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Eileen Bradley |
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It was a long Vermont winter in 1977 when Kevin Harper and his partner Cheyene Autumn were struggling just to keep their hand-me-down VW bus alive. By spring they were down to their last $500 when they began mixing up locally picked herbs and beeswax with plant oils to make their first balms and ointments on the kitchen stove. |
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Eileen poses with Joe Marlovits and Keith Armato at the HBA Convention in New York
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| Now, some 24 years later, Autumn Harp, with 65 full time employees, produces custom manufactured petroleum-free balms and over the counter drug (OTC) products for companies around the world, but the offbeat spirit that contributed to the company's beginnings is very much alive today, and is part of what attracted their Packaging Coordinator, Eileen Bradley. |
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Eileen actually started as a chef, training and apprenticing in Chambly, France before spending 20 years in the restaurant business, but it's easy to see how she made the transition in October of '98. "We have a lot of chefs in the kitchen, these days," she explains, referring to the chemists in the lab. "Actually, last year we had a client who asked for a cheap communion wine flavored lip balm, so we cooked up a bunch of recipes and sent out invitations for a 'wine tasting.'" That type of quirky approach is the modus operandi at Autumn Harp, where Eileen is also the "proud manager of the SWAT Team." |
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The SWAT meetings are where representatives from every branch of the company come together to brainstorm product ideas. "The sales team might issue a brief saying they want a screaming orange lip balm in a pump container with top and bottom label and glow in the dark ink, and we attack all aspects of the project and decide whether to kill them or let them live. It's a hard hat meeting. Squeeze tubes go flying and the plant managers are trying to break everything. It's rowdy, and that's what I like about it." When the dust settles, it's Eileen's responsibility to manage the packaging of the product from concept to manufacturing, and that's where VinCenzo comes in. |
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Eileen's first experience with VinCenzo was certainly in keeping with the quirky theme. She recalls when Joe Marlovits, VinCenzo's Vice President of Sales, first came out to visit. "Joe came in the sloppy slush, and all the car rental place had was a Mustang. Plus, the airline lost his luggage, so he went to the Alpine Shop; the only store in town that sells men's clothing. The airline ended up delivering his clothes at 8:00 AM, but he was driving a Mustang all over the road, ashen knuckles gripping the wheel, and he nearly had to wear outdoor gear to our first meeting." |
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The hemp lip balm tin VinCenzo and Autumn Harp produced for the Body Shop
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| The fact that VinCenzo, like Autumn Harp, comes from nomadic roots and tries to foster a somewhat unconventional atmosphere (though generally not that unconventional) isn't lost on Eileen. "I bring a lot of goofy ideas, and they're always looked at with equal respect and really explored. Some other places just tune out and say they can't do it. In fact, I have a huge box of new samples on the floor right now. I told Joe I needed a few new samples for a small window tin, and they came in with a forklift and left a box for me. With a range of samples, it's so much easier to sell... I can show the customers as closely as possible what we're talking about." As a result, VinCenzo and Autumn Harp have collaborated on a number of projects, including products for the Body Shop, Blue Q and Garden Botanika. "Of course, the finished product has been awesome, awesome." With an endorsement like that, we'll take on the sloppy slush anytime. |
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