VP Corner: The Lucky One

I am fortunate enough to be a partner in Epoch Design where we have created the Mail Boss security locking mailbox. We started out designing and producing furniture, and we still do. Certainly, it is fulfilling to watch our ideas come to life and sometimes become desirable products for the masses. For many years, this drove me and inspired me, especially when we had customers contact us appreciative of the quality of our products. But there was always something missing, and we all felt it. From my perspective, it is very difficult to really help people out, rather, impact their lives by providing them with quality furniture that fulfills a need or desire in their lives.

Several years ago, we were looking for a locking mailbox for our business and our homes, after having our mail stolen on multiple occasions. We soon realized that there was something very wrong in the market of secure and affordable mailboxes: There were none available that any of us felt comfortable using.

We thought: Why don’t we make our own? We can design our own furniture… With all of the regulations involved in furniture manufacturing, we can surely design our own locking mailbox that we can trust and use! Then my sister Monica said, “We need to make a secure locking mailbox that everybody can afford and sell them.”

At first I thought this was just another idea and didn’t pay too much attention to it. As the days passed, we discussed this idea more and more. Then, after some research, it dawned on all of us that this was a great idea, because there was no locking mailbox product out there that was both affordable and truly secure. From that point on, we were on it, securing trademarks and patent designs as soon as we developed them. A year later, we were selling our mailboxes in a few local locations.

I have always loved working with nuts and bolts, and knew the difference between a Ford, Chevy and a Dodge by the age of four. Since I have always been somewhat of a “Gear Head” I really got into the “nuts and bolts” division of our business. Talking with hardware people is an easy task for me. Most are down to Earth as well as very clever people. You know these people… they are the folks at the hardware store who tell you exactly what you need and how to fix it when you present them with a problem. They are eager to help protect you and your belongings from the weather, pests and thieves.

Looking back on where we have been and how far we have come since we got our Mail Boss into those first few hardware stores, all I can do is grin. I am the lucky one! Now I have the honor and privilege of talking with great people on a daily basis. I help to provide hardware dealers with our Mail Boss products that protect many thousands of their customers every day from mail and identity theft.

Yes, I figured out what was missing in just creating and selling furniture. I have the best job ever!