Where are they now: catching up with some alumni from the first five years of Training's New Guard

T+D, May, 2004 by Jennifer J. Salopek

John and Veronica Redmon Principals The Redmon Group Alexandria, Virginia

Ah, the optimism of youth. When we interviewed the Redmons for the very first Training's New Guard in May 1999, John revealed his goal of having 80 employees and US$20 million in annual revenues by 2005.

No one could have foreseen the economic downturn of 2000, much less the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001--both events that have had a profound effect on the lives and careers of all of our emeritus New Guarders. "The year 2001 was devastating," says John.

The Redmons and their staff stood in their conference room in Alexandria on 9/11, watching the smoke rise from the Pentagon as CNN reported events from New York. "Some of our employees were crying; we didn't know what was going on and weren't sure whether to send people home," John says. The firm had pending contracts with Hilton Hotels and the Washington-area airports at the time, which were almost immediately suspended. "I didn't anticipate the domino effect [those events would have]."

The principals briefly considered layoffs, but they felt strongly that such a move would be a blow to morale. Instead, they offered part-time status to all of their employees: 80 percent pay for a four-day work week. "Our employees stayed committed to us as they saw that we were committed to them," John says. "The events of 9/11 were bad, but we were OK as a business. We don't fail here; it's not in our vocabulary."

In the past two-and-a-half years, as the business has rebuilt, John has seen some positive effects of the downturn. One, qualified employees are easier to find. "During the boom time, younger workers seemed to have a sense of entitlement. They switched jobs often, always searching for the next best opportunity. People do their homework now, and are more prepared to sell themselves in interviews," he says.

In business for 13 years, Redmon has had only two unprofitable years, a fact of which John is justifiably proud. The staff of 17 has little turnover, and annual revenues stand at about $4 million. The Redmon Group gained two new clients as a result of the Training's New Guard feature. "We were very proud to have been included, especially in the first year. We felt that it was very prestigious," John says.

During that 1999 interview, John stated another goal: to have the top multimedia firm east of the Mississippi by 2005. He still feels that they're well on the way. "Although 'top' is certainly subjective, we feel it describes the work we've done and our reputation in the industry."

The firm focuses its efforts in multimedia, e-learning, and e-business. It has developed interactive museum projects that blend expertise in e-learning and multimedia for such clients as the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum, and the Gettysburg Learning Center. New technology in radio frequency identification (RFID) is being used in the development of an interactive exhibit for the Edventure Children's Museum in Columbia, South Carolina, in which young visitors walk through a virtual town.

Redmon is working on e-learning projects for the World Bank and Northrup Grumman, as well as some health education projects funded by federal Small Business Innovative Research grants. The firm has developed companion Websites for Smithsonian exhibits on the 100th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition and on North American mammals.

The Redmons have been increasingly involved in their community. The firm received Alexandria's Best Small Business Award in 1997, and has only deepened its roots there. "It was always our dream to live and work in Old Town [Alexandria]," says John, "and we wanted to give something back." John served as chair of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce in 2003, and sits on the board of the Torpedo Factory Arts Center. Although they would no longer close the office and take the whole staff to a movie as they did in 1999, the Redmons still want work to be fun. "Our corporate culture has changed in a good, realistic, adult way," John says. "People here have seen the downturn and understand our business. We share most of the numbers with them; they're open-eyed." The staff gets together for "Pizza and Presentations" every quarter; the firm furnishes a pizza lunch and employees share the projects they're working on. A recent all-staff social outing at a local karaoke bar included the award of $25 gift certificates to any staff member who would sing.

"We try to focus on the positive," John says. "You don't have to have a Nerf gun in every conference room to be a fun place to work."

2000

Peter and Paul Reynolds CEO and President FableVision Watertown, Massachusetts

When last we spoke with the Reynolds twins, their innovative multimedia development firm, Cosmic Blender, was working on corporate learning projects for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Media One, and a major international consulting firm, among others. Their sister (brother?) company FableVision concentrated on animation and served as an outlet for the seemingly endless stream of original characters who reside in Peter's imagination. Its focus was primarily children and educators.