Since the launch of our blog, all of my posts have been of a formal or professional nature. I am deviating from that since this one is both personal and informal. I hope you will not mind my journey down memory lane.

With the coming of the San Diego Christmas Show, I am reminded of my Grandfather’s death on September 23, 2009. Since 1994, when I joined the company in a management position, we had a tradition. During the week leading up to the show, we would talk and he would he be full of advice as I asked him questions to finalize our prep based on how things went at the Santa Ana show the week before. However, at the end of this particular week, I received a call that he had been rushed to the emergency room and the outlook was looking very grim.

If you have been to our shows before, you know how drastically the appearance of the warehouse changes. It is a very busy week. So, taking the time to drive up to Orange County to see him in the hospital was difficult from a warehouse operations and show setup viewpoint. Even harder was actually going through with the show and being able to work through this.

My guiding light was the lifelong lessons I had been taught by my Grandfather about work, dedication, and follow through. I knew then and now that no matter what happened, he would have wanted the show to go on. Supported by several cousins that made the journey down to San Diego from Orange County, we successfully held the show in the absence of my grandfather and several other senior family members.

The uniqueness of Shinoda Design Center warehouses is a result of how he envisioned the warehouses should be merchandised and how products should be displayed. Believe me when I say, his hand influenced nearly every decision that has been made in the 25 years of the company’s existence. If you have a moment in the warehouse, take a look around, and I hope you enjoy how much of a true visionary my Grandfather was.

If you have not gotten a chance, you can also read Jimmy’s Obituary.