A favorite family business story

Some of my favorite stories that we get to share in business magazines are those of family businesses that have been passed along for generations. This month, we’re featuring one of the best family business stories I’ve read. I encourage you to read what Megan Griffith, co-owner of P&M Apparel in Polk City, Iowa, shares in “Building a culture that actually cares” on page 38. Whether you are a third-generation business owner or a solo operator, Megan’s article is a vital example of how core company values attract and retain quality team members, build good business relationships, and enrich communities. Also in business stories this month, Aaron Montgomery (p. 42) shares how you can lean into this busy spring season and uncover communication issues with your customers that can provide clarity on their ordering patterns and in your own business practices.

If you’re in the signage business, be sure to check out Lauren Stern’s article on page 18. Lauren shares how maps and placemaking can be represented in art that is not only pleasant to look at, but serves as a means of beautifying a task that is so basic and essential to the human condition — identifying where you are. Lauren shares a map mural project her company completed in Washington, D.C. that creatively demonstrates where an office building is located in relation to some of our country’s most recognizable landmarks.

In apparel decoration this month, I talked with Chris Moulds, a Canadian shop owner and artist who came into graphic design as a second career. Determined to do something different in screen printing, Chris developed a means of pressing high-density stacks of ink into three-dimensional designs as they are applied to apparel. I was particularly amazed by his “wearable Legos” project. Check it out on page 10.

As always, there is much more in store in this issue. And, as always, if you’ve got a project or technique you think we should know about, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Thanks for reading,

James Anderson

Editor-in-chief