Official Blog of Gallery Furniture's Mattress Mack of Houston, TX

The Future is BRIGHT!

This morning I was privileged to address the students and teachers at Clear Creek Intermediate School. Having spoken at hundreds of schools, I always expect the best, the best students, the teachers, the best employees! I found all of this and more at Clear Creek Intermediate School - what a great school!

Speaking to a group of over 800 6th, 7th, and 8th graders - along with 60 teachers and additional staff - can often be a daunting task. Keeping the attention of the students is critical in a big gymnasium. The speaker must often work hard to control the crowd - but this was not the case with the Jaguars!  The students' attention span was terrific - many props to the principal, teachers, students and staff for their time and attention. The bright eyes and smiling faces of the over 800 boys and girls who were eager to learn, eager to grow, and eager to better themselves convinces me that the future of the United States is a bright one, INDEED! These fine young people are motivated to be in school and certainly motivated to learn and succeed in life.

Want to be inspired? Then take some time to visit a school like Clear Creek Intermediate School and see the bright future of the United States - the great students there, the teachers and staff who give so much to our future, and to the local community through their dedication to our nation's future.

I was told that Mr. Jerry Herd, the principal, who had previously served neighboring La Porte ISD for over six years, came to Clear Creek Intermediate in February and it has been a whirlwind getting a school ready for a new use. Turns out that Mr. Herd was faced with a tough task of turning a sole-use campus of 9th graders into an Intermediate School for 6th - 8th graders. He spent countless hours with architects, administrators, teachers, and the like getting the school ready to serve the wonderful families of the Clear Creek area – after long hours bringing Gallery Furniture back to 100%, believe me I can appreciate the hard work and effort that Mr. Herd and his dedicated staff went through getting their campus up to 100% - it's a tough job, and the teachers, staff, and principals at Clear Creek Intermediate get an A+ for a job well done in their community. Even more impressive than navigating these tasks was that Mr. Herd bought lunch for all the students at Clear Creek Intermediate School on the first day of class! What a great gesture!

It's clear that the students at Clear Creek Intermediate School have bought-in to the vision that Mr. Herd, along with assistant principals Ms. Janice Butcher and Ms. Amy McDonald, and the wonderful teachers have created at Clear Creek Intermediate. A vision of great students fostered by great education with a staff committed to bringing a bright sunny future into the present. The end result is a win-win for all - and the Clear Creek Intermediate Jaguars are all winners.

A big thanks to the students, teachers, and principals of Clear Creek Intermediate School for having me speak to the terrific 6th, 7th, and 8th graders of your school!

The Power of Positive Thinking

I received a heartwarming letter from a local Houstonian who is an assistant principal and had attended the Realty Investment Club of Houston (RICH) workshop on Saturday September 5th, where she heard my speech on Bringing the Bright Sunny Future into the Present!  Given all that myself and the Gallery Furniture family have been through over the past year has really put so much into perspective - and I do enjoy sharing those experiences with fellow members of the Houston community.  Adversity can be overcome, good will always conquer evil, and proper planning prevents poor performance - these tenets are things that I feel all of us can believe in and as a result we can better not just ourselves, but the communities we live in.

In her letter she explained how, after years of feeling let down by government bureaucracy, she decided to stop and take stock of how positive a life she really does have.  Instead of complaining, this young woman decided to take the bull by the horns and start being positive and working harder!  She is now aware of just how lucky she is in her position, and instead of complaining or being frustrated while waiting on higher-ups to make change, she focuses on just how wonderful her students and school are.  She realizes the value of her position, and the positive impact she can bring to teachers and students alike in her role as assistant principal - in her letter she wrote "I get to be the one to help them and make a difference down the road in their lives!  Shame on me for forgetting that for a little while.  Even just a little while is too long when it comes to working with the lives of students!"

