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I worked at CMI from 88-96. In the beginning (it’s better than once upon a time.), it really was a great place to work. The ineptiutde of Jacques’s top management would have been humorous if it wasn’t affecting my livelihood.
One of the stories about this ineptitude involved John Noland. At the time, I was responsible for inbound freight from our vendors. I wasn’t constanlty changing shipping arrangements because the production schedule was always in upheaval.. We had committed to shipping some parts from China by boat because we had enough inventory to meet the demand until they arrived. Of course, the production schedule changed and now the parts were needed quickly. I don’t know if you know how things are packed on a boat, but picture hundreds of 28 ft. containers stacked 3 or 4 high on a ship that is perhaps as long a s footbal field. John comes into my cubicle smelling of cheap aftershave (as he always did) with a panicked look on his face and asks me if we can send a helicopter out to the boat to pull these parts off. I looked at him like he was from Mars. I was dumbfounded that he was asking this question. I told him it was not possible. He said why? I said John, the containers are butted up against one another so the doors can’t be opened. I also pointed out to him what if the parts are in the container on the bottom? Furthermore, he looked at me like I was his worst enemy and stormed out of my cubicle.
Submitted by reader.
For those wondering what ever happened to Jacque Robinson, you know the “turn around guy”, here is a story that surfaced some time ago:
OS ALTOS, Calif., Jul. 11, 2007 (KGO) (KGO) – Wedding season is in full swing, but some brides aren’t exactly glowing as the big day approaches. A popular Bay Area bridal shop apparently left lots of brides hanging, without their wedding gowns.
Panache bridal shop in Los Altos did a quarter million dollars of business after it opened last year, attracting customers with top designers and an elegant setting.
Recently, when brides went to pick up their gowns, they were left with stunning news. The store had shut down.
Janice Yeh of Fremont paid a deposit of nearly a thousand dollars for her gown back in February. It never came, and Panache didn’t return her calls. Her wedding is next week.
Janice Yeh, Customer: “So that’s when I started getting a little panicky.”
Amy Leung of Los Altos paid thirty-three hundred dollars for her gown back in August.
Amy Leung, Customer: “All my bridesmaids and flower girls all have their dresses – all ready to go. I’m the only one who doesn’t.”
Seven On Your Side checked out the store, and found the mail piled up, an eviction notice on the door, and no one answering the phone.
We tracked down Co-owner Jacques Robinson, who agreed to meet us inside the now-closed store. While we were interviewing him, another ticked-off bride burst in.
She asked why she never got her bridesmaids dresses, and Robinson told her the manufacturer never got paid.
Bride: “How come you never paid them?”
Robinson: “Normally, the store pays when they ship.”
Bride: “Why were they never shipped then?”
Robinson: “Because we have no money.”
Robinson told us the store was doing fine until his partner fell ill, and a sewage spill closed their Southern California store.
Then when this store closed, brides resorted to asking neighboring merchants about their dresses. We asked what happened to the brides’ deposits.
Jacques Robinson, Panache Bridal Shop: “I can’t say I blame them for being anxious…all the money goes in a big pot. That’s the way the business is run.”
Didn’t it pay for their gown orders, and if not, why?
Robinson: “That’s what it should pay for too. But it didn’t…I wish I could give you the magic answer to that. We haven’t taken a nickel out of this business.”
Robinson says there’s no money for refunds.
Robinson: “They’re not getting it back. There’s no pot of cash here to dole out.”
Leung and Yeh both wound up ordering their dresses again, direct from the manufacturer this time. Of course, it’s the second time they’ve paid for it, but Yeh was relieved to finally have her dress in hand.
The bride who burst in during our interview said her bridesmaids had to buy dresses off the rack at another store.
Bride: “How do you run out of money and let people order dresses from you then and take their money when you know you’re running out of money. That’s not right.”
Robinson: “We weren’t running out of money when we took the orders. Obviously, that was not the intent.”
Jacques Robinson offered to let that bride take a dress or two off his rack to sell them on eBay. She declined. He’s making the same offer to others. He’s also trying to sell the business or liquidate to repay customers.
If you would like to make a claim for a refund to the Panache Bridal Shop, send an email to panache@scotcrest.com.
Send me a story and I’ll post it. We’ll keep the names anonymous, or maybe not, but either way it’s fun to remember. Look, many of you have stories about the old place. Why not share them? I put this site up to do just that, share stories.
We now have a lot of subscribers, so share.
Admin.
Yes, all things come to an end. CMI’s orginal partnership was no exception.
Mike Valentine and Jim Jaeger certainly had different visions for the company. Mike wanted to build one great product and sell it direct. It would be the best and that’s all we would sell. Jim on the other hand saw things a little different. More products in more categories and more customers willing to pay a premium for them. These were two completely different strategies. But how do you resolve something like this? The answer: play poker.
