Debbie, you are in charge of the secret alloy-making process that has been
central to the success of this company for nearly 400 years. That must be a
tremendous responsibility. Debbie: Back in 1982, our father took Craigie and me into the room to show us
the process. At that time I was still working part time in the business, and
part time at home with two young children. I took it upon myself to get up early
and come in and work with the guys in the melt room because one of the things
our father always said was, “You have to do it to understand it.” I enjoyed that
initial experience, so I’m the one who keeps in touch with the guys in that
room. We have a lot of other secrets as well that have come about as we continue
to refine our process and introduce new products, but that certainly is our main
secret.
Craigie: Not even the plant manager knows the industrial secret, so
this is quite bizarre.
What challenges has your generation faced in the cymbal business? Craigie: The music industry certainly has changed. We’ve seen consolidation,
à la Wal-Mart. We’ve also seen that in terms of discretionary income, we are now
competing with other products, like computers. Kids used to choose between
sports and music. Now every kid has to have a computer first, or computer
games. What about electronic and digital music? I see bumper stickers that say,
“Drum machines have no soul.”
Craigie: Electronic music is here to stay. But really, if you understand
drummers, you know they love the feel of playing acoustic drums and the sound of
that music. A lot of the appeal of electronics is mere convenience; you can
carry a smaller kit to a gig. But electronic music has actually limited the
opportunities for live music. When Debbie and I were much younger, there were
jazz clubs and a lot more opportunity for people to play live music. You are executives and coworkers but also sisters. How do members of the
family separate their professional and personal lives? Debbie: It is easier for me than for Craigie, and that’s why she’s the
CEO.
Craigie: Debbie has these rules that we are not allowed to talk about
business at holidays or family parties.
Debbie: . . . and when Craigie and I
play tennis. We try to keep the business off the tennis court.
Craigie:
[laughs] So that’s three times when we don’t talk business.
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