As my Grandfather was very proud to be part Irish, St. Patrick's Day was always a special holiday to me. I wore the claddaugh ring (symbolizing love, loyalty, and friendship) most of my life. I'm not so much a fan of traditional Irish food, but I sure love fried cabbage and Guinness is my beer of choice.
I figured if I like the beer, I should learn a little more about the company itself. It got it's start when Arthur Guinness (his signature is on the label) signed a 9,000 year lease on an empty brewery at St. James Gate in Dublin in 1759. It's been around for a little over 250 years. It amazes me that this predates our country's official birthdate.
Recently, I came across a young adult book at the library, Black Potatoes: the story of the great Irish famine, 1845-1850 by Susan Bartoletti. I'm always up for learning, and really knew nothing about the Irish Potato Famine. In the book, it described in detail the hard lives the Irish led during these years and the loss of approximately 25% of the population due to starvation and emigration.
I had to put the book down a few times because it was such a hard story to read and imagine my ancestors possibly experiencing these conditions. It amazed me again that Guinness was around long before the famine and has no signs of going anywhere anytime soon, with only 8,744 years left on their lease.
What does this have to do with Nelson-Jameson? A lot of things. Like Guinness, the foundation has been laid for this company to thrive for many years into the future. Like the Irish, we are hardworking people that can endure. We may have strong years and lean years, but we aren't afraid to put in the hard work to make sure that NJ is able to do what we need to do to be successful. We are constantly evaluating and improving our systems and processes to make us leaner, stronger, and more efficient on a daily basis. We are good people, always willing to lend a hand to help another. We are honest people, while we want to make the sale, we won't bend the truth to make a quick buck. We are steadfast, we don't let one failure change our goal. We are kind, but we are strong. We are Nelson-Jameson.