Pope John Paul II wrote in his famous Laborem exercens that "THROUGH WORK man must earn his daily bread and contribute to the continual advance of science and technology and, above all, to elevating unceasingly the cultural and moral level of the society within which he lives…" and no words ring more true than these when it comes to overcoming adversity.  When you're down, you focus and fight on, you work harder to make things better, and you put that axe to the grindstone and you contribute not just to your own well-being, but to the well-being of others around you.  In this way, you elevate the world.  I am truly happy to see this young Houstonian gain so much from my speech and that she took away a core belief of the Gallery Furniture family: "If it is to be, it is up to me" - and now she practices that at the school where she works serving to mold the future leaders of our community.

This young woman knows that to make it right at her school she will be the one to act, to make positive change, and to grow and nurture those kids.  Gallery Furniture salutes all those hardworking Houstonians who, day in and day out, look beyond the hard circumstances and take it upon themselves to work hard to raise themselves and their family up.  In this, they help to make the world a better place for all.  True change begins in the self, and with a commitment to a positive attitude and hard work.

Gallery Furniture Remembers

Sometimes it is about remembering.  That is why there is a number 31 in the Gallery Furniture logo and on the sculpture in front of the main store.  It's a reminder of the hard work done by members of the Houston Fire Department on the night of May 21, when the Gallery warehouse was destroyed by fire.  Without them, the store would have been a total loss. Because of their bravery, there is a Gallery Furniture on I-45 today.

There's another organization in town that remembers the firefighters, particularly those who have fallen in the line of duty.  It's the Houston Fire Department's honor guard.  This group provides a special element of dignity and respect at the funerals of firefighters past and present, as well as other ceremonial events.

It is a privilege to recognize these firefighters who give of their own time to do this solemn duty and I'm glad to provide support for the honor guard.

Sometimes it is about remembering.

Life: Imagine the Potential

Every person has potential.  That's been my message in hundreds of talks to schools, civic groups, and businesses over the years.  It's up to each of us to reach for success, to realize that potential.

That's why I'm happy to support a group of young people as they try to get their message out that every child has potential and it's important to give them a chance to achieve that potential.  CatholicVote.Org is using new media and video to bring that message to people around the country.

A child who is never born cannot achieve his or her potential -- and that's the point of the latest video introduced today in a news conference at Gallery Furniture.

 

Like all the pieces Brian Burch and his group have done, this one is positive and upbeat. It highlights the Apollo 11 moon landing 40 years ago and how a baby's first step could lead to humanity's first step on another world.

Because the video involves the moon program, several astronauts were on hand to lend their support. They included Joe Kerwin, the first astronaut who was also a doctor, and Bill Thornton, another doctor who flew several shuttle missions.  Famous flight director Gene Kranz was also here for the announcement.

Oilman and philanthropist George Strake is another big supporter of CatholicVote.Org and he played a big role in today's news conference.

It was a thrill and an honor to meet three space flight legends and see George Strake again.

And it is a pleasure to be associated with the fine people from CatholicVote.Org and to help them in their efforts to get their videos on television.  You'll be seeing the newest one on Houston area television stations and cable outlets in the next week

You'll recognize it by the tag line -- one of the best I've heard.

Life.  Imagine the potential.

The San Jacinto Council of Girl Scouts Visit Gallery Furniture

Mattress Mack, center (with a delicious Lemonade cookie in his mouth) accepts a donation of cookies for the Gallery Furniture Customers and Staff today!

The World's Greatest Furniture Store, Gallery Furniture, was blessed with a warm and loving visit from the San Jacinto Council of Girl Scouts when they visited Gallery Furniture and donated delicious cookies to the Gallery Furniture customers and staff.  The wonderfully delicious cookies were delivered with milk to Mattress Mack and the girls happily gave video testimonials to Mack and the Gallery Furniture team after the press conference concluded.

Mattress Mack speaks with members of the local San Jacinto Council of the Girl Scouts of America during their visit.

Mattress Mack and Gallery Furniture thank the ambitious and civic-minded young women that belong to the Girl Scouts of America for all of their hard work in serving the community, being true to this great nation, and putting others ahead of self.  The San Jacinto Council's warm act of donating cookies to the Gallery Furniture customers and staff is a testament to their spirit of giving and thinking of others! 

