2016 was a devastating year of loss for Studio Displays.
On July 9, 2016 we lost our fearless leader, Tom Pope, to his battle with Multiple Myeloma. Losing Dad was the most incredible loss of my life; each day after his passing, I thought I would never get through it. The emptiness was unreal. And I know that his entire Studio family felt the same way. So many of our employees were extremely close to Dad, having worked with him for years.
Most of our clients and potential clients would visit our custom shop and be greeted by Dad. His energy would consume the room. His talents would be evident not only in the reputation and legacy that he built over the years, but by the custom guitars he would show off to folks and his genuine demeanor – leaving everyone with a sense of ease and trust. To say there is a huge void left where his talent and dedication once roamed these halls is a complete understatement.
While we suffered a great loss at Studio, I feel blessed to have had the many years of daily interaction with my dad. It is hard to imagine our daily routine without his smile, expertise, and talent, but Dad always said – the show must go on! It is with great pleasure, determination, and honor that myself and my brother (Thomas Pope) work together to ensure that not only the show goes on, but also Tom Pope’s legacy lives on.
There is no way that Thomas and I can do that alone. If we know anything, it’s that it takes a village; we wouldn’t be where we are today without our team of dedicated managers, designers, fabricators. To create a culture of creativity infused with our innate dedication to quality is important to all facets of how our company operates as well as how we partner with our clients.
It is the relationships we have developed over the years that have proven Studio to be the industry leader in our region. We want to continue to build those relationships. We want to grow our outreach, provide more creative solutions to our existing and new clients, and build long lasting partnerships. All of which will help us to produce work we’re proud of – work that we know that Dad would be proud of, too.
There are many things to look forward to in 2017. Studio is investing in new team members, new technology, and innovative improvements to take not only us, but also our clients to the next level. Tom Pope was a brilliant man, a fearless leader, a great father. 37 years ago, he built the foundation of Studio on his ethics, talent, creativity and dedication. Today, we live and breathe those traits in everything our Studio family creates.
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