"I was not sure what to expect when traveling to Marietta, GA
to the headquarters of one of Thelma’s biggest suppliers, American Breast Care
(ABC). After working with breast prostheses and bras at Thelma’s for the past
10 years, I honestly wasn’t sure what I would be learning about. I quickly realized that I lacked an
appreciation for the design and creation process of these products. It was also
nice to learn more about ABC as a company and their passion for the industry in
addition to meeting other mastectomy fitters and boutique owners from across
the nation.
Tina and I had an early morning flight from Rochester that
Sunday. After a quick layover in Baltimore we arrived at the Atlanta airport
early that afternoon. ABC had a driver waiting for us with a Cadillac limousine
to take us to the hotel. We felt quite spoiled especially after receiving a
thoughtful gift bag filled with snacks at the hotel check in. After a quick
rest we started getting ready for cocktails and dinner at Co-CEO’s, Jolly
Rechenberg, gorgeous homestead. Jolly and Jay Markowitz (Chairman & Co-CEO)
greeted us with a warm welcome at the front doorsteps. The remaining ABC crew
greeted us inside with smiles and cocktails. This was the first chance we had
to converse with the ABC employees and the 12 other boutique owners, managers
and fitters. We quickly fell to our
common topics of how insurance companies are continuously making it difficult
to run these small businesses, and the overall shrinking number of boutiques in
our nation. Thelma’s is currently the only mastectomy boutique left in the
Greater Rochester Area. Almost every other boutique owner and employee in
attendance said that their establishments were the only ones located in their
respective cities as well. After some chatting, Jolly led us on a nature walk
around his property on the nicely groomed mulch path in the surrounding woods.
Dinner was then served as a casual buffet style and was delicious. After some
more wine, coffee and conversation we were shuttled back to the hotel to rest
up for an early morning.
Monday was going to be an even
busier day. We started off with a fabulous breakfast buffet (the hotel was a
Mariott in case anyone was wondering), and then we took an 8am hotel shuttle to
the ABC headquarters. I was expecting some sort of industrial looking factory,
but it ended up being a typical looking brick office building. After an
enthusiastic greeting from ABC executive assistant, Louise Pomeroy, we were
offered more coffee and then escorted to the conference room. Jay and Jolly
gave their welcoming remarks, and again I was blown away at the compassion and
drive these men have for their company and breast care industry. They truly
want to cater to their consumer and want our feedback as the fitters who work
with these breast cancer survivors. After the welcome, we were split off into
groups of five to tour all of the facilities in the ABC complex.
Tina and I were in separate
groups so my first stop was the breast prosthesis factory to learn how a
silicone breast form is manufactured. From the engineering/design to the final
product there are more steps than I could count. We worked one on one with a
factory worker to make our very own prosthesis to take home. Because of this I was able to experience
being questioned by airport security on the way home as to what was in my carry
on bag. I cannot believe that each prosthesis is handled so much by people
and not machines. We also toured the custom breast prosthesis area, which until
recently had been done with plaster. Thanks to technology, there is now a 3D
scanner that is used to take images of the chest wall with an iPad. A designer
at ABC then creates the pattern to make the mold to then make the prosthetic.
The prosthesis is also hand painted to match the skin tone to give it an even
more customized look. There is an incredible amount of detail put into all of
these products that was more complex than I had ever imagined. The group then
made our way back to the office building to meet the other employees in the
finance and customer service departments. It was great to be able to put names
to faces of those we frequently talk to when we have questions for the company.
The last place to tour was the warehouse which contained shelves stocked from
top to bottom with all of the products to be used to fill retail orders. This
tour opened my eyes to the amount of dedication and work put into making these
products available for our customers.
Lunchtime gave us another
opportunity chat as a whole group. Everyone was so open about how their own
business is run and willing to share the good, the bad and the ugly of the
industry. It’s amazing the number of similarities there are between the
different boutiques despite our geographic differences. Everyone shares a
commonality in that we help women feel whole again after their breast
surgeries. It is not uncommon for us fitters to hear almost daily about what a
wonderful service we all provide. That honestly is the engine that drives these
businesses. After lunch there was a significant amount of time spent with Jay
and Jolly to discuss the ABC product line. They wanted to share some new
innovative breast form design ideas. We were also able to vote on possible new
seasonal colors for some of their most popular bras. Again, I was just impressed
with how Jay and Jolly were genuinely interested in what we have to say,
because we are the direct link to the women who use their products. It is nice
to have a voice that is heard.
After the round table discussion, it
was time for our trip to end. Tina and I packed up in the Cadillac limo again
and started to absorb the information we just received in the past 36 hours.
Overall, it was well worth the trip. Sandy had gone on this tour years ago, and
I am grateful that she wanted to extend the opportunity to Tina and me. The
breast care industry is unique in that there is a genuine desire to provide the
best service and products to the customers. It was nice to be able to see that
first hand.
When travelling to Marietta I was not sure what to expect,
or what I would be learning. However, the value, and sense of worth, I
witnessed being created in the environment of American Breast Care re-taught me
the passion that people such as myself have when helping survivors of breast cancer."
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