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past tense-road trip:\u00a0 <\/span><\/strong>where in the world is vmzinc?\u00a0 perhaps it would be better to ask, where in the world isn’t <\/span>vmzinc.\u00a0 in the last couple of weeks, the united states team has been all over the country.\u00a0 here are some highlights from one of\u00a0our teammates.\u00a0 we are going to protect\u00a0his or her\u00a0identity for now and only post what was written. \u00a0the name of the author has been deleted to protect the not-so-innocent.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cokay.\u00a0 last three weeks or so?\u00a0 on fire -that’s where i’ve been.\u00a0 no, seriously. \u00a0let me break down the gig for you.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201ci went to minneapolis-st. paul.\u00a0 msp<\/span><\/em><\/strong>,<\/span><\/strong> if you will.\u00a0 \u00a0i went on a sunday.\u00a0 early, if i recall it correctly.\u00a0 it was okay weather in raleigh when i left and a little blustery when i arrived in msp.\u00a0don’t worry, former boy scout here: i\u00a0took a heavy coat and gloves.\u00a0 \u00a0the reason i left on sunday was so that i could have an early a.m. meeting on monday with the national sales manager for dri-design.\u00a0 we had planned this for quite some time and i was practicing stretching my stomach\u00a0muscles in anticipation of a large glycemic load at\u00a0ihop, some waffle place, or dennys\u2026 you know, a place that does<\/span><\/em> breakfast food!\u00a0 this was supposed to be the\u00a0kick-off meal and\u00a0conversation\u00a0that jump-started a week that was centered around the new reps for north and south dakota.\u00a0 then, all of a sudden, a fire arose out of the south and quickly consumed all such plans.\u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cso as it happens,\u00a0i found out that in this particular case, a flight from msp to new orleans is less expensive than trying to reroute everything through rdu in raleigh.\u00a0 i cancelled the stomach muscle exercises, pushed the breakfast meeting to friday, and pushed all of our north dakota commitments back a day.\u00a0 i arose at 4:00 a.m.\u00a0 it was cold when i left msp.\u00a0 it was overcast and humid when i arrived in new orleans.\u00a0 don’t worry.\u00a0 i took a light shirt.\u00a0 no use showing up in a customer’s office to solve a problem looking like shamoo at sea world.\u00a0 um\u2026 you look a little, what’s the word\u2026 <\/span>damp.\u00a0 i arrived dry and we took care of the problem with one of our best customers.\u00a0 mission completed, i went back to the airport, had some cajun food, and then got back on a plane for msp.\u00a0 it was late and snowing when i arrived.\u00a0 you already know about the coat.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201ci picked up our new reps the next morning at seven bells and we hauled zinc towards the north dakota state line.\u00a0 surprisingly, it was sunny.\u00a0 all of our friends in north dakota had warned us that a blizzard was arriving soon and that there was some serious north dakota potential for detainment in the offing.\u00a0 no worries.\u00a0 one of our new reps, will pilkington, is a former british marine.\u00a0 as you will see in the photos that i am attaching, he is not only good with our clients, he is awfully handy when you plant the front end of a jeep in a snow bank.\u00a0 we arrived before noon and got straight to work.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cit did snow that night.\u00a0 it snowed enough for that snowbank to exist after the snow plows did their deed in the early morning of the next day in north dakota.\u00a0 no worries.\u00a0 i come from snow country, i was a former boy scout, and i arrived equipped with a heavy coat, gloves, a rented jeep and a former british marine who, in turn, was equipped with a collapsible shovel.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cour other new rep, dave rassmussen, already knew a lot of the local architects.\u00a0 i won’t list all of the architects that we visited, but suffice to say that we ran out of time and that will & dave will be making another trip to the big n.d. <\/span><\/strong>again.\u00a0 we spent two days in fargo and then spent a day in grand forks.\u00a0 between the two cities, we often drove fast, played loud music and enjoyed the time with the architects.\u00a0 <\/span><\/em>we arrived back in msp under heavy sleet around 10:00\u00a0pm or so on thursday night.\u00a0 i dropped off the tired and weary cowboys and headed for my own little bunk house downtown -the hilton garden inn.\u00a0 don’t worry.\u00a0 i went prepared to sleep.\u00a0 (will and\u00a0dave own the architectural product representation group, M3-SIXTY and it can be found at www.m3-sixty.com<\/a><\/a> .)<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u201ci got up early the next morning and remembered what real cold feels like.\u00a0 i can tell you now and without reservation:\u00a0 it is cold.\u00a0 cold enough that it might hurt to exchange air with the old lungs.\u00a0 it wasn’t that <\/span>cold in msp this time, but cold enough.