How do you know all this?

[Former_Member]

Hey Beverly,

I saw you said on another thread that you had been involved in CPSIA since its signing in 2008. I was wondering if you would mind telling us all how you gained your expertise? Were you involved in the bill politically at all, or just a (properly) concerned business owner who wanted to make sure all her ducks were in as good a row as she could manage?

Thanks,
Corinne

[FayeMaloneDesigns]

Like the lead saga, this will be long, but here goes. I promise not to make this 64 pages like the original bill. But you have to understand about what drives me....I didn't just spring up an "expert" all at once. .....LOL!!

In the old forums eons ago, back when we had a real business forum the subject came up right after the signing or when we all got wind of it's inception and potential for disaster for Children's products by the simple addition of the word "ALL" and "ANY" coupled with the word "LEAD". People forget words have meaning, and when you couple that with hysteria, and politicians, especially before elections, you can have serious consequenese.

I admit to being a determined person, I don't take much lying down. If I see something that isn't right, I get involved. At barely 16 (I had enough credits to get out at the end of my Jr. year, but Ca law wouldn't let me out until the next year when I was 16) I graduated and went away to a 30,000 student University instead of staying close to home. This was during the early 60's complete with sitins, the assasination of Pres. Kennedy, and Vietnam.

As a new hire at an early job, I got word I was going to be fired because I made some mistakes, I felt because there was no training program nor how to book. So I quickly did some research, wrote a training program and shipped it off to the corporate office. Since this was a fledging company, based in the same city, I was noticed. Within a year I was moved into the regional office, and wrote the customer service program that was adopted, and started training the managers for the entire country. From 11 Fotomats when I started, they grew to over 1000 before I left the company.

When I married my husband 43 yrs ago, I started my own business making clothing for bands and small boutiques. Then I went to work for a larger clothing manufacturer and managed their 2 stores. I also purchased all the fabrics and helped in the design room, learning everything I could about clothing manufacture and retail management.

A few years later, I went to work for one of San Diego's old school dept stores as an area manager at the #1 store, within 2 years I went into the buying office as assist. better sportwear buyer. 2 years later, became the corp. training director, traveling to all 16 stores.

When the more upscale San Diego carriage trade dept store was opening a new store, I took a chance and applied for a job. Even though I took a pay cut, I ended up in their #1 volume store as an assist to the top area manager. When she was promoted in 4 months I took her job. A year or so later, I became the assist. store manager, and also became the regional training director. After a couple of years and 2 babies later, I was the Store manager , with responsibility for 40 mil$ in sales, a mil$ volume restaurant, beauty salon, and up to 250 employees. Only women had been store managers in the smaller volume stores, and I was the young "newcomer" who got the #1 store. My first year, I met both my sales volume goals and my profit goals. After 10 years I took a year away, but I returned when I heard that they were opening their newest store that had once been a store owned by the first dept store chain. I was very familiar with the clientel and the area from previously, so even though I had heard that another mgr had been assigned, I said I would drive the 50 miles each way and take her store when she moved. Because I was willing to do that, I was given the new store where I was for about 5 years.

During the end of those years , we made the decision to home school our children, when their private school at the last minute closed and the only private school that had openings was at the other side of San Diego Cty. This was in the later 80's and early 90's, when home schooling was not well accepted and mostly underground. That was right up my alley,. rebel that I am when I see a challenge.

20 years ago, we both left the corporate jungle, moved across country and bought a now 150 yr old farmhouse on 11 acres, and started our own business designing custom ceramic tile installations. This in an area, where formica was king. We learned everything we could, and with our art backgrounds, my husband's construction experiance, and hardwork, we became THE tile people of the county and the surrounding area. If you wanted perfection, artistic uniqueness and superior customer service, including feeding your dogs and cats, watering your plants, signing for your UPS deliveries and stirring your matzo ball soup, we were there. We still get phone calls from around the USA from people wanting us to travel to do their tile work, or to coach them thru installations, even though we "retired" 4 years ago.

So to contine the A type driven personality traits, I continued to home school the girls thru high school, became a 4-H leader, a 4-H judge for several subjects, prez of the 4-H advisory board, and vp of the small animal committee. Throw in Girl Scout Leader and coach for a Bible Quizzing team and doing all the catering and floral design for one daughters wedding.

The girls have been taught to always give their best. If they took 10 4-H projects they completed all of them and were expected to qualify for State Fair in as many as they could and get blue ribbons at the least in all. If they signed up for 20, no excuses same rules. They both have a wall of ribbons and trophies including Ohio State Fair ribbons and trophies. One earned her GS gold award, the other earned a tuition free college education with her wins as the World Champion Bible Quizzer and WC Team member another year.

Then the "lead" hit the fan in 2008, I read the law, copied it, read it again and again, took out the gooblygook and deciphered the KIng's English from the Government speak. Went to every reference I could find, read every article and opinion and had them all copied on my computor. Since I had subscribed to the CPSIA emails, I received every change, revision and CPSC opinion on the subject , so I could keep up with it all. Read the HTA blogs and Fashion Incubator blogs on their action plans. Wrote my politicians, who naturally hadn't read it, nor understood it, "after all, it was protecting the children", talked about the issue with everyone and anyone I could capture. And continued to be vocal and involved with the discussion. When they made us a team I stuck with it, even after most people drifted off, it was my new job.

It helped already having a background in both manufacture, marketing and retailing so that I knew what it would mean to those that sewed and what we could do to change our methods if necessary. I was familar with the FTC and became well versed as I could with their laws, and reading thru their lists of what's covered and what's not, i'm old enough and well read enough to know what Antimacassars and tidies and some of the other items are.

This law has taught me a lot about how the government and politicians work or lack thereof. It has also reminded me of going after something that you believe in, and the power that each of us can unleash within ourselves if we choose not to accept what we are told. Information is all around us, sometimes you just have to dig. Learning should never stop until you are dead and buried. Then you can quit, unless you live with me........ LOL!

[NiniCipollini]

I wish there was a like button! Well done! :)

[aclhandweaver]

Inspiring!

[Former_Member]

Thanks! Very informative, and not just as an answer to my question:)