The great thing about growing up in a family business is just that… Family is business and business is family! Our life growing up as a “mushroom family” has shaped the way we approach all aspects of life. When we were growing up I don’t think we realized how important this was.
WHAT IS “THE HYPHEN”?
Quite simply, it is the space between my brother and I. If you know us you know exactly what that means… and for those of you who don’t, I will try to explain…. Joey and I have been best friends for 35 years. We are brothers who are fortunate to work together every day and share this awesome space between us.
I often wonder how we became so close and why in the hell do we get along so well? Everyone knows “brothers” that do not get along…. Or we always hear…”I could never work with my brother” We couldn’t imagine not working together and I think that is what makes To-Jo such a special place. So there has to be a reason… Right?? It is a very simple reason in my mind… Dad!!
Joe D’Amico Sr. was and still is both of our idol… He is the reason we are best friends, he is the reason we get along so well and he is the reason we have one of the greatest companies ever! Funny, just the other day we said to each other …”What would Dad think of some of the things we are doing”… We laughed our ass off just as he would have and kept moving. How could one man shape the future of his company that he devoted his life to, thru the lives of his sons? There is a simple answer with results that can never be copied or replicated… Little things in life!!!
LAUGH
To this day we still laugh at our Dad, even though he left us 7 years ago… He was very funny and was able to find humor in almost everything he did… When you can laugh almost every day thru a five year battle with cancer, I think you have mastered laughter! Dad was able to find humor in everything… Believe it or not, he found out he had cancer thru laughing so hard it hurt!! Joey and I laugh every single day at something… Most of the time it is at each other!!
NEVER RUN OUT OF FOOD
Many people have phobias about one thing or another… Dad’s greatest fear on earth was running out of food! It circles back to his caring nature and wanting to make sure everyone had plenty to eat!! If you are full and satisfied… you will be happy… If you are happy… you will laugh!! If we had a function for 30 people… he wanted enough food and drink for 60!
TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT
Dad was never “too good” for anyone… He treated everyone as an equal and respected everyone for who they were and how could he help them be a better person. Once he knew you for oh… a few minutes… He was trying to feed you something to eat!!
GUT FEELING ISNT ALWAYS RIGHT… BUT MOST TIMES IT IS
Dad was a “gut feeling” type of guy… For those of you who knew him… He had a big gut, and found most of his success in business via that gut… (don’t worry he would want you to laugh at that!)
SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE BEST PEOPLE
Possibly one of the best “little things” Dad left with us. He would always tell us that we didn’t have to know everything about business, but we needed to make sure we had the best people on our team… What a humbling feeling… he didn’t know everything, but he was never afraid to admit it. He wanted To-Jo to be a great company and invited some amazing people to join the ride with him!
WELCOME TO “THE HYPHEN”
We are glad you are here and hope you can enjoy a glimpse of the space between Joey and I as we continue on this journey started by Joe D’Amico Sr. You never know the impact you can have on the people in your life… We are on a mission to make people smile, oh and by the way we grow and sell some pretty darn good MUSHROOMS!!
