Eisman-Ludmar: Interview with Made to Measure Magazine

Eiseman-Ludmar is a small New York company that began in 1955, with two brothers-in-law embroidering gold bullion “scrambled eggs” on imported hat findings, then distributing them to re-sellers. Abe Eiseman handled the workings; Joe Ludmar did the sales, eventually buying out Abe.

After the Korean War, Joe sold American Airlines its first civilian, custom-embroidered pilot caps; then, all the airlines’ pilot caps.  Intent that his business have a future, Joe insisted that his son join him.  “I built this business for you,” he told Andy.  But the timing wasn’t right.

 

“I just couldn’t do it,” Andy says, “ and I’ve always felt bad about it…” Andy wanted to be his own person without the shadow of his father; he went into the garment industry—where Joe began--but on his own terms.  With his BA and MA in business, Andy Ludmar learned about selling in the toughest, most competitive segment of the apparel world.

Joe’s company grew until he died in 1977; his wife, Tina, (not a businesswoman) hired a man who managed E-L until she died, in 1983.

1983 also found Andy the unexpected heir to this stagnating family business about which he knew nothing.  In his typically pugnacious way, Andy took the challenge.  “I had no one to teach or educate me—and no one to push me around.  Besides,” he laughs, “you gotta have a job, somewhere!!”

Eiseman-Ludmar has since increased its product line, utilizes offshore and local manufacturing.  The company’s credo is about quality, about doing it better.  With top-of-the-line items and ingenuity in design, what was once wire embroidery for caps has become an international regalia business for military, government, entertainment, and fashion industries—head to toe.  From single orders to thousands at a time--epaulets, insignias, shoulder cords, clothing--this company is an unquestionable success.

Andy reflects, “When you have a business, you need family to run it, or you’re vulnerable.”  He was working; Carol, his wife, had become somewhat isolated as an educator and mother of 4 (now ages 12-26).   Juggling motherhood with occupation, she decided to join Andy and has evolved to full-time vice-president. 

She considers herself the “behind-the-scenes” person who “fills in the gaps.”  In truth, she is a major contributor who, like her husband, is a “Jacqueline” of all trades.  Once the shy wife who demurred to wiser more experienced Andy, she now has her own accounts, flourishing as head designer/buyer for the firm.  “I got into this business for one set of reasons, but stayed for others,” she says.  “I love being able to do a lot of things.  I’m never bored, there’s talking and thinking going on all the time, and it’s all mine!” she laughs, happily.

Carol, 51, recalls her 29½ years of marriage: “This business isn’t about business.  It’s about us.  Some days are better than others; love and respect are the glue that holds us together.”  She muses, “I’m not a planner.  This is where our lives are, and we’ve done well enough to think that it might be good enough for future generations.  I don’t know all the answers,” she smiles.  “I just floor it and pray.”

Their children are her pride.  “Each of them is an independent, functioning person.  If they want to work here, it’s only after they’ve been educated and held jobs on the outside.  They need to learn who they are, what they really want.” 

David, the eldest, has been with E-L for the last 2 years.  “I like to be able to work with a project, taking it where I want it to go,” he emphasizes.  His priorities: Technology of the 21^st century, relationships with customers and vendors.  His efforts have focused/better-organized the company.  “You check your ego at the door in a family business,” he chuckles.

Andy feels strongly about his children, remembering Joe.  “I’m trying to have a good relationship with my son without losing him.  Dad was a great guy, but he was tough.  I believe an individual has to be given a chance—not just be put into a slot.” 

At 53, he sees himself as “average.”  “I’m so average that in the Army, out of 400 men, I was the tallest guy of the short 200…  I work hard.  I have to work harder than most people because I’m not that smart.  And you know what?” he queries.  “Even an average guy can be what he wants, if he takes what he’s got and goes for it.  I work harder, I’m consistent, I don’t get deterred.”

