Growing Up in a Family Business
When people ask me what it’s like to grow up in a family business, my response is usually the same: “What’s it like not to?!” All kidding aside, being raised in a family-run company shapes you in ways you don’t even realize at the time. From an early age, I learned the value of hard […]
A Legacy of Hard Work: Honoring My Father, Bob Hammer
My father, Bob Hammer, was a man defined by integrity, discipline, and relentless determination. His career began in the 1950s at Colgate-Palmolive, where he learned the fundamentals of sales and professionalism that would shape the rest of his life. By the early 1960s, he’d become a regional sales manager for Carter’s Ink Company, and not […]
Building a Legacy: 45 Years in a Family Business
Being part of a family business for 45 years is more than just a career — it’s a way of life. It’s the kind of life that starts early in the morning and sometimes doesn’t end until long after the lights are off. It’s the kind of work where you don’t clock out at 5 […]
Wearing Many Hats: From Neiman Marcus to the Family Business
I grew up surrounded by the rhythms of retail. My family’s story goes back to my grandfather’s clothing stores in Yonkers, New York — places where community, craftsmanship, and customer care were more than buzzwords; they were a way of life. Those early experiences taught me one enduring truth: when you’re part of a family […]