Charles Flavelle
From chocolate to questions of legacy: one founder’s second chapter
Mine Safety Appliances | backstory
Challenge Getting the core of MSA’s company history When MSA turned 100, they wanted a book that did more than commemorate a date. They wanted a book that celebrated the global legacy of a company that exists to save lives, captured the respect and pride of its employees, and was worthy of a milestone few […]
FYidoctors
A fast-growing eyecare leader puts culture in focus
Kipnes | backstory
Challenge Two lives, one story—and the whole story When Irv and Dianne Kipnes approached Echo, they were clear on what they didn’t want. They didn’t want a puff piece. They didn’t want a victory lap. They didn’t even want a public-facing book. What they wanted was a privately published, honestly told record of two remarkable […]
Don McLeod
A mining legend talks to his great-great-great grandchildren
California Casualty | backstory
Challenge Extend a legacy without rewriting it California Casualty is a family-owned insurance business with a 100-year history of supporting public service professionals across the United States. Their commitment to firefighters, nurses, teachers, peace officers, and others in high-risk roles goes well beyond policies and premiums. It’s about protection with purpose, and relationships that last […]
Mine Safety Appliances
100 years of safety, written in steel and care (hanky advised)
BC Bearing Engineers | backstory
Challenge Honour a matriarch who led without apology In the 1950s, industrial bearings were a man’s world. That didn’t stop Wendy McDonald after her husband died. Raising four small children, she managed to grow a small Vancouver machine shop into a profitable company with 60 locations worldwide. So when she retired, those around her didn’t […]
Irv and Dianne Kipnes
A love story that shaped a community and taught us the art of giving back
California Casualty
Telling the unsung story of a values-driven insurer