This poker game certainly had high-stakes, but who would win and what were the rules. Here is how I heard it:
Mike and his dad, (who orginally backed the company) wanted to buy Jim out for something like $12M. When they approached Jim his response was something like: “I’ll buy you and your dad out for $24M…$12M each. The Valentine’s “called” his bluff and gave Jim a few months to come up with the funds. Jim went to work, dialing for dollars. A few months later the funds were raised and the Valentines were out.
Mike signed a non-compete and went away to count his money. Jim was hard at work running his company and looking for a way to pay back $24M. His answer: go public.
Going public has its ups and downs. More of this later.
For those of you who do not live in or around Ohio, this story filled the evening news most of that evening. It is sad story and one that begins with:
“9News was told Jaeger is the former president of a company by the name of Cincinnati Microwave, which produces components that are widely used in the production of radar detectors for cars.”
The local police department knew who we were and really didn’t seem to care that we were in the business of helping people avoid them. In fact, word got out that the engineering guys could test their radar guns, which saved them hundreds of dollars. Before long, some friendships began to develop between them and us.
Most of the people who worked there really enjoyed cars and going fast was the only way to drive. This was certainly easier with the best radar detectors on the market.
I recall a story of two guys leaving work, both eager to get home in a hurry. As usual, the 5:00 squealing of tires meant work was over for the day and it was time to drive fast.
The parking lot fed into a four-lane divided highway, which took you by a large parking lot for the suburban mall. Of course, these two guys did not have the patience to follow the main road and wait for a traffic light, so they both decided to cut through the parking lot of the mall to reduce their time by a few seconds. As they cut through the parking lot, gravel and dust flew from behind their cars…..the race was definitely on.
On the other side of this parking lot was a traffic light that allowed you to get on the expressway. Since both of them were headed in the same eastbound direction, each jockeyed for position at the start of the entrance ramp. Once they hit the express way, I’m sure the other drivers around them had several nice names for them as they cut in and out of traffic.
The race continued approximately 5 miles before the guy losing spotted flashing lights in his rearview mirror. As he began to slow down, the officer motioned him to pull over and proceeded to chase the other guy down as well. As they both pulled to the side of the busy expressway, the guy trailing frantically removed the detector (they were very large back then) from his windshield before the officer walked back to his vehicle. Tucking it quickly under the seat, he thought this might help his chances of talking his way out of the ticket, or at least reduce the fine. Since they were weaving in and out traffic in access of 90+ mph, he needed all the luck he could get.
As the officer approached his window, the stern look on his face meant this was not going to be an easy negotiation. “Do you have any idea how fast you guys were going?” he barked.
“Not really,” the first guy answered, hoping the officer didn’t know either. “Too fast,” he answered, “I’ve been chasing you guys since you cut through that parking lot. Do you see how busy it is out here? You could’ve killed someone or yourself. What were you guys thinking?”
“I don’t know sir,” the guy answered.
The next question the officer asked him took him totally by surprise. “Do you work for Cincinnati Microwave?” His heart stopped for a moment, not knowing how or why this was coming up. He paused for a second and meagerly answered, “Yes I do”.
“Do you know Mike Valentine?” the officer said.
“Yes,” he answered.
“Does your buddy up there, (pointing to the lead car), also work for the company?”
“Yes he does,” he answered.
“Wait here,” the officer said, as he turned and walked up to the lead car.
Moments later, the lead car pulled away. Of course, his turn signal was engaged, as he merged into traffic. As the officer walked back to the open window, the second guy’s heart thumped against his chest while his mind began to wonder what just happened.
“I’ll tell you what I told your buddy up there,” the officer said, “Slow down, you can’t drive like that in traffic and expect other people to see you”.
“Yes sir,” he answered.
“Oh, and by the way, tell Mike I said hi,” the officer said.
“Ok, sure,” he answered.
As the officer returned to his patrol car, he too merged into traffic. How in the hell did the cop know he worked for Cincinnati Microwave he thought, and why did he let me go? The mystery baffled him all the way home. He thought that maybe the officer spotted the detector on the windshield while he was chasing him.
The answer didn’t reveal itself until he told the story later that night to his friend. As he finished the story, he said, “I still can’t figure out how he knew I worked for the company.” His friend looked over and asked, “Were you wearing that shirt?” To which he replied, “Yes, why?” As he glanced down, he saw the words ESCORT RADAR WARNING RECEIVER plastered across his chest.
Mystery solved, license still in tact.
Most succesful companies grow over time and eventually need to move into a larger facility. Cincinnati Microwave was no exception.
CMI grew quickly and moved into their own building in the early eighties. The place was magnificent. Designed by one of the leading industrial design groups in the country, it certainly reflected our level of excellence and commitment to building the most innovative products in our category.
