Oh the People You Meet

I must announce that I truly do love people, and like my mother, I love talking to people. On just a three-day trip (more the like two full days broken up), I have met some amazing people. On the plane ride from Charlotte to LaGuardia, I met a woman (again I never learned her name) whom I shall call Jill. Jill seemed like the sweetest woman with a big heart, one almost as big as my mother’s. She was headed back home to New York to visit her three sons, whom she hadn't seen since the youngest graduated high school three years ago. Her husband had recently been involved in an attack while serving overseas. She told me he was wounded pretty badly but okay. The reason for her return-home visit was that her youngest son had gotten in trouble with the law. Of course, she was terribly upset, as any mother would be, so I just let her talk about her sons and her troubles. I hope everything works out for the best, Jill.

Outside the Steinway & Sons factory

        Yesterday, I had the privilege of touring the Steinway & Sons piano factory in Queens, NY. I spent approximately three hours on the tour and three additional half hours talking with my tour guide Bob Bernhardt, Mr. Andy Horbachevsky (Vice President of Manufacturing) and Bill Rigos (Facilities Manager). What a day!

Bob Bernhart

         Bob Bernhardt was a phenomenal tour guide. He went over the production process so thoroughly that only several questions were asked. (For detailed information about the Steinway process, please visit the "Steinway USA" page- will be up in a day). This was probably because he is a retired senior engineer from Steinway, who worked his way up from a Pattern Engineer, the lowest engineering position at the factory. There were about fourteen of us on the tour, two women were friends visiting from Montana and there was even a couple from Denmark. The Hamburg Steinway factory is only two hours away from the couple’s home, but apparently, they felt this one was worth the longer trip.
         After the tour, I introduced myself to Mr. Bernhardt and explained my project this summer. We had a delightful discussion that included the EPA (both positive and negative), what should be done about poor air quality, and additional information about the factory. I could have spent another hour talking with Mr. Bernhardt, but alas! I had other appointments.

Andy Horbachevsky

         Around 1:00 pm, I met with Mr. Andy Horbachevsky, the Vice President of Manufacturing for Steinway & Sons. We spoke about my project briefly in his office. I believe he was a little stumped at why I was looking into factories that were so small. How could they make a real difference to the environment? I presumed to explain my personal interest in piano manufacturing and small businesses. My family on both sides are entrepreneurs of small businesses, so although, they may not make a huge difference by themselves, I believe they do as a collective whole. I also feel that small businesses have the resources and reasons to look into waste reduction and energy efficiency.

Bill Rigos 

         Bill Rigos, the Facilities Manager of the Steinway & Sons factory, spared a great amount of time to show me the factory’s Solar Thermal System. We went over in great detail the system and its functions in his office, and then made a trip to the roof to see the photo-voltaic system in action. And then we went to the room I was dying to go in on the tour...the Dirk Dickten Selection Room. This room is designed for professional pianists to choose which piano they would like for their concert. It's clearly not a very large room; however, the acoustics were incredible. Bill must have seen me gazing at the pianos for too long because he asked if I played. This was a rhetorical question because I had already informed him of my major, but nonetheless I answered a jolly, "Yes" and got to play on two. When he asked the difference in sound, I replied the second one was brighter, and alas! I was correct.

Dirk Dickten Selection Room

          After the factory visit, I walked to Loukoumi Taverna and enjoyed a delicious Greek meal. From the overload of information and food, a nap was certainly required. After this two-hour nap, I went to the bar at my hotel and met a couple interesting fellows. Right away, these men offered me a mozzarella stick. We were friends at first bite. (I’ll call these men Harry and Frank). Harry and Frank had just ordered a pizza, complete with a side of mozzarella sticks and a couple of beers. (My dad’s kind of men). Apparently, they were in Queens on official cheese business. They made mozzarella back in Wisconsin, and were visiting some of their buyers in New York. I spent about a half hour talking with them about my trip and life. Of course, the main focus was on cheese, but that was fine with me!

Last Plane for NY Trip

          On the plane ride from Charlotte to Roanoke, the seat beside mine was empty and I became a little saddened. My next plane ride, in approximately 7 and ½ days, however,  I know I will have my buddy Travis Whaley to keep me company for a long, long flight to Berlin. Wir gehen nach Deutschland! (We go to Germany!)