dark. You don’t get that every day in a race shirt.” Our relationship with the Mum-A-Thon started in 2017 when Andrew took a cold call from our then-employee Cassandra. He told her what he wanted for the race’s T-shirt, and we worked with him to create the exact shirt he’d been hoping for. “Cassandra gave me an incredible price,” Andrew says. “I had to ask her on a few different occasions about the price because each shirt was a few dollars less than what I had bought the previous year locally. Lynnpro took
the design I supplied them and made the shirt look great.”
Andrew uses the T-shirts as part of
the race’s marketing campaign and credits them with amping up excitement for the event. “As part of the buildup to the event, I post photos of our race shirt. We get lots
of positive feedback. I know many people signed up for the race because the shirt design is so cool, a must-have. I also order the shirt in two styles and three colors, so all the participants and volunteers have shirts,” Andrew says. Racers come in costume, but many pull their new T-shirts on over their superhero or monster attire for the run. We think it’s a great look and can’t wait to see how they celebrate 50 years on the road! To learn more about the race and sign up if you’re in the area, visit BristolCT.net/RoadRaces/ Mumathon.aspx.
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EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT:
MEET JACOB OSTER! Jacob has been with Lynnpro for more than two years now, and he’s one of our most hardworking, dedicated employees. Every day when he comes into work, Jacob’s passion for his job as head printer is obvious. When he arrives, he gets straight to work doing maintenance on all of our machines, turning all of the printers on and getting them warmed up. Then, he sets up the first job of the day and makes sure everything is in order, so we’re ready to start printing shirts as soon as the rest of the crew gets in. Throughout the day, Jacob is on call to fix any issues our printing team might have, and he oversees the whole operation, ensuring each job goes smoothly. “I just love to print shirts,” Jacob says. “Ever since I started printing shirts, I just fell in love with it. I love to get things looking as perfect as they can be, and I enjoy printing them. I also enjoy helping out the other printers.”
When Jacob came to Lynnpro, he had just lost his last job as a merchandiser for Pepsi. His girlfriend, Mackenzie, was pregnant at the time, so finding work felt urgent. While searching online he came across Lynnpro’s hiring advertisement — and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, he and Mackenzie have two little girls: Marlee, who just turned 2 years old in September, and Jaclynn, who turned 1 in July. Mackenzie stays home with them during the day, but, when they’re a bit older, she plans to return to work as a vet technician.
“My hobby is working,” Jacob jokes. “Then I go home and take care of the kids until bedtime.”
At work, Jacob gets along really well with his team and says they have a great group dynamic.
“I think what makes Lynnpro unique is that we don’t have too big a crew,” he says. “It’s a pretty small, tight-knit crew, and we work well together. We’re good at getting things done.”
Jacob, we can’t thank you enough for all of your hard work over the years. Keep up the good work, and there should be many more to come!
leftover candy snackmix
word search
Inspired by Food & Wine Magazine
This recipe from Momofuku Milk Bar chef and “Master Chef” judge Christina Tosi makes great use of those extra Halloween goodies. It’s a quick and easy way to both elevate and get rid of unwanted leftovers.
• 2 cups mini pretzels, coarsely broken INGREDIENTS
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted • 12 oz mini candy bars, such as Snickers, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar • 2 tbsp granulated sugar • 1/3 cup dry milk powder
1. Heat oven to 275 F. 2. In a large mixing bowl, fold together pretzels, sugars, milk powder, and butter. 3. Spread mixture on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes. 4. Let cool for at least 30 minutes and mix in candy bar pieces before serving. DIRECTIONS
AUTUMN CANDY CARVE COSTUME
SCARECROW HALLOWEEN OCTOBER ORANGE
PUMPKIN FOOTBALL HARVEST LEAVES
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inside this issue
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Congratulations, Cheri!
‘Mr. October’: The Legendary Reggie Jackson
Meet Our ‘Spookiest’ Client
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Employee Spotlight: Meet Jacob Oster!
Leftover Candy Snack Mix
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How Henry Ford Innovated His Industry
As entrepreneurs scale their businesses, there is a lot to focus on: hiring the right staff, creating the most effective marketing strategies, and setting up efficient operations. With so much to do, it’s easy to lose sight of your initial vision for your company. If you’re stuck in a rut, know that you’re not alone. Plenty of the most successful entrepreneurs have endured the same struggles and, with a little ambition and a lot of creativity, came out on top. Take Henry Ford, for example. Henry Ford made the automobile accessible and appealing for the common citizen. This ignited interest in the market from consumers and manufacturers alike, which led to innovations like air conditioning and other appliances we can’t imagine living without today. There were some key factors that played into his success, and, if you apply them to your own journey, you could gain a new perspective and be inspired to create and innovate in your industry.
accessible for people outside the upper class for the first time. As long as you keep the consumer and their needs in mind, you’ll find ways to make their experience better and increase your success.
SMALL CHANGES, BIG IMPACT
Unlike many companies today who sacrifice quality for quantity, Ford found ways to focus on both. He looked at how cars were actually made and found that, if he could build more cars within a certain time frame, he could pay less per car, per worker. Thus, the moving assembly line was born. When looking for ways to innovate in your industry, rethinking even the smallest, simplest details can make a huge difference for your business. You may not be able to reinvent the wheel, but who said you couldn’t reinvent the brake pads? Henry Ford may have changed the automobile industry forever, but you don’t have to go to such lengths to innovate in your own. The next time you find yourself uninspired or stagnant, look to those who made your industry what it is today. You might just find the inspiration you’ve been searching for.
REIGNITE YOUR PASSION
CONSUMER-FOCUSED
LESSONS IN INNOVATION FROM HENRY FORD
Ford realized cars were unreliable and unaffordable to most and set out to change that. After developing the first moving assembly line, Ford lowered the price of cars and made them
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