“We’ve come a long way but we still have a distance to go.”
–Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our first decade came to a close in the summer of 2008. We have learned the following:
- These attractions are special places and critical to their communities.
- We help our partners offer more viable, vibrant attractions to their guests.
- We see immense upside potential at every attraction where we are proud to operate.
- If we stay true to our Core Values and Purpose, we will build an enduring enterprise!
1998 First Store Opens
We began in Boston in the summer of 1998 with our first exhibition store—Titanic! With a little retail background, some product development experience and a LOT of passion, we figured: “How hard can this be?” Well, it wasn’t an overnight success but our results were compelling and so we pressed on.
1999 Begin Building Store Support Team
From “Day One” we said that we would build a store support team and infrastructure to ensure that we: (1) delivered on our brand promise to partners; and (2) stayed true to our Core Values. Although 1010 Turquoise Street in San Diego has always been our home, we are the sum of the parts that are our people and our partners spread throughout North America.
2000 Begin Marketing e|n as a Solution for Zoos, Aquariums, Museums, Gardens and Other Attractions
Much like our customized approach to operating stores (each one is unique), e|n’s marketing effort has always been “one distinct partnership at a time.” We must deliver on our brand promise (“Purpose”) to partners but we also must build and nurture each unique partner relationship. That philosophy applies to every member of our store support team who works with our partners.
2001 First Permanent Store Partnership
In early summer 2001, we began operations at the Detroit Science and soon thereafter at the San Diego Air & Space Museum and New York State Museum. We are proud to maintain these and each of our other early partnerships to this day. To build a pyramid, the base must be sturdy and e|n is very proud to have such a solid foundation.
2002 First Zoo and Aquarium Partnerships; First Natural History and Children’s Museum Partnerships
On January 1, 2002, we commenced operations at John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago and the Indianapolis Zoo (in May of 2002, we began at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden). Further evidence of the successful application of our approach to other types of attractions came later in 2002, when we began at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and Chicago Children’s Museum. These much larger businesses gave us the opportunity to apply our growing expertise in merchandising and product development and store operations. Most importantly, we quickly learned how critical it is to “be connected” with our partners on every level.
2003 More Diversity of Partnerships
With the formation of a Longwood Gardens partnership, a sophisticated and highly revered institution in the world of horticulture, e|n began to establish itself as a solution for any attraction seeking to elevate the quality of its retail offering. Diversity of the types of attractions where we operate is a huge variable in our creative engine that drives higher sales and greater guest satisfaction. It begins with an understanding the audience at each location where we operate so that we ultimately develop and deliver compelling product and present it in a dynamic way.
2004 Establish Regional Store Support Offices
Growth required hands-on support closer to our store teams, so we formalized regional leadership in close proximity to our stores. 2004 included several new large operations (Philly Zoo, Mystic Aquarium, National Aquarium, Museum of Science, et al). Much of our growth occurred in the Midwest and in the East (although we did begin in ’04 at the Midway Museum in our backyard), so we were fortunate to develop several key regional leaders to oversee these operations and work directly with our store teams/partners. Internal development and promotions of personnel has helped to further define and preserve our special culture.
2005 Abe Lincoln Becomes Prominent in e|n’s World
For a guy who has not been around for some time, Abe remains a powerful force. We know that to be true in America’s heritage and it is certainly true in our culture. The man left a gigantic footprint on history and we are fortunate to help celebrate and extend it. Like all of the attractions where we operate, the Lincoln Library & Museum is a wonderful place that tells a story. We see our primary role as being storytellers too—i.e., the merchandise and the manner in which it is presented tell stories to extend the guest experience. Also in 2005, new partnerships included the Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago and the aquariums in Tampa, Florida, and Charleston, South Carolina.
2006: 30+ Partnerships and $50+ Million in Annual Sales
It is a funny thing when goals are reached…you just set new ones. With 2006’s new partnerships including incredible diversity (Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii, Mystic Seaport and Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles), we were delivering on the notion that partnerships could be successful with any institution that offers: (1) critical mass of traffic; (2) merchandisable themes; and (3) a commitment to a quality retail experience. Do we make mistakes? Of course, but we do so with a high degree of flexibility to adjust on the fly and a collaborative spirit that our partners appreciate.
2007: e|n Culture Council Is Born
While we were busy adding wonderful new partnerships including the Independence Visitor Center, Old Sturbridge Village, The Henry Ford and expanding internationally with the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, it became even more apparent that culture is king! Culture cannot come from the top down but rather must spread like a wave washes across the sand. Our annually elected (by our entire company) culture council is charged with everything from birthday party and anniversary recognition to spreading the basic principles of e|n GUSTO to every new hire. Internal newsletters are one such communication mechanism developed and utilized by the Culture Council.
2008: e|n “Goes Green” and e-Commerce Come to Life
While 2008 once again reminded us of Abraham Lincoln’s massive footprint (opening at the emotionally charged Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum and Visitor Center), we mostly reflect in awe at the extraordinary places where we are able to work. The openings at the Newseum in Washington, DC, and the new California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, as well as a new partnership with Chicago’s iconic Sears Tower, are exemplary of how much culture matters in our society (and remind us how we can help foster it). As we have become more eco-conscious as a society (the California Academy is one of the largest platinum-certified green buildings in the world), so too has e|n become a purveyor of “green” and sustainably-sourced merchandise (we sold over $1 million of “green product” in 2008). Also in 2008, e|n developed and now operates more than two dozen Web sites on behalf of, and in collaboration with, partners.
2009 50+ Partnerships and $100+ Million in Annual Sales
One of primary objectives as we pass another landmark set of goals in 2009 is to “remain small” as we continue to organically grow. By remain small, we mean that every relationship matters today even more than it did in that first Titanic store in 1998. We have more resources that we bring to each partnership and more expertise to support our stores; but, more than anything, we have an ever-evolving culture that is shaped by the 1,000+ people we affectionately refer to as “Event Networkers”. With our Core Values and Purpose as our foundation, we encourage creative ideas and celebrate people and actions that are rooted in entrepreneurism. Our theme for 2009?