March 1, 2012
Tempus proficiscor ("Time to depart")
Tempus Drums: April 1, 1985 - March 31, 2012
After 27 truly extraordinary years - quite literally half my life - I am leaving this industry.
Business is presently quite good and certainly respect for, interest in and enthusiasm for Tempus drums are all high but I have exhausted my resources, my options, my ideas and myself; I could go on indefinitely as I am but that's no longer in any way an appealing notion. As it now stands there is absolutely nothing else which I can think to bring to my company which will make any appreciable difference to its prospects under my guidance.
So that I can accommodate those of you who've been considering having your own Tempus drum(s) built and are now in a position to move ahead the order desk will remain open for the next month but I'll officially stop accepting requests for newly built Tempus drums effective at 6:00 p.m. PST, March 31, 2012.
This definitely won't be a quick exit for me since, obviously, there are a great many loose ends to tie up; I'm committed to displaying at the Chicago Drum Show this Spring; there's the sale of the business to oversee; I still have almost 100 snare drum shells on the specials/clearance list; and, of course, a list of current projects/commitments which'll take me about three months to fulfill. Nevertheless, for reasons which I've considered at great length for quite some time now, I feel that I must attach a firm timeline to all of this. The timing itself might seem surprising especially given a couple of personal/career high points, the most recent of which occurred even during the last week, but such rare and brief moments, ecstatic though they may be, are no longer enough to sustain and enthuse me.
But this has been the adventure of a lifetime. Or at least, as I said earlier, half a lifetime.
To the literally thousands of you who have been so incredibly supportive and encouraging, particularly to those of you who've taken the plunge and bought my drums and who have, as a result, learned what many - well, let's be honest, what most - still do not, I thank you all for absolutely everything; you have my eternal admiration and gratitude.
PFM
Tempus Drums/Milestone Drums
Tel. 604.904.5704
