The expediter is different each day, but on mondays, it’s me. I stand at the front of the factory hitting refresh on my blackberry, checking the hotmail account where your emails arrive. As soon as one shows up, I blow the Laser Whistle, and grab the latest Glowforge Parts Cart. I run through the building, shouting to find someone who can build the unit - sometimes it can take a while! Once I find someone who looks free, I had them the Parts Cart along with the name of the lucky owner along with a printout of their Myspace account. At that point, we both sit down on the floor and I open the “So You’re About To Build A Glowforge” instructional video on the blackberry screen, in case they’re unfamiliar with the process. I’ve seen it a million times but I never get tired of it. The build gets started, I lead a small ritual that is necessary to fill up the coolant chamber, and if it’s a Pro unit, we call over a member of the clergy to deliver a small speech and strike the laser tube with a small bottle of absinthe. If the bottle breaks, it’s a Pro. If the tube breaks, we send it back for warranty repairs. Someone brings over a large wheel of Forever Stamps and verifies the shipping address one last time, and I head back to the front of the line to start hitting refresh again.
It’s a tough process, but you all are worth it.