\u00a0 cold enough that i could remember real cold. \u00a0cold and also sunny.\u00a0 but mainly cold.\u00a0 (fun fact for you:\u00a0 sunny days are usually colder in midwest winters. \u00a0why? \u00a0because a lack of cloud cover let’s any warmth reflected off the snow escape.)\u00a0 i went to meet our friend from dri-design for breakfast.\u00a0 fortunately, i had been eating well in dakota, and my stomach muscles were ready.\u00a0 no need to worry.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cwe talked about a number of things relating to zincy goodness smothered in a dri-design panel and attached to award winning homes, commercial buildings, etc.\u00a0 when we were done, we promised to catch up again soon as he headed off to work and i headed towards the well-known (at this point) msp airport.\u00a0 i enjoyed the new reps and the people in north dakota.\u00a0 i am looking forward to going back there again.\u00a0 i arrived in raleigh late in the day on friday.\u00a0 the air was mildly warm and i was happy, fat and contented.\u00a0 (www.dri-design.com<\/a><\/a>)\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u201con sunday, i went to philly.\u00a0 this was to see a man early monday morning about the thing with those people\u2026 you know the deal.\u00a0 black ops.\u00a0 double-secret probation.\u00a0 the usual.\u00a0 while there, i and our erstwhile colleague had the opportunity to spend time with super-rep and all around great guy, mike jung. (mike is an architectural products representative.\u00a0 his business is architectural metal resources of haddonfield, nj.)\u00a0 <\/span><\/em>we got in on sunday and left on monday.\u00a0 i have to tell you that i am enjoying the city more and more and that there is some serious<\/span><\/strong> zinc in and around that town.\u00a0 fun!<\/span><\/p>\n \u201ci then went to hotlanta,<\/span>\u00a0g to the a.\u00a0 18 wheels and trucking.\u00a0 we’re going to do what they said can’t be done.\u00a0 <\/span>yep.\u00a0 atlanta.\u00a0 straight from the city of brotherly love to the home of coca-cola, delta air lines and smokey & the bandit.\u00a0 i went to meet with our rep, phil marvel, or, as we know him now, philly-(wacca-wacca)-cream-cheese<\/span><\/em>.\u00a0 the man!\u00a0 it was warm when i got there, but not overly so.\u00a0 no worries.\u00a0 i had switched one suitcase full of dirty clothes for another full of clean clothes.\u00a0 in said suitcase was another light shirt.\u00a0 all is good and right with the world.\u00a0 the mission was mainly to talk over some business.\u00a0 in between, we had the opportunity to look at a new church going up with quartz zinc on a great roof line, and also to look at the dawson county courthouse which sports a new dome in beautiful red zinc.\u00a0 very, very cool!\u00a0 (phil marvel’s group, pcm southern, can be found at:\u00a0 www.pcmsouthern.com<\/a><\/a>)<\/span><\/em>\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n \u201ci then came back to raleigh an<\/span>d <\/span>spent all of one-point-five days back in the saddle before heading off to city of washington in the columbia district. \u00a0you know\u2026\u00a0 north of ikea on the interstate.\u00a0 <\/span>this roadtrip was for the annual aaf accent on architecture <\/em>gala. \u00a0<\/span>surprise, surprise! they honored mayor nutter of philadelphia for his phenomenal work with city planning.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>that town is cool with a very big C<\/em>. haworth \u2013the company, and s.o.m. \u2013the architects, were also honored with the good design is good business lifetime achievement awards<\/em>.\u00a0 <\/span>it was\u00a0nice to see the legacy that our fellow citizens are leaving behind. \u00a0<\/span>inspirational <\/em>is the word.\u00a0 <\/span>inspirational and possibly black-tie.\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em>yep. \u00a0<\/span>this is\/was a black-tie event. \u00a0<\/span>don’t worry. \u00a0<\/span>i have one.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201ci returned once again to fair raleigh, and<\/span> <\/span>have been spending the last week catching up.\u00a0 don’t worry.\u00a0 i have a computer, a phone, and a cellular telephone device which, believe it or not, allows me to stay in contact with our friends and clients around the word.\u00a0 so, catching up,<\/span><\/em> was and is really about planning, promoting and having fun with vmzinc.\u00a0 part of that fun was being able to attend the grand opening of the aia north carolina center in downtown raleigh. \u00a0this is the building that we participated in with pigmento red zinc.\u00a0 frank harmon, faia, and other local luminaries were on hand.\u00a0 it was a warm saturday afternoon. again, i say,<\/span> <\/span>no worries. \u00a0i had a clean white shirt on. \u00a0it smelled freshly laundered. \u00a0the shirt reflected the occasional and intermittent sunshine and swam in the warmth of this great building. \u00a0you should have been there.\u00a0 fire, baby!\u00a0 on fire!\u201d\u00a0 (www.frankharmon.com<\/a><\/a> is the website of frank harmon, faia.)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n