Something about the Fourth of July and its history of a once-fledgling country has me thinking about the history of a once-fledgling company called Levenger…
When Lori and I took our first orders for reading lamps back in 1987, I confess I wasn’t thinking much about a vision for our newly hatched company. Mostly I was worried about whether the lamps would get there in one piece. And if our customers would like them. And whether our tiny company would survive to grow out of our second bedroom in Belmont, Mass.
As it turned out, not all of the lamps did get there in one piece. But we took great care of our customers and listened hard. Listening to customers became not just a habit but a credo. (Happily, I get to talk to even more of you now, thanks to new social networks and your lovely old-fashioned letters and cards.) So much of what Levenger became is because of what you expected us to be.
Digging deep into DNA
What you’ve told us in the past couple years is that Levenger could be, and should be, a company that not only sells good products but does good deeds.
We heard it within ourselves, too. That’s why we’ve embraced Conscious Capitalism in ways that we feel will resonate with serious readers. This is the impetus behind our creating Partnering for Good products, as well as underwriting the National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading program. And these are just two of several initiatives we’re working on.
But programs and initiatives only work if their goals are part of a company’s DNA. That’s why I would like to share with you the renewed vision and values of Levenger. They represent the latest chapter in the history that you, our customer, continue to help us write.
These many years later, I still worry about whether your order gets to you in one piece. I want you to feel good about what you buy from Levenger. I also want you to feel you can trust the company you’re buying from to try to do some good in the world.
Keep talking to us. We’ll keep listening. And thanks for helping us write a history we can be proud of.
P.S. As always, I’d love to hear from you. Just click on the Comments link below. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you'll connect to Comments).
