Dynamite – Days 1 to 10,950

This past Sunday morning, I headed out to visit my dad and mom at their home. I was excited because I knew my dad wouldn’t recall that it was Dynamite’s 30 year anniversary and I had a plan to stir some old memories. So on my drive out, I formed a plan whereby I would await the right moment and then drop it into the conversation and let the reminiscing fly. I had romanticized the event, imagining Dad’s thoughtful pause as he recalled the day, 30 years earlier that he filed the articles of incorporation for Dynamite. I imagined my mom piping in and adding details about how they had celebrated or perhaps what was happening in the news (she’s the family historian). As I pulled in the driveway, I readied myself  for a whirl of emotion. But my anticipation was prolonged because my dad was out in the garden digging potatoes and finishing the last of the fall harvest. I gave a little wave to him as I headed inside & he yelled back that he’d be in soon.

After my dad came in and we had a few minutes of small-talk, I dropped the bomb. “Dad, did you realize that 30 years ago today, Dynamite became a corporation?” There it was. The pause, the change of expression, the look of a man about to re-live an old memory. Knowing my role to set the memory in motion, I said, “Dad, tell me about that day 30 years ago…”

He said in a matter of fact tone, “My accountant did it. He called me up and asked me how I wanted the stock split and then he filed the paperwork for me.”

Now it was my turn to pause. “That’s it?” I asked.

“That’s it,” he said.

I turned to Mom, “Do you remember anything about it, Mom?” I asked.

“Not really,” she said, “Those were busy times for our little family. You were seven years old and your brother was nine. We lived in that old house with all the leaves that kept us busy raking all Fall. Your dad was running and growing the Zamzows retail stores and Dynamite was still just a dream.”

The conversation changed quickly to the impending Boise State game and before I knew it I was headed back home to reflect. Later I went to the Dynamite Facebook page and re-read the banner that said in boisterous lettering, “30 years ago today, Dynamite opened its doors!” And that’s when it hit me. The incorporation of Dynamite was not any more magical than any other paperwork filing day. There weren’t “doors” to open, shipping stations to create, or even products to package on that day. It was simply one step in the manifestation of what has now become Dynamite. The thing that we’ve been celebrating all year is a story that has really taken 30 years to write with the help of tens of thousands of people and animals. It wasn’t a one-day event at all.

So there you have it… the story of the beginning and, really, the story of a million other beginnings that are occurring today and will later be celebrated. So many times we think a start has to be marked by something major and I think a lot of “starts” are completely avoided for that very reason. Perhaps we can all learn a lesson from Dynamite’s ho-hum start and realize that we have the power at any time to create a new,  lasting and very meaningful beginning any day of the week. So, what will you start today?


It’s funny, as I completed this blog post, I sent it to my dad to review. He came back with a text message that said this:

“I’ve always said that anyone who signs up as a Dynamite rep on the most ordinary day can have a bigger organization than the entire company is today. They just have to start, apply the basics and not stop. The basics in this business are: 1. Use the products and learn all about each one. 2. Sell the products. 3. Systematically sign up five people and personally teach each one to do the same steps. In time, an organization created like this will grow, flourish and take on a life of its own.”

Callie Novak, CEO, Dynamite Specialty Products