My Week With Rob Appell

As a sales rep for Michael Miller Fabrics I must occasionally meet with my sales manager. In my case, my manager is Rob Appell, also the spokesperson for the company and a well known face. Rob decided to shadow me for a week in Utah. His goal was to listen to any concerns/ideas from shops, evaluate how well Michael Miller was meeting the shops needs and, of course, evaluate me. Rob also wanted to film short videos of the shops for the company’s YouTube channel. It was decided that none of the shops we would visit would be warned ahead of time. Rob wanted to catch them in their “natural state”. My job during filming was to make sure Rob didn’t fall down steps (he walks backwards a lot!) or run into objects/people. It was my personal goal to stay away from the front of the camera as much as possible. Of course I also had orders to take care of at each shop!

We did take a little jaunt over to Wyoming to visit with Common Threads Quilting. Somehow the owners managed to get ahold of my phone and left me with a photo of themselves. I love my shops!

Rob and I made a stop on the way back to Utah. We played tourist in Echo Canyon which is near the border of Utah and Wyoming. Such a beautiful spot, even with all the smoke from the California fires. Can’t you just imagine the settlers coming through here?

When I travel I do most of my cooking in my hotel. I’ve become quite the microwave chef! I decided that I would cook for Rob as well. My little fridge was packed! Lots of veggies from my garden at home too.

One of the shops we visited, Cornwagon Quilt Co. actually started out as a roadside corn seller. It’s quite the complex now (quilt shop, retreat center, merchantile…) but they still sell their farm’s corn across the road from the shop. Of course we had to make a dinner adjustment and have fresh corn on the cob.

One of my favorite stops is My Girlfriend’s Quilt Shoppe. Not only is the ride out there stunningly beautiful but the employees in the warehouse are just the nicest folks. The owner of MGQS is Kris, her twin sister Kim is the owner of Kimberbell. Kris asked if we would like to tour the Kimberbell operations…well, twist my arm!

We had a guided tour, got to see a new design coming out in the future (sorry…no photos) and Rob and I were the first recipients of their new “I toured Kimberbell” pins.

Rob and I covered a lot of territory during our week and solved most of the world’s problems while traveling between appointments. The videos that Rob shot will be aired on the Michael Miller YouTube channel in the coming months. I’m anxious to see how well I did staying away from the front of the camera…

And in case anyone was wondering…I think I passed my evaluation…it may have been the fresh corn that pushed me over the edge…

Michael Miller Fabrics YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MakingItFunwithRobAppell

Common Threads Quilting: https://www.facebook.com/CTQuilting/

Cornwagon Quilt Co.: https://www.cornwagonquilts.com/

My Girlfriends Quilt Shoppe: https://mygirlfriendsquiltshoppe.com/

Kimberbell: https://kimberbell.com/