Hooked at the Roots

On Friday, NCPN members were treated to a Keynote address by Charles Whalen Jr., Chairman of the Warren Featherbone Company.

Since 1883, the company has transformed itself from its beginning as a maker of a product called Featherbone, which was used primarily as replacement material for whale bone in women’s corsets, to the present Featherbone Communiversity.

"Gus" was a humorous speaker and the audience laughed along as he took them through the history of Featherbone.

From a young company just starting to holding 100% of the featherbone market. The company came up against new innovations like Koroseal in 1938, which lead Featherbone to develop waterproof diaper covers. Then in 1960's the disposable diaper threatened their existence and the company transformed itself into a baby clothing company until 2005. It was during this transition that the company decided to "go to their roots" in education and thus was born Featherbone Communiversity.

At each transition along the way Gus made reference to an old saying, "If the horse is dead, dismount" And that is just what Featherbone did.

According to its Web site, "the role of Featherbone Communiversity is to provide everyone in the North Georgia region an opportunity to make connections, engage in collaborative learning, imagine possibilities, and work together to create a better quality of life for all."

It will be interesting to watch a 126 year old company take hold of education and what will come out of it. For now, I am reading Hooked at the Roots, The Evolution of Featherbone Communiversity and will share some of its insights with you.