Andy and Carol, like Eiseman-Ludmar, are anything but “average…”

Smith & Warren, Badge Manufacturers: Interview with Made to Measure

In 1925, Mr.’s Smith and Warren founded a police equipment store around the corner from the New York City Police Department.  Mr. Smith later became a Congressman, but Mr. Warren continued with the low-key company until he retired.  Two brothers (unrelated to the original owners) bought the firm in the early ‘sixties, maintaining the site and its principal client (NYPD) with an inventory of police jackets, whistles, cap-straps and what-not, until the brothers, too, were ready to call it a day.

1981 marked the year that Julian Galperin, a successful consulting engineer in the throes of mid-life crisis, decided he wanted to be self-employed—become “master of his own destiny.”  He purchased a nearby Electro-plating company, deciding to apply his knowledge at a practical level.  Simultaneously, new federal constraints on pollution rendered the business of electrically bonding metals with coatings of gold or chrome nearly cost-prohibitive; Julian was left with his factory and his expertise—all he needed was something environmentally clean to make.

 When he discovered that Smith & Warren was for sale, Julian purchased it and combined the 2—Electro-plating/police accessories: His badge business was born.  In a week’s time, the contents of the old building in Manhattan were moved to White Plains.  The factory was kept running as it was gradually converted from “job-shop” plating for outside vendors, to in-house orders for badges, only.  New catalogues were designed, new products were introduced, old items were re-introduced, pricing was re-vamped, marketing began on a national scale.  And Helena joined Julian at the office.

A native of Yonkers, with her own parents in the fabric business, Helena grew up knowing about a family-owned enterprise, working long hard hours, and focusing on customer service.  At Columbia University, while studying for her MA in counseling, she met Julian, also a Master’s candidate but in mechanical engineering.  After their marriage, she went into the business world working with large corporations, computers, human relations—all of which would eventually prove invaluable.

By the time Julian asked her to join him at the plant, Helena had been at home for several years with their 2 children and mountains of volunteer work.  She was ready for a change, and Julian needed someone in the front office he could trust.  The two make a terrifically dynamic team.   “We are always arguing,” Julian laughs.  “Nothing is unilateral.  We are best friends, we discuss everything together all the time.”

Now 49 and general manager, Helena adds, “Julian understands the process of manufacturing.  My focus is customer service.  We don’t get in each other’s way because we do very different things.  Neither of us needs to be in charge, so we’re both in charge.”  Combining Julian’s knowledge of efficiency and technology with Helena’s skills in corporate structure and public relations, Smith & Warren has become a firm where expedience and patience, intensity and flexibility make an inseparable winning team.

Helena developed a point of focus unique to Smith & Warren.  “The badge manufacturers know each other, what each makes.   If we can’t help a customer, we refer to someone who can.  We always try to give our customers more than they ask for,” she emphasizes.  “We sell our products every day by our attitude—our customers are our allies; they sense and respond to our positive feelings about what we do, who we are.  Julian and I don’t think of the bottom line as money; we think in terms of value and quality for our customers.”

Julian reads every programming manual he can find, studies factory production, and systematically employs the most technologically advanced innovations available.  “People say factories are run by robots,” the 57 year old entrepreneur scoffs.  “That’s not true.  Robots are run by people; but people have different tasks/skills/responsibilities, now.  At any one time, we have over 4,000 different orders processing at different stages of completion--all bar coded--with our employees tracking the bar codes.”

“Most people in our business merely sell badges.  We manufacture them.  From start to finish, everything we do is under our control.   It takes others 6-8 weeks to obtain a die, deliver a badge.  We set our goal for 2 weeks.  We have a person whose specific job it is to monitor all orders—by its tenth day in production, if any single order is out of sync, he goes after it.  It isn’t that we work faster; rather, we work at a regular pace, but we hire more people.”  “The answer to our customers is always ‘yes,’” Julian offers with a twinkle of irony.  “The question is simply ‘what’s the problem?’”