Mark With ASID AZ South President Linda Kolesar
I enjoyed a nice night out (no kids!) at the ultra-swank Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch Resort for the ASID Design Excellence Awards in Scottsdale last week. The cocktail meet and greet was full of conversation, familiar faces, and friendly smiles. The herb crusted chicken and filet mignon at dinner were fantastic (yes, I had both). A definite highlight of the awards-presentation that followed was when our pal Debra May Himes received the Prestigious Medalist award. It was so cool to see her receive a standing ovation while her son and husband presented her with flowers. The night was not entirely without shenanigans….while the winners arrived on stage to receive their awards, the disco music set some feet on fire and some fingers pointing like John Travolta. Many winners had some surprisingly funky disco moves….hilarious!
After seeing some of the extensive and in depth projects projected on the big screen, I am convinced that some of designers must work 24-7. For example, Anita Lang Mueller, David Michael Miller, Kacie Moore, Tony Sutton, and many more were winning multiple awards for some pretty meticulous and obviously tedious undertakings. They sure accomplish a lot in one year!
Oh yeah ….WE WON TOO! It sure is an honor to be recognized for product design by our peers at ASID.
If you would like to learn more about Evita or any of our product lines just give us a shout.
Today was a big day! We had a small ceremony in our lobby to show our appreciation for the contributions made by our staff which helped us win the Customer Service Company of the Year Award.
Anita Boetsma is a big part of our success in the customer pampering department so we presented her with a beautiful bronze customer service trophy. Anita owned and operated a drapery workroom in Indiana and KNOWS how a client should be treated……she was one! She is now in charge of Customer Service here at Helser Brothers and is doing a heck of a job….well….obviously.
Gene Monroe is in charge of all warehouse operations and is the epitome of a team player. He would give anyone the shirt off his back just by nature which is just one of many reasons that he is perfect for his job. He has a long history of going way above and way beyond for our customers and we appreciate him enormously!
The rest of the staff was presented with a framed certificates in recognition of their contributions to the team effort that made this happen.
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WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT! WE DID IT!
This is our Lombardi Trophy, Stanley Cup, and World Series Trophy only better! Grace McNamara called Friday to inform us that we will be receiving the “Gracie” award for the “Client and Customer Service Company of the Year” at the IWCE in just a couple of weeks!
After I whooped very loudly into the phone (sorry about your ear Grace) we dropped everything and headed out to party HB style.
We started by treating our drapery hardware specialist staff to a cocktail lunch at PF Changs……
Then of course we enjoyed our victory pedicures (yeah, I got one too.)
Then we gave everyone the rest of the day off paid!
I was reading some random customer service stories online the other day and it occured to me that in almost every instance the customer was effected by an employees personal decision to either treat or mistreat the customer regardless of the policy of the company they work for. We realize that our customers are cared for by our people and not a policy. We are so grateful to our fantastic CS team for doing things like expediting orders for frantic procrastinators and patiently hammering out the details of tough custom orders to keep our customers as happy as clams. Good job guys!
We threw a party for the warehouse staff too with lunch and a cake. We expressed our appreciation for all the little things they do like staying late to help a designer out of a bind or hopping in the car to deliver rings to a jobsite when there were not enough ordered.
A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to nominate us! I heard that you guys really spoke up and bombarded the GMI offices with our praises which I am sure had a huge impact on their decision. THANK YOU! THANK YOU!
If you have an opinion we would love to hear it and of course your referrals are always appreciated. jay@helserbrothers.com
What an honor!
Our latest concept in drapery hardware Evita has been awarded the Most Innovative Overall Design for 2009 by the prestigious WCMA panel of judges. The panel consists of industry publishers, authors, editors, and designers who all meet in NYC for a week of judging.
The concept is simple but one that provides vast improvements in form and function to the conventional swing-rod. The vertical hinge-rod can be ordered in virtually any length and supports can be added in any quantity to meet the requirements of the application. The tieback is attached to the hinge rod so that even the longest drapery can be easily opened and closed without touching the fabric. By simply loosening a set screw you can adjust the tieback height without making any unwanted screw-holes. The scrollwork is all hand forged and beautiful yet acts as a highly effective support system for the horizontal rod which is also custom cut to your specifications.
Evita will be officially launched at the IWCE in Atlanta this May at which time the catalog will be available. Keep an eye out though for a web only pre-release (soon).
Thanks very much to WCMA!
Our highly anticipated “Artefice” line of drapery hardware is not exactly officially launched yet but she will be wearing some bling when she is, baby! the American Society of Interior Designers has awarded Artefice with its top product design honor for 2008. It is very gratifying to be recognized by such a prestigious organization.
Keep an eye out for the catalog its almost finished.
Wow, our new Compositions™ drapery hardware concept is really raking in the accolades! Our most sincere thanks to the Window Coverings Manufacturers Association for voting us winners of the top honor of “Best New Style Concept” of 2008
Here is what they had to say:
“Jewels™ is the result of a two year collaborative effort between Jay and Mark Helser of Helser Brothers, and Debra May Himes, ASID. This partnership has produced a truly ground breaking new concept in window treatment hardware. Conceived with the professional designer in mind, Jewels™ allows the designer complete freedom in design, proportion, scale and color. Whether the goal is traditional elegance or the simplicity of contemporary style, Jewels is the answer.”
OUR FIRST “GRACIE!”
We’ve been recognized by Grace McNamara and our industry as the “2008 Movers and Shakers of the Year!”
Boy what an honor! When Grace called and told me that we were the movers and shakers of the year, I thought that she was referring to our performance on the dance floor at last years Red Ball 
…………… I was wrong. According to Grace, we were chosen because we stood out as a company with a very bright future who is making a difference in our industry…… That’s pretty nice too. Thanks Grace!
Alright, I will admit it. Recognition (especially a really heavy trophy) feels pretty sweet. ASID (the American Society of Interior Designers) has recognized “Compositions” (a collaboration between Helser and Debra Himes) with the top product design honors for this year! To us this is a Heisman or a Lombardi trophy equivalent. We work very hard to develop progressive and beautiful new product lines and to be recognized by our industry peers in this way really means a lot.
Thanks ASID
Jewels is our first introduction in a revolutionary new concept in drapery hardware called “Compositions” (patent pending). Never before has there been a hardware line that allows the designer such complete freedom in design, scale, and color as the new Jewels line. Whether you crave traditional elegance or the simplicity of contemporary style, Jewels is the answer. Crystal, Mosaic and Metallic elements can be combined in a limitless array of combinations. Oh yeah, and there are many new element types on the way!
Check out our new “Online Composer” a cutting-edge web tool that enables you to create your own finial design.