The building was located off an exit ramp near a major interstate, which made it very accessible. Its main entrance was laced with cherry wood and glass block walls, which brought in massive amounts of light. Indirect lighting, carpeting, (even in the manufacturing area) tennis courts, raquetball court and a fitness center topped off the ametities. It also had expensive artwork throughout the facility, which gave it a gallery feel if you were visting. It would rival most country clubs even today. And yes, we had a massive game room for breaks – unheard of in most corporate environments today unless you work for Google. In a matter of a few weeks, we went from low rent to the high life. I now know how the Jeffersons must have felt.
The thing that sticks out for me the most is the statement this building made when you entered it every day. Not only did the management talk about the importance of their employees, they truely built a state of the art facility that made people appreciate working there. It made a difference. If you know anyone who worked there during this time, ask them. I’m confident they’ll tell you it was spectacular.
Those who stuck with the company as it imploded into bankrupcy in 1997, watched this award-winning building come down. Massive bulldozers toppled most of the walls with ease. I remember getting calls from friends who were gathered across the street to watch what some described as a heart-breaking event. I could hear people crying. Some of the folks ran over and grabbed bricks as a way to remember it. It was a time none of them will forget. It was truely a sad day.
For me, the building was a symbol of remarkable business success. I was young and didn’t fully comprehend the Cinderella story I was part of, until much later in my career. I grew up there. I spent more time in that building than in my own apartment. And, it was certainly nicer.
(If anyone has pictures of the building, please send them over. I would love to post them.)
Cincinnati Microwave had its first major spike in sales around 1979. It came shortly after a radar detector comparison test was published by Car and Driver magazine. The Escort had blown away a few so-called competitors in the category and was clearly the only one that really worked. The results of this test changed the company overnight. Orders instantly began to come in, and within a few weeks, the demand far exceeded our capacity to build. It was an exciting time.
Once word got out that Escort was the best detector on the market, people did all kinds of things to get one, including stealing them. At $249.00, the street value was still good and they were easy to move if you could get your hands on one.
One day one of the owners announced that his wife’s car was broken into the night before and his detector had been stolen. He asked customer service to place it on the “stolen list” in case someone found it or returned it for repair. Back then Cincinnati Microwave was able to track a customer’s detector by serial number. If the detector were stolen, you would simply call them and report it. Your name and the detector’s serial number were both in the records. If it were ever returned for repair, chances were good that you would receive a call from us.
Dumb and Dumber
A few days later, two guys arrived at our office in a bright yellow cab. One guy got out and walked into the lobby, while the other remained in the cab. The guy that came in proceeded to tell the girl behind the counter that he had lost his power cord and wanted to purchase another one. The girl said “sure, I can help you with that” and proceeded to put the serial number into the computer. Unfortunately for him, the number came up stolen.
This particular girl was not the brightest bulb in the pack, but I have to admit she did come up with something quickly in order to stall for a for minutes. She managed to stay calm and call someone in customer repair to come up and get the detector. She then proceeded to tell the guy it would be a few minutes and explained how each detector was “fitted” to its cord. She asked him to have a seat and told him someone would be up shortly to “fit” a new cord and thoroughly test the detector. Although the guy looked puzzled, he proceeded to tell her he would be right back, and went outside and told his buddy and the cab driver to wait a few more minutes.
By the time he returned, a call had already been placed to the local police department, which just happened to be within a few minutes from our office. Two plain-clothes officers arrived within minutes and walked into the lobby. Since they were not adorned in the traditional police attire, the man waiting for his “cord fitting” sat quietly and watched.
One of the officers sat down next to the guy and proceeded to read a magazine. The other walked back into the office area and met with one of the managers to get more details on the situation.
Within a few minutes the man (the thief) stood up and said he would come back later to pick up the detector. What he didn’t know was that a third officer in a marked car had just arrived and was now blocking the cab. By the time he had made it to the door, all he could see was his buddy bent over the hood of the cab and a police officer placing a set of silver bracelets on his wrist.
Within a few milliseconds, panic kicked in and he quickly looked for an escape route. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t exist. The plain-clothes officers that were in the building were now directly behind him and proceeded to place his arms behind his back. He too was leaving in a silver set of cuffs.
It’s not clear to me why anyone would show up in a cab to buy a cord. I do know that both guys left the same way they arrived – sharing the back seat of a chauffeur driven vehicle. The vehicle they left in was not yellow, nor was it as clean and shiny as the one they had arrived in, but they did have a driver. I think his name was Sergeant Lewis.
This is a shout out to all of the people who worked for Cincinnati Microwave. If you worked there, know somebody who did, or if you’ve heard a story about the place, send me a note. I’ll review it, research the story if needed and post it. Pass it on.
I’ll continue to post new stories from my experiences, but I would also love to hear from you and others who worked there.
To submit a story, simply click on the contact page and send it. You can send it as a word doc or simple text, no problem.
Thanks,
Admin
