Eddie’s Energy Bars Blog

I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday this week, and that Santa brought what you wanted.  He certainly brought what I wanted!

It has been a nice break since being home for winter break.  I have gotten a lot done over the past two weeks, but it has really hit me that we are back in the swing of things.

Sure, I had the 24th-26th off from everything Eddie’s, and then on the 27th everything  was back to normal.  The online orders were coming in, and stores wanted a re-stock of our energy bars.  I finally was able to run the business my parents had been running for me the entire school year, with me doing some back-end administrative work (making all the contacts, the website, etc).

I touched base with all of my retail accounts that sell Eddie’s, and they are all doing well.  I can’t wait to get back home in the spring for break and try to get into a couple more stores.

We’re growing, and that’s evident by the post-Christmas rush we are having.  Maybe it’s because everyone is buying our healthy energy bars to assist in their New Year’s resolutions?

Michael
Eddie’s Energy Bars

So it has been a couple of days since my last post, but just like everyone else I am caught up in the holiday spirit and doing some last minute Christmas shopping. For some reason, I like to get my shopping done early, but there is always something I forget and head out on Christmas Eve to pick up.

We got a nice dusting of fresh snow today, so I’m excited for the white Christmas. I have no idea when I will wake up to open presents, but I am certainly ready for the day’s festivities. We have taken a small hiatus from baking our energy bars to enjoy the holidays with family.

I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! I hope all is well!

Michael
Eddie’s Energy Bars

For those of you who do not pay attention to what’s going on in the world of technology, Matthew Szulik has stepped down as President and CEO of Red Hat to focus more on family health problems. He will still remain the Chairman of the Board.

I know Matt personally, through my parents. He got our family thinking of open source software when it wasn’t such a big thing. Our entire Eddie’s Energy Bars website is running on an open-source e-commerce program and an open-source content management system. I use an open-source program to upload files to my server. I love open-source. It makes things easier, cheaper, and you support the hard working men and women that have devoted their time and energy to creating a great piece of software.

Besides the fact that I adore open-source software, I look at Matt as an incredible role model to follow in how I would want to run my company and treat my employees. Matt wrote a letter here about his stepping down. I thought it was so moving, it prompted me to respond.

Matt is someone with incredible charisma and a passion for what he does. In a world that is dominated by Windows and Microsoft, Matt was (and still is) determined to show the world differently, and he has been incredibly successful at it. I compare this business to the energy bar world which is dominated by Clif Bars and Power Bars–but Eddie’s Energy Bars are making headway.

On a recent family trip to North Carolina, we stopped at the Szulik’s to spend the night. It just amazed me that Matt was walking around the house in a t-shirt and shorts with his New Balances on. He has always been a down to earth guy who wants to go see his son play his baseball game. Many CEO’s would be so busy they would only have time for work, work, work.  It was nice to see Matt had a nice balance of work and play; a big family man.

Realizing that work isn’t all there is to life, for he has a family in need to love and for that, Matt has chosen to step down as President and CEO of Red Hat.

I will forever look up to Matt Szulik as someone I aspire to be.  I hope I can run a large company with the same amount of passion and energy, while still keeping my own two feet on the ground.

From the entire crew at Eddie’s, Merry Christmas, Szulik family!

Michael
Eddie’s Energy Bars

We received an e-mail from Dr. Rich Pratley, a professor of medicine at the University of Vermont, about his corporate gift order.  I think it pretty much speaks for itself:

“We had one bag left over, so I sampled the chocolate chip bar.  Pretty damn good.”

I don’t think I could have said it better myself, but Eddie’s Energy Bars are pretty damn good, according to Dr. Pratley.

Michael
EEB

We’ve been expanding rapidly in the past couple of days, adding on yet another retail location.  This time, we are proud to announce the addition of the Village Cup in Jericho, VT to the list of retailers carrying Eddie’s Energy Bars!

The Village Cup is located on Rt 15 as you are heading into (or away) from Essex.  Drop on by and pick up an Eddie’s bar!

Michael,
Eddie’s Energy Bars