This post is a plug. I rarely write plugs for self, much less others. My writing is my attempt to remember life’s learnings. I’m blessed to have an opus where I am paid mostly to learn. Truth.
Our daughter, Kristi (aka Krit), has been on her builder’s journey of discovery since leaving the Powell bubble back in 2008 and venturing west to the land of Oz and the University of Kansas. Quite the education has ensued. Broke our hearts to see her leave. Filled us with joy and anticipation as we watched her learning to fly. My, oh my, has she ever flown like the “shoe go bye bye” we knew was in her. Undaunted, she stayed the course when doubt crept in and it would have been easier to return to the land she knew.
Staying the course. Creating quite the life…
Graduating in 2012 she gathered her belongings and went east, but not too far east. KC was as far as she got much to Miss and my dismay (at least at first). A quick internship connected her to Mark Henderson at Lockton and a few, hard earned interviews later, she was onboarding in the insurance industry. The moment she began her corporate career she learned a good lesson – change is the only constant. Her boss would go on maternity leave and leave little in way of instruction. Krit was undaunted. She learned on the job and was quickly learning one of her signature strengths – calm in the storm. FIO (figure it out). And so she did.
Fast forward a bit (time does fly, huh), and her leader, Sara, became her partner in planning events, big events. Krit was always the party planner and collector of her peeps. Her warmth, style, and sincere spirit, coupled with her desire to create community were the right strengths to make any event, not just another event. Sara & Krit’s touch created exceptional experiences done with uncommon excellence. Their colleagues quickly noticed. More events ensued. More clients created. More associates connected. More community created. The chemistry between Sara & Krit was being built. Harper & James seeds were finding fertile ground.
Then comes Covid.
Events and event planning catch a really bad cold. Nobody is coming into the office much less traveling for some educational event no matter how well it’s run and how compelling it’s content. So, Sara & Krit would have to FIO again. Covid was simply another opportunity to “be the change” instead of complaining about it. They ran hybrid events before the phrase was coined. Turned Zoom and Teams nightmares into creative, compelling communities of commerce. And, it opened their eyes to possibilities. What if we took all this learning and released it beyond the industry we currently know, love, and serve? What if?
“Why not” was soon to follow.
Harper & James have a clear why. They didn’t leave because they didn’t have a better option. They left because they loved serving Lockton and wanted to simply serve more. Back to Krit’s roots. It was time for her shoes 👠 to do some walking. She and Sara would walk on in the best of ways. Harper & James is not some side hustle. Harper & James is not another event company. Harper & James is a reflection of their OPUS and their desire to create transforming experiences for folks like you. So, next time you’re thinking about creating an event of any size or sort, give these two a chance to listen to your ideas, coalesce them with their 25 years of collective experience, and create an event you’ll be proud to pronounce as your own.
Harper & James and you are BTL, you know. Together we transform. Always together. Check them out at Harperandjamesevents.com.
Live hard. Love ❤️ harder…
BUILT TO LEAD 