Lending a Helping Hand

A very nice phone call came in Wednesday morning, from a woman named Candice.  She wanted to make sure I knew that two Gallery Furniture employees had been very nice to her Tuesday night.

Candice said she was on her way home from work on the North Freeway when she had a flat tire.  She pulled into a gas station near 1960 to change the tire.  There were a number of men at the station and she asked for some assistance, but no one would help her.

She knows how to change a tire, but Candice says being six months pregnant, she would rather have someone else do the heavy lifting.

With no help being offered, she started to get the spare out of the trunk when a Gallery Furniture delivery truck pulled off the service road and two men got out.  They asked her what they could do to help.

The Gallery crew did more than help, Candice says.  They changed her tire for her, figured out a problem with the jack along the way, and put the bad tire and jack in her trunk.

"These two are the kind of people you want working for you," Candice said this morning.  "They are a credit to you guys and the people you hire."

She identified the pair as B.J. and Germaine.  They are indeed the kind of people who work for Gallery Furniture.  Thank you, Candice, for recognizing them and telling your story.

At Gallery Furniture it's all about the customer, even when the customer isn't a customer  yet.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson at Gallery Furniture Post Oak

Gallery Furniture was honored to have Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas at the Gallery Furniture Post Oak location for a press conference on the issue of taxation - specifically, the over taxation by the federal government on the hard working men and women (as well as small to medium sized businesses) that is present in America today.  Add to that, her support to remove all marriage penalty taxes and also to show support for government that does not spend, tax & borrow, and her speech was a rousing success today.  Senator Hutchinson is the first and only woman Senator ever elected by the citizens of Texas, and her passion of service for the great state of Texas is matched by her knowledge of the issues and her service in Washington on some of the Senate's most prominent committees.

Gallery Furniture was also proud to have folks like the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce, The Galleria Area Chamber of Commerce, The Asian Chamber of Commerce, the South Asian Chamber of Commerce, distinguished representatives from the local area and media today to hear Senator Hutchinson speak on issues such as the fact that many in Washington make it hard for people wanting to live the American Dream (especially the young people).

Senator Hutchinson made note that today is a special day in this great country, one that she noted that Republicans dread - that old day of April 15th (tax day).  Sen. Hutchinson made it very clear, and Gallery Furniture agrees, that everything beyond what government must do (such as commerce, defense) should be left in the pocketbooks of those who earned it.  Not earmarked for special interests or used to borrow one's way out of a jam.  Turns out that Sen. Hutchinson opposed the current federal budget with its 1.4 trillion dollars in tax increase, and she felt that the government of the United States would borrow too much, spend too much, and tax entirely too much in an attempt to go against the wiser ideals of letting the private sector do its job and keep money in the hands of its earners. 

Senator Hutchinson made note that as a society we should go against taxation and that we need more tax cuts in a recession, which was what presidents such as Kennedy, Reagan, and Bush did in their terms in office.  To this end, Sen. Hutchinson is a big supporter of the Tea Parties being held around the country today in protestation of taxation, and that this grass roots movement is a great thing.  Gallery Furniture's own Matress Mack will be speaking at one such Tea Party in The Woodlands today.

Gallery Furniture also shares the view of Senator Hutchinson that one of the great advantages of the State of Texas is our lack of a personal income tax - something that gives our great state an advantage over the 42 states that do currently have a state personal income tax. 

Old Traditions Never Die

The honor that a man of service provides is priceless. He goes above and beyond for his loved ones and his country with only one question, “How can I serve?”  And the question one raises - what is all that he stands for when he stands for so much?  Service to our country comes from a long line of tradition, honor, loyalty, and duty - these honorable people spend countless hours away from home and holidays alone.  These men and women often leave peace and comfort behind whilst defending our great nation.  

Beyond this is the fact that the men and women of the armed forces hold on to old traditions such as writing a note to say thanks or as an expression of gratitude for contributions.  Men and women in the service are mindful of the many Americans that pray, give, and shed tears for their safety and well being and the fact that they take time to write thank-you notes says a lot about holding on to solid values.

