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An Interesting Business Card
Chuck Baumann (Creative Environments by Chuck) is a Carecraft Member and sits on the Board of Directors. Chuck’s dad, Max, was also a pool builder in Northern California, the same market that Chuck builds pools in today. Here is a story that Chuck recently shared, about an interesting promotional item that was recovered from one of his dad’s early pool construction projects. The project is near Chuck’s home in Alamo, CA:
In the early 1960’s when this home-owner’s pool was built by Chuck’s dad, he left a free cigarette lighter, as a promotional calling card with each client. As Chuck says, “In those days everyone smoked because it was considered chic, so having your name on a cigarette lighter was a big deal as well as a great way to promote your business.”
This property and pool have changed ownership four times since the pool was built. About 10 years ago, the most recent owner, dug up the cigarette lighter in his yard (the lot is an acre and a half). At that time the owner took the unearthed lighter he found and put it on a stone retaining wall then promptly forgot about it. A few weeks ago, he came across it again and became curious to know if anyone had heard of the pool company named on the lighter. Chuck’s dad had closed the business in 1964, nine years after it opened, due to being involved in a truck accident. The pool owner posted the photos and note on an historical Facebook page in Chuck’s area and a close friend of his called him as soon as it was posted. The friend (since 4th grade) is also one of Vanessa’s (Chuck’s wife) best friends. That friend called Chuck in tears and told him that he “needed to go to that Facebook page and see what she found posted there”. She refused to elaborate so Chuck hurried to his office and pulled up the Facebook site and the photos below are what he found. After contacting the pool owner and sharing the history, the owner insisted that Chuck should have the historical calling card. Chuck exchanged it for a nice bottle of wine and the lighter now rests in a place of prominence in Chuck’s office. The photos below are those of promotional calling card as well as an iconic California swimming pool of the 1960’s.
