Upcoming SATEVEPOST cartoon - Roy Delgado

This cartoon just recently sold to the

Saturday Evening Post is to appear in the upcoming December issue, I believe it is now called the Nov/Dec

issue . . . . Funny thing about this cartoon, when I had my sign company in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area from 75 to 2001, my Sign Company ended up specializing in electric/neon signs.

I was approached to bid on the very first STARBUCKS

Coffee Shop location On the east coast, so I was told . . 

It was to be located at McLean Gardens, on Wisconsin Blvd.,) a strip mall in an upscale area ) it was all hush-hush and it was top secret then, we could not mention the store to anybody.  This event happened during 

 the "blizzard of '93.   

The store was due to open on a Monday, and I heard this

unknown company ( at that time ) planned to open 26 stores in the area . . . I used to hear this a lot, usually it was pipe dreams or B.S. to get you excited . . .  

Anyway, this location called for a 48 inch diameter interior-lighted logo disk ( the mermaid, etc., green and black translucent film on white translucent plexiglas ) to be installed on a large brick wall on the outside plus one set15 inch brushed stainless steel letters with welded 5 inch returns.  The letters had a clear plexi back  and also housed white neon for a 'halo-effect' on the backs of the letters which were installed a couple inches offset from the wall.   It was well designed I thought and was a tough job to meet the deadline, about 3 weeks in the dead of winter!  The blizzard was due to hit the Washington, D.C. area on Friday!, the day we had planned to begin installation of  the job!  It was a 2 man installation planned for Friday and Saturday . . . that left me Sunday to finish up if necessary.  By the time Friday came, my men were there and the snow was falling . . . and falling.

It snowed for 3 days !

The other contractors . . . The drywall men, the electricians . . . the painters began to drop like flies starting about 1:30 PM and began leaving the ship to leave for home . . . 

My men were the ONLY  workers to stay and we completed the job, just as promised !

This, I had promised.  No lousy blizzard was going to stop us, no way.

Monday morning came.  About 10:30 AM I get a call

from a Howard Schultz.  I actually never heard of the guy!

I'll never forget the conversation . . . He

told me that he was impressed that we completed the job on time and looked real good.   

 He then went on to tell me that OUR company were the

only people who stayed and completed the job as promised.  HE ( Howard Schultz ) then asked me:

" How'd you do it ? !"

I said: ( kind of cocky ) " It was simple, I just sent my "A" team out for this installation.  It's comprised of a former Marine Embassy Guard ( Russia ) and an 

Ex- Green Beret . . . . I just told them: " This is an important job and it has to be completed  by Saturday because the store plans to open first thing Monday. "

"That's all I said and I forgot about it.

I knew a blizzard was coming but it 

wasn't our problem. "

I will NEVER forget what he said:  He listened carefully to my story, then replied . . . 

" MAYBE THAT'S WHAT I OUGHT TO DO ! "

HE, Howard Shultz, CEO  of STARBUCKS

is telling Roy Delgado, " Maybe that's what

I ought to do ! " 

Man, it doesn't get any better than this !

......................

I was rewarded by being being guaranteed the next

24 stores in the Metro D.C. area, one store in Boston, one in Greenwich and a big one in Atlanta  !

It's amazing, sometimes to succeed all you have to 

do is what somebody will NOT do.

MY company,  Delgado Signs in Woodbridge, VA. was sold in 2001 when I retired to draw cartoons passionately full time in wild and wonderful West by-God Virginia where I now live with my lovely wife and three cats, MIDNIGHT, ROCKY ( BULJERT ) AND EDDIE.

Now MANKOFF, is my only problem from selling the New Yorker.  I WILL sell the New Yorker.