Humble Beginnings
In 1974 James F. McDaniel (aka JFM) was out of work and out of money.
With a wife and 7 hungry kids at home and amidst a recession that put
him out of work, he responded to an ad – Wanted: Picture Frame Sales
Representative. Fortunately he got the job. While his knowledge of the
picture frame industry was limited it was quickly overcome by what he
did know - hard work and perseverence – and with a background in sales
this turned out to be a good recipe for success.
With little money and
fewer customers he humbly began JFM Enterprises by knocking at the
doors of framers, galleries, artists and photographers in the Southeast.
He wrote orders to be manufactured in Mexico and shipped from
California.It didn’t take him long to realize that the shipping often
exceeded the product cost so by necessity the business evolved into
stocking distribution where he could better service customers, orders
could be shipped timely and economically from stock, or even picked up
at his small Norcross, Georgia warehouse.
In the early days business was hard to come by so he hit the road and
began taking the product to the customers doorstep. He spent Sundays
after church removing the seats from the family van and loading it full
of Mexican picture frames and would travel the road working customers
along the Eastern Seaboard. He would return when empty or out of money
for expenses. Many years later other family members and key employees
were added and the business grew.
So from these humble beginnings as a
one-man operation, building what was then a business to sustain his
family, to ultimately a family-run business that would sustain many
families, he left behind (upon retirement) a legacy of hard work and
company priciples that guide us today. The same goals are just as
important and in practice today. We remain focused on personal service
and making lasting customer connections while providing globally
sourced, competitively priced and quality produced frames with a wide
variety of frame styles, finishes and sizes and adding great customer
service with a focus on personal attention to the customer - whether it
be one frame or a truckload of frames. This has served us well and has
provided great value to the picture framing industry that we serve.
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