The staircase vibrated with the chatter from the room above. On the way in, I’d passed an impressive array of Porsches and a few friendly greeters. Now, as I made my way through the double-doors into the open room, I could make out the shapes of people silhouetted against the yellowing sky.
The west-facing wall was neatly lined with bay windows and four standing-room terraces, just before them, tiny white chairs lined neatly in rows. Sunbeams poured in, painting the floor with both, shadows and light.
People started at the table housing empty name tags then dispersed to various corners of the room, stopping for hugs and “hello’s” along the way. The southern end was where the speaker would be blueprints and plans for the building and surrounding site hung on the drywall to the left. Facing North, with a peek-a-boo view of the Whatcom Museum, were the sponsor tables and open bar.
Bellwether owners and brokers alike mingled with guests before making their way to their seats. Our team lead and commercial expert, Chris Erdmann offered a warm welcome, thanking each sponsor by name, before introducing the Guest of Honor.
Author of books like “The Nordstrom Way to Customer Experience Excellence: Creating a Values-Driven Service Culture”, “Amazon.com: Get Big Fast”, “The Mom & Pop Store: True Stories From the Heart of America” Robert Spector is an international speaker and co-founder of RSi.
Focusing on a values-based, customer-driven culture, Robert offers a wealth of knowledge on lasting customer experience through the cultivation and persistence of vision, mission, and core values.
The sunset made its finale while Robert gave his closing remarks: “Learn to adapt to change and connect with your community” two things I think so many Whatcom-based businesses stand by.
We ended the night with a raffle sponsored by The Bellingham Yoga Collective, Backcountry Staples, and Byron at Roger Jobs with prizes of Adventure-Ready Breakfasts, Two-weeks Free Yoga, and a Weekend With A Porsche! And a group picture of course!
We’d like to extend a very special thank you to Bellingham Seafeast for joining us, Harcourt Development and the Port of Bellingham for opening your space to us, Jessica of 122 West Brewing Co. for providing the beverages, and IAj multimedia for their video coverage! To view the full photography gallery, click here!
Photography provided by Elle Cartier.
