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A fitting send-off

Often when a chief executive retires, a company tries to keep it hush-hush, for fear of shattering the brand mystique. But in its winter Goods & Wares catalog, Vermont Country Store owner Lyman Orton devotes most of page 2 to singing the praises of Bob Allen, who retired as president/CEO on Jan. 1, more than 22 years after he joined the company. Like the rest of Vermont Country Store's copy, the letter from Orton is graceful, gracious, and never self-aggrandizing. “Bob may have waited on you in our store or taken your order over the telephone and you likely didn't know who he was,” Orton writes. “That's Bob's style: delivering the goods to your satisfaction with selfless passion for finding what you need. Bob is going to help Bill Shouldice for the next three years and then retire. He could retire today if he wanted but Bob cares every bit as much as I do for VCS….Join me in thanking Bob Allen — a true storekeeper — for delivering the goods.”

Tiffany's got game

Super Bowl XXXIX may now be a dim memory, but it's still a victory for Tiffany & Co. The acclaimed New York-based jewelry and giftware marketer has been supplying the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophy for 39 years. Created at Tiffany's workshop in Parsippany, NJ, the 22-in.-high trophy depicts a regulation-size football in sterling silver. Tiffany & Co. also creates the Pete Rozelle Trophy presented to the Most Valuable Player of the Super Bowl game, an 18-in. statuette with a shooting star design handcrafted in sterling silver with vermeil accents. Tiffany isn't just a football fan — it also makes the trophies for the National Basketball Association's Larry O'Brien Championship, the World Series for Major League Baseball, and the U.S. Open Tennis Championship, among other sports events. One question: Do the trophies come in that blue box?

Bass Pro Shops steps up to help tsunami victims

The outpouring of aid from all over the world to help victims of the December tsunami in Southeast Asia has been overwhelming and impressive. Many merchants are doing their part as well by making it quick and easy for their customers to donate via links from their Websites to charitable organizations. Springfield, MO-based outdoor products cataloger/retailer Bass Pro Shops is going a step further by matching customer donations. The company, which has donated water, food, and clothing to the victims, on Jan. 16 began the Bass Pro Shops Tsunami Relief Challenge at all of its stores, through its catalog call center, and on its Website. Through the end of January, Bass Pro Shops was matching $0.50 of every $1.00 donated by customers up to $25,000. All funds will be donated to the American Red Cross International Response Fund to be used in the tsunami relief efforts. Way to go, Bass Pro!