Good Morning, RVA: Welcome back…I guess

Goodbye long weekend, hello daily grind.

July 7, 2014; 6:59 AM • by Ross Catrow

Good morning, RVA! It’s 71 °F, today’s highs will hit the mid-90s, and there’s absolutely no chance of rain. In fact, the last time we saw more than just a trace of rain was way back on June 21st. That’s fine, just more time to get used to the humidity.

Water cooler

The RTD has an editorial supporting hemp farming in Virginia to go along with a longer piece on the subject from the Roanoke Times. Virginia Delegate Joseph Yost hopes to introduce legislation in the General Assembly later this month to legalize growing hemp for “research purposes.” Further changes in federal law would be required to grow hemp commercially.

The Richmond Fire Department battled a fire in the Burger King at 4800 W. Broad Street. No injuries, to either humans or the Cookout next door, have been reported.

Brazilian soccer star Neymar broke a vertebrae in the World Cup match against Colombia this past weekend. Brazil advanced but will face Germany tomorrow without their bigtime guy.

Sports!

• Squirrels went 3-1 against Reading over the weekend, will travel to Akron tonight.
• Kickers tied Real Salt Lake Reserves, 1-1.
• Nats took two from the Cubs including a 13-0 crushing on Saturday. They take on the Orioles at home, tonight at 7:05 PM.

This morning’s longread

Boston Beer’s Jim Koch: Portrait of the CEO as Salesman

Selling is a devalued skill. It’s considered beneath anyone with an M.B.A.’s training. Marketing, on the other hand, is somehow “clean,” something professional businesspeople aspire to. If you go to a cocktail party and you’re asked what you do for a living, and you reply, “I’m a salesman,” people look at you like you’ve got crumbs on your shirt. Tell them you’re a marketing director, however, and they say “How interesting.” One has become a high-status occupation and the other something most people don’t want to get their hands dirty doing.

In my view, this is one of the worst hoaxes ever pulled on American business. Manufacturers perceive marketing as a magic solution that takes away their responsibility for making good products. Their idea is, we’ll make a product that’s just as good as anything else out there–not better, mind you, but just as good–and marketing it well will make us rich. And that’s a lot of crap.

A fantastic article from all the way back in 1988!

Photo by: neoporcupine

This morning’s Instagram

— ∮∮∮ —

Email

Want to automagically get Good Morning, RVA in your inbox every morning? Sign up below!

July 7, 2014 6:59 AM 0