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Our business has been home based since it's inception more than four decades ago. Family is very important to me and working from home allows me to be close to those I love. This meant our kids grew up in the business, helping out since they were little.
Peter worked for us about fourteen years until he decided he wanted to be Peter and not just Dan's son'. With my blessing he went back to school and became an animator. He did well. After a number of years he was ready to move on again and he decided he would go back to school once more and graduated with a teaching degree in mathematics. In those summers he would return home to help us out in the shop. Two years ago, as we built our new house he met and fell in love with one of our employees, Hailey. Hailey worked for us part time while she trained to be a drafts person and planner.
In the last two years, as he and Hailey began planning their future together they took a good look at our business and what role they might play in it. Both decided to finish their degrees but not go into those lines of work. Instead they would commit to joining our business full time and for the long term.
The future looks bright for everyone as Janis and I will slowly diminish our roles in the business in future years. Peter and Hailey will gradually take on more responsibilities and eventually own the business.
This will allow me to do more writing and teaching and traveling too in the future without the business suffering. Peter is more than capable of doing the designing and management of the business. He is awesomely talented and has a passion for work. He is a born leader and has similar values and principles towards business.
In the short term we are going pedal to the metal with large projects already booked that will take us into 2016.
Life is good!
-grampa dan
-------------------- Dan Sawatzky Imagination Corporation Yarrow, British Columbia dan@imaginationcorporation.com http://www.imaginationcorporation.com
Being a grampa is one of the the most wonderful things in the world!!! Posts: 8738 | From: Yarrow, B.C. Canada | Registered: Nov 1998
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Well if that isn't a little Dan! Nice to have family come home, although it isn't always easy to work together, the rewards are worth it.
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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Dan, you're a lucky man .......... none of my kids show ANY interest in taking this over. And, I'll be in my mid-80's before grandkids are old enough........ I'm tired now!
-------------------- Rodger MacMunn T.R. MacMunn & Sons C.P.207, Sharbot Lake, ON 613-279-1230 trmac@frontenac.net Posts: 472 | From: Sharbot Lake, Ontario | Registered: Nov 2003
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-------------------- Catharine C. Kennedy CCK Graphics 1511 Route 28 Chatham Center, NY 12184 cck1620@taconic.net "Look at me, Look at me, Look at me now! I't's fun to have fun, But you have to know how!" Posts: 2173 | From: downtown Chatham Center, NY | Registered: Feb 2004
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"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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Dan,you are in an enviable position, Really happy for you guys...Family that works together stays together ( I think that's how it goes)...Success comes in more forms than money...Great seeing the work progress...
-------------------- Pat Welter Masterhand Signs and Designs Unity, Saskatchewan.Canada Posts: 1304 | From: Unity, Saskatchewan.Canada | Registered: May 1999
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Watching a dream come true, what could be better? Good things happen to good people.
-------------------- Bill Riedel Riedel Sign Co., Inc. 15 Warren Street Little Ferry, N.J. 07643 billsr@riedelsignco.com Posts: 2953 | From: Little Ferry, New Jersey, USA | Registered: Feb 1999
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God Bless you and your family, you are truly a gift from God sent to inspire all you come in contact with of which you are doing.
-------------------- Len Mort Signmaker1.com 11 Juniper Drive Millbury, MA 508-865-2382 "A Good Business Sign, is A Sign of Good Business"(1957) Posts: 811 | From: Millbury, Ma | Registered: Dec 2006
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From the good things that continually come out of Yarrow...I think Dan should consider changing the business name from "Sawatzky's Imagination Corporation" to just simply "Camelot"
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Congrats, Dan. That is a great story that your own children are so interested in your work and your life, that he would want to continue and keep the legacy and your dreams alive, to support the work so that you can branch out and transition. And, a very special congrats on the "new love". Good wishes ahead.
-------------------- Deb Fowler
"It's kind of fun to do the impossible - Walt Disney (1901-1966) Posts: 5373 | From: Loves Park, Illinois | Registered: Aug 1999
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