ONE WILL LIFT UP HIS FELLOW

October 20, 2017

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!" - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

Jennie and I are in Phoenix this week for my follow-up appointments from back and neck surgery earlier this year. This time, we are away only briefly, but it is a good reminder to Jennie and me of our blessings. We have a remarkable team in place at The Coffee Pot Bakery Café and Mountain Arts Pottery.

In June we returned to Bozeman after more than four months away from the business for the surgeries. Upon our return, we spent much of our time reconnecting with friends and customers; and getting caught up on the day-to-day operations of the businesses. We heard over and over how well the business ran in our absence, how friendly our staff was and how well organized everything seemed to be.

Our customers most often interact with our helpful, cheerful servers and clerks at The Coffee Pot Bakery Cafe and Mountain Arts Pottery and we are grateful for that warm and genuine first impression.

Less visible are some of the team members that keep things running smoothly. Marci, our head baker, runs the kitchen, manages food production and the café staff. Our central office team keeps operations running smoothly with Shirley overseeing bookkeeping, Jill as our interim manager, and Jenny as office assistant. Nick oversees retail and wholesale pottery sales and maintains the displays and inventory for the store. Kristy, our facilities manager, keeps the place looking good and operating well. She is our remarkable 'green thumb' and she supervises all the hard working cleaners who get the place spic and span for the next day's business.

Even more behind the scenes is the studio team. Sarah oversees the pottery production through the kilns so we can ship on time and maintain store inventory. Chris, our lead thrower produces at a tremendous rate while Laura, our second thrower (and the newest member of our production team) continues to increase her speed and learn new forms. Richard, Andrew, and Charlotte all contribute to production by processing, glazing, loading and unloading kilns, and shipping.

God has brought us amazing team members; all dedicated to their work while Jennie and I are out of town. They have kept the business running so well and for this we are grateful.

Many Blessings, Dave Lockie