#bepatagonia (and a top note of Ben and Jerry’s)
If you have been following along with Peace Vans since we started in 2013, you’ll undoubtedly notice a few immutable trends in our external presentation. One of them is the omnipresent Patagonia puffy coat sported by our owner and leader, Harley (and since, Harley is writing this, we are now going to switch to the first person). For the first 2-3 years it was a green iteration of their Nanopuff jacket. For a very short period of time (6 months) it was an orange Triolet, but around 2016 it settled into a blue Nanopuff and it’s been that way ever since. I wear the coat at least 10 months out of the year (thank you Seattle) and I wear them out - In nine years I am at the end of life for blue nano puff #3 (and end of life is truly EOL - as in, no more down, multiple tears and patched and so filthy that it creates an issue in my marriage). I have often called it a version of my “woobie” - my blanket that makes me feel safe and secure.
Blue NanoPuff #3 (Bernese Mountain Dog #2)
Last week, the zipper on blue Nanopuff #3 started to fail catastrophically - I tried to live with it for a few days but my kid was aghast as the zipper would split upwards turning the coat into a shawl and for a 15 year old having a dad look like that is just a step too far. I was lamenting getting a new coat as having the filthy, worn rag of an old shell has always been a source of pride - mis-placed pride probably but pride nonetheless. And, if you know me, you know I really don’t spend money on myself much and particularly not on clothes (although our recent partnership with Marine Layer and the amazing clothes they comped us was nice) - it’s not unusual for my pile of weekly laundry to be embarrassingly small. As I was stewing in the decision of what to do with the failing coat, the next night the jacket got caught in a wedge of a bench at dinner and the zipper, believe it or not, was damaged even further. The jacket was pretty much un-closeable at this point. So, the next day I left work a bit early and headed down to the lone Patagonia retail store in Seattle, walked in and asked if my coat was a candidate for their “repair” program. Two very friendly sales associates took the coat, examined it at length and said “yes, we can repair this for you, but it is so well loved it might be best to just pick out a new one and exchange it - at no cost”. I had heard Patagonia will do that, but - honestly - I never really thought it was true. But, lo and behold, one of the associates took me back to the extensive nanopuff section (someone once told me they sell more of that single product than all of Helly Hansen combined) and left me there to pick out a brand new coat. I really wanted the orange but a quick consultation with the family put me back in the blue. Albeit a new shade of blue, but blue still.
As I wandered the store with my new coat in hand, I looked for other things to buy. Because - oh my god, I want to support a company like this. And I know it’s a multi-billion dollar entity that does need my support….and then it got me thinking about Peace Vans….
For those of you who don’t know me or my background, I often joke that I am probably the most over-educated person in my industry. In addition to a BS in Computer Science, I also have a fancy pants MBA from a top institution (hint: Go Blue!). At business school I learned a lot, but what I leaned and loved most was “strategy”. For the first time in my life, I found formal analytical frameworks describing natural processes I was already familiar with and using - and those lenses have stayed with me ever since. I used them throughout my time in tech start ups, management consulting, Microsoft and ultimately my path owning small businesses culminating in what is likely my final act - Peace Vans. I think *a lot* about strategy at Peace Vans - mostly because it is so much fun; we do so much here - operations, finance, marketing, sales, HR, culture, customer service, etc. It's the full gamut of an MBA every single day. I have a book in my head that blends together my strategies at Peace Vans with the strategies I employed in corporate life and the strategies I used to build an amazing Burning Man community…but it’s still in my head (although there is a TEDx talk about it online)
As I walked out of Patagonia, I thought….geez, what if Peace Vans’ strategy was as simple as #bepatagonia. Do the right thing for the customer. Delight and surprise the customer, Build amazing products that last and last - and stand behind them WAY after you are supposed to. Oh, and care for your team, your community and your planet. Could it be as simple as that?
And, then, to top it all off, this weekend I went skiing with my family. As I was traipsing about in my R3 Patagoina long underwear, my lovely wife asked - somewhat snidely - “how long have you actually had those?”. I thought for a minute, and really pondered…and you know what? I think I bought the set in 1993. Literally 32 years ago. WTF? And they are still awesome. #bepatagonia struck again.
But, what about the title of the blog? With a top note of Ben and Jerry’s? Needless to say, in the communities in which we live, things feel pretty upside down right now. Personally, I’m feeling lost about what to do, how to make an impact, how to make a stand. I’m terrified about what’s coming next, sad for all the folks I know losing their jobs (who are to a T some of the hardest working, most caring and most earnest people I know - sure, they aren’t toiling away in private equity or perhaps their jobs by their very definition don’t allow for super-human efficiency, but geez…they care and that means a lot), and see historical analogies that are quite frightening. And, then, I see Ben and Jerry’s newest flavor…and, damn, it’s just the antidote I needed**.
Clearly I think there’s way more to Peace Vans strategy than just this, but as a shorthand - #bepatagonia with a top note of Ben and Jerry’s - is going to cut it for now.
** - I am aware the flavor was a TikTok parody….but, come on - it coulda been real!