(As a side note, I’m not surprised that intense curiosity is one of Barbara’s defining character traits – I think a desire to continuously learn is a mark of most successful people. I practically levitated out of my seat when I found out I was one of eight dining with Barbara! Our dinner lasted about four hours (!), and she was so genuinely interested in what everyone did and the market segments they operated in. By the time the conference rolled around, we were hooked! At this particular conference, attendees are randomly split into small groups for dinner with the speakers. I was headed to a conference where one of the sharks, real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran, was the keynote speaker, which sparked my interest in the show. We started watching in the second season, in 2011. Shay Castle: 30, or twitter.At 9 o’clock on most Friday nights, there’s only one place to look for John and me: in front of our TV, watching Shark Tank :) Perhaps not as hopping as your Friday night plans, but we adore this show, and love to talk about it with anyone who will listen! Today, y’all are my captive audience :) He would have been speechless.”Įpisode 910 of ABC’s “Shark Tank” airs Sunday, Dec. “I would have loved to walk out with him on that stage. “If I could show the world his artistic creativity, that’s a fitting legacy to leave him with,” Bliss said. Each and every tree that goes out has its creator’s signature laser engraved on the bottom: Lawrence “Bud” Stoecker.īliss can’t say how the “Shark Tank” investors reacted to the design or business model, only that he was grateful for the experience to share his grandpa’s invention with so many people. The company is on track to reach $374,000 in sales. The year before, it was 500, and 300 the Christmas before that. Last season, the first profitable one for Bliss, 700 trees were sold. ![]() Able to be completely collapsed, it’s also easier to store.īusiness has grown steadily each year. The Modern tree’s beauty sets it apart, Bliss argues, as does its light weight: 14 pounds. The event became a de facto celebration of life and legacy, with Bliss having received a patent for Stoecker’s invention one week after his death. The family traveled to see the installation just weeks after Grandpa Stoecker died. A big break came in 2012, when Disneyland put in an order for 16 custom trees for one of its hotels. That first Christmas, Bliss sold a dozen or so. “It’s a story about family.”īliss started the company in 2011, just as Stoecker was dealing with a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. “Regardless of whether you like the tree aesthetically or not, it’s got a rich history,” Bliss said. The Stoeckers adorned it differently each year Bud would keep detailed notes on decoration placement to avoid repeat performances. ![]() It wasn’t green and there were no branches - only rings, on which garland can be piled and ornaments hung. A Masonite board version followed, and it was a third, Plexiglass model that Bliss and his siblings grew up with during holidays at the Stoeckers’ Broomfield home. Stoecker first created the unusual looking tree in 1965 out of cardboard. Matt Bliss runs Denver-based Modern Christmas Trees, a company making and selling his grandfather’s vision. ![]() Next week, he’ll make his national television debut, as his grandson appears on “Shark Tank” with a revamped version of Stoecker’s 51-year-old invention: a collapsible, artificial Christmas tree made of concentric rings. Lawrence “Bud” Stoecker, a Broomfield resident and engineer, died in September 2012.
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