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"Sharing a company and
a life together"
By Sandy Balzo
Brookfield , Wisconsin . . . The first thing that strikes you upon meeting John
and Dori McKearn, founders of J.D. Chamberlain Limited, is how very different
they are. Not from other people--although that may be true, too--but different
from each other.
On one side of the massive wooden partner desk at which they both work in Brookfield,
Wisconsin, John McKearn whirls through life like the wind. Big, both bluff and
blunt, nearly irresistible--a powerful force to have at your back, an intimidating
one to have in your face. The marketing man. The entrepreneur. |
Dori and John McKearn |
Dori McKearn,
on the other hand, is light seen through a prism. As calm and
delicately radiant as the first rays of morning sun, she's
revealed to be a woman of immense creativity. A master of light,
color and style. The artist.
How, you wonder, have these two
opposing forces of nature not only remained married for 18 years,
but worked together in the same office--at the same desk even--for
the last seven?
It's only when they talk about each other that you understand. In nature--out
on nearby Lake Michigan--when night falls, the wind subsides. In the morning
when the sun rises, the wind, too, picks up. Light and wind, you realize,
somehow fuel each other.
"I've always dreamed about forming a company around Dori," says John McKearn, "and
by that, I mean Dori both as a person and a professional. I'm not saying that
because I'm her husband. As she will tell you, I'm somewhat objective about talent--you,
me, whomever. What it is, it is.
"But I really do believe that Dori is in a professional 'zone' right now and
that there couldn't be a better use of her talents in this company than to unleash
those passions (for color, art, design) that she's had since childhood. How do
you explain that she's blowing people's doors off with her designs? That we've
been invited to show her collection in the InterHall at High Point? She has a
genuine God-given gift."
"John," says Dori from the other side of the desk, "strives for excellence. He
shoots for the moon personally and has a talent for removing roadblocks so others
can do the same."
John amplifies that. "I'm an administrator, a facilitator. I understand
system and process, how you get from here to there. I enjoy building teams
and unleashing talent. I demand a lot, and I'm relentless. I believe in
living large and with passion--it's part of what makes me a true pain in
the ass sometimes."
He breaks up Dori with that, as he meant to. Then he goes on:
"After all, what is a company--any company--if not a marriage of the principals?
In our case, it's a literal marriage. We think we bring the best dimensions of
ourselves to J.D. Chamberlain, we try to fully utilize our individual strengths
and, between us, compensate for our weaknesses."
When discussing their division of labor, they talk about "permeable boundaries," a
term from John McKearn's earlier days as a psychotherapist and hospital
administrator. For the most part, John handles the financial end of the
business and marketing, Dori is responsible for design and sales. They
both are involved in research and development--working together on some
things, separately on others. Combined, they represent 27 years of experience
in the furniture industry.
"Permeable boundaries" might also refer to the Chamberlain collection, which
Dori purposely designed so that each piece could stand alone, work as part of
its own group or, through common design elements, themes and finishes, with pieces
from different groups within the line.
"In Chamberlain," she says, "I've been able to take everything I've learned in
the last twenty years--art, interior design, sales, manufacturing --and apply
it. The lines are simple and elegant, the materials unique, the craftsmanship
exquisite. Chamberlain, for me, is a dream come true."
The Chamberlain collection, described as "elegance with a touch of splash," epitomizes
Dori McKearn, her husband says. It should, of course, since she not only
designed most of the line, but traveled the world to pick out just the
right materials (solid woods, peeled rattan, pounded blue-steel, aluminum,
abaca, leather and pure stone castings, among them) and the right artisans
and craftsmen to build it.
Getting it "right" is important to Dori McKearn and, as different as the
McKearns may be, they speak in one voice in the area of ethics--both personal
and professional. That voice may be John's this time, but you get the sense
he speaks for both of them:
"At the end of the day, this business is all about people. What we make goes
into the homes of real people. We are real people. We believe that everyone deserves
to live with style and beauty. We believe in creating the best product and providing
it at the fair and real price. We believe in hard work, good service and ethical
treatment. We believe that an "order" isn't a "sale" and a sale isn't official,
until the customer is happy. And our best customers, we believe, are the ones
who demand the most of us."
He pushes back his chair. "Because that's what we demand of each other
. . . and, more importantly, of ourselves." |
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