You’ll Find the Bosses Behind the Taps

Last night I capped off a very long day with a few beers served up to me by the owner of a Deerfield brewery. Yes, like me, owner of the cafe, and like Nick, owner of the catering company, when events beckon, it is usually the bosses who man front lines.  We had nearly finished dinner for just under 700 bike riders  out on the fields by the Deerfield River.  We traded ribs for brews.

A few months ago I enjoyed the Taste of Amherst. There I was greeted by the owner of two popular bars; like Gary Boghoff, he was pouring the beers himself, and enjoying chatting up fellow business owners and customers who dropped by the beer garden.

So often I  find that these public events are where you’ll find the real people in charge. I ran into an old friend at the bike event, a man who sells advertising in the Daily Hampshire Gazette.  He  beckoned me over, and as we caught up and I met his sturdy son who is entering the Peace Corps. I told him I thought it was an honorable and  smart choice; and Dave told me a story from our days together selling newspaper ads.

“You used to say that I had a fiefdom of my own, and I always loved that expression.”  He said that although the ad reps still do have their own territories, it’s still hard for them to wrap their heads around selling pixels instead of column inches.

I know the feeling, it’s hard going from selling half page car and real estate ads to mere buttons on a screen. And every body wants the home page, where there’s only so much room.