Every time a cadet or member of the service looks at the medal, uniform, or marches in the name of the United States of America, pride and honor is recognized for their selfless acts. Although all may often think about home and family, the honorable men and woman remain loyal to one another and their country in the face of uncertain circumstances.  That is why Gallery Furniture is a proud contributor to the United States Organization (USO), a non-profit that serves those who serve the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And even in the face of danger, of all that a service member goes through, the fact that they take time to sit down and write a thank-you letter is a warm gesture that resonates with Gallery Furniture.  Living in times that change so swift and seeing many people that compromise integrity in the name for getting things done the easy way, Gallery Furniture is delighted to see that the young men and women of the armed forces are a reminder of what it means to represent honor, duty, loyalty, and tradition.

Brooke Maxey, Gallery Furniture Aggie Intern, above, works at putting together a framed collage of all the thank-you letters received by Gallery Furniture as a token of thanks for the contributions Gallery Furniture has made to the USO.

St Ambrose Catholic School

Everyday Gallery Furniture thrives to make its customers very happy.  This past year Gallery Furniture donated over 35 homes to needy families that deserve a second chance this year.
Gallery Furniture received a letter from Bernadette a friend of one of the Christmas giveaways recipients and expressed her thankfulness that we were able to help her friend in need.

What makes this story special is George Ann was contacted by Bernadette, and told her how St Ambrose Catholic School was helping a family for the Christmas holidays.  And having the big heart Gallery Furniture has, we exceeded the giveaway limit to help this particular family in need. Bernadette couldn't have been happier for the help that was spread to others.

Gallery Furniture SAVES YOU MONEY and is there for a HELPING HAND!!

USO Thank You Letters

 

 

Gallery Furniture believes in giving back to those who give to you.  Thousands of military men and women put their lives on the line every day  for the country they love, the great United States of America.  Gallery Furniture has its own way of giving back to the military with what Gallery Furniture does best - furniture, accessories and decorating!  Mattress Mack recently donated furniture to the USO inside the Denver, CO airport, and will be donating furniture to the over 130 USOs around the world.

Several cadets from the United States Air Force Academy recently spent some time in the Denver USO waiting for flights home for the holiday season. The Cadets were overjoyed by the comfort and hospitality of the USO and were thankful for Mack’s generous donation of furniture and to the Denver USO.  Gallery Furniture received thank-you notes from these cadets and the entire staff here was glad to know that their efforts did not go unnoticed.

“ Your Gift is a testament to the amazing group of people that make up our country” – USAFA Cadet 3^rd Class Jace Caulhios said in his letter.

Items donated to thevarious  USO centers include chairs, TV’s, tables, couches, gaming centers, paint for the walls, and everything else needed to make these soldiers and their families comfortable during their time there.  Many of the USOs that Gallery Furniture are renovating were in some sore shape.  Some had old battered furniture donated from elementary schools years and years ago, some even having furniture from WWII era offices - and time took her toll on these gifts of love, and so Gallery Furniture stepped in to give these USO Centers a face lift.

The USO stations provide a place for soldiers to come and spend their time - so comfort is essential as they wait for their planes during layover or are waiting for a bus or train.  Gallery Furniture is doing everything it can to make a place worthy of the selfless soldiers that visit USO around the world.  Part of Gallery Furniture's commitment is to give a sense of comfort along with continuity - by keeping to certain styles and furniture types in each USO Center (paired with the local flavor of that USO Center), Gallery Furniture plans on making sure that there is a sense of familiarity from center to center so the troops always have a place that feels like home while away from home.  It's part of Gallery Furniture's commitment to giving back - both to the community and to the country.

“The Air Force Academy Cadet Wing and I thank you for your generosity and patriotism.” – USAFA Squadron Commander CS-23

While it is a blessing and an honor to receive these thank-you notes, it should really be all of us in the United States thanking the soldiers for all they do.  If you haven't dropped by the USO web site yet, take a visit at http://www.uso.org TODAY!  God Bless America and God Bless the Troops!