[From the Ontario District's newsletter, The Trillium, issue 61-03, July - September, 2007 , Waldo Redekop, editor.]

The Society moves
to its new headquarters

By Barry Towner, Society Paired District Board Member

This summer has been a busy time in Kenosha. Immediately following Harmony University, the packing operation to move the headquarters from Kenosha, Wisconsin, to Nashville, Tennessee has gone into high gear.

Many changes have taken place since the Society purchased the McQuiddy Building [in Nashville] a year and a half ago. The following picture shows the outside of the McQuiddy Building at the start of the construction to convert it from a printing building to the headquarters for the largest male singing organization in the world. As of August 22, 2007, the exterior of the building looked like this.
Under the sign between the windows are four  barberpoles labelled appropriately T, L, BA, and BS. 

The week of August 20, 2007 was the loading week for the moving vans in Kenosha.

The week of August 27, 2007 was the unloading of the vans in Nashville.

The Tuesday following Labour Day was the first day of business for the Society in its new headquarters. It was the beginning of new and exciting times for the Society.

Next summer you can attend the International Convention in Nashville and see the new headquarters firsthand. The building is located on 7th Avenue (how appropriate is that), just one block from the contest venue in the Nashville Arena (formerly known as the Gaylord Entertainment Center).

Of course, with this new excitement comes the end of an era in Kenosha, and I include a note prepared by Society employee Brian Lynch on Thursday August 23, 2007 that quite nicely sums up how important our people that some call employees, but most call friends, have been to the Society success.

Many of these people have chosen to not uproot families and make the move and the Society has provided assistance to them as indicated in Brian’s note. I must also say that these same people, that have worked so tirelessly for us over the years, were hard at work packing and loading the vans to ensure that the Society will be ready to open for business the day after Labour Day.

“An era is ending in Kenosha, Wisconsin this week.

“After 50 years in this city on the lake, the Barbershop Harmony Society is uprooting itself to make a new home for itself in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Around the world, Kenosha has been to Barbershoppers what Cooperstown is to baseball fans: the single place synonymous with their beloved hobby.

“And throughout that time, the Society has been faithfully served by scores of employees who also called Kenosha home. Some were Barbershoppers who came to Kenosha to work for the Society; others were Wisconsin natives who took employment at the stable, reliable Society and gave good measure for reasonable pay for many years.

“As it happens, only two of the “natives” have chosen to relocate their lives and families to Nashville. And so, at the close of business Friday, the retirees will gather their personal items, kiss goodbye, and walk out of the barbershop world. In most cases, forever.

“Hundreds of years of accumulated knowledge, experience and good will goes with them. Thousands of cheery hellos; thousands of “Stan, good to talk to you again;”  thousands of familiar greetings to volunteers they’ve worked with shoulder-to-shoulder at conventions, Harmony University,  Leadership Forums, etc.

“Our barbershop world celebrates its barbershop heroes above all, and certainly our staff Barbershoppers give their time and energy unstintingly, publicly, all year long. But the world will little know and little honor the daily contributions to the hobby made by the mail room, the shipping department, the accounting and convention and membership processing and library staff. These are the largely anonymous toilers who have kept the blood circulating for so long.

“A few have worked for the Society for more than three decades; some for less than two years. Some will be retiring from the work force. Some are early-career workers who will move up. Some are mature workers who will be taking stock of their next careers. The Society is providing severance packages and job search assistance to ease the transition. But please say a prayer of gratitude and support for each of these good people in the hard months to come.

“As you do, take pride in this: In many organizations, workers facing layoff would in the last week of employment be “running out the clock,” just marking time until the whistle blows for the last time. Not here. All of our “retiring” staff have been hard at it up to the last minute, sorting out problems, preparing handoff materials for their successors, serving our customers until the end. It’s astounding to be in the midst of it, and it makes me proud to be their co-worker.

“So hail to our Kenosha staff. Hail to bringing in kringle on your own birthday. Hail to good work done quietly, faithfully, constantly. Godspeed and good fortune to all.

“— Brian Lynch BHS staff since 1991 — and into the future.”

Thanks for your note Brian, and Thank You Kenosha staff for a job well done. Good luck to all of you in the future.

[ED: When Barry stopped by at our place at Harmony Ranch to explain the articles he was sending for this issue, I suddenly realized that the great people who have been such a help at the Society head office were no longer going to be available to me. I had not been aware of how many were not moving to Nashville.

I’ve known and had much help from Brian ever since he first joined the International office staff. He was the secretary/treasurer for PROBE for the three years that I was president and was an immense help to me then and continued helping me whenever I had a problem. I have had the pleasure of working with many other staff also and always found them cheerful and helpful (not like some staff in a lot of other companies that I deal with).

I am certain the new staff will be just as helpful, but I sure will miss the staff that have left. I wish them well in any endeavours they may undertake. A BIG THANK YOU for all of the help you have been for the past 15 years that I have been Trillium Editor. It sure made my job easier. Good luck!  Waldo.]     k