Saying So-long but not Goodbye…

As many of you have already heard, Grant Batson will be leaving Batson Guitar Co, starting December 1, 2011.  This, as you can imagine, is going to be quite an adjustment for us here, as we press on.  We want to publicly thank Grant for his many years of hard work and unwavering dedication to not only building the Batson brand that you all now know, but also to the reputation he afforded us by his commitment to our clients and dealers and his commitment to integrity.  Batson Guitar Co. would not be what it is today without him and he will be missed.

Grant is going on to do some undoubtedly great things and has already begun to turn the gears.  We encourage you to follow his new adventures through Twitter and Facebook.  Batson Guitar Co. is excited for him and we wish him all the best.

On his way out, Grant has asked that we share this statement:

“I’m astonished and humbled by the overwhelming response to the news of my departure from Batson Guitar Co.  With so many methods of communication, now, I finally gave up trying to respond to each of you, individually.  I’m simply blown away.  I wish I could personally call, email, text, Facebook (or whatever) each one of you and tell you how much your expressions of concern and well-wishing mean to me.  I’m truly thankful.  One of the best parts of this journey has been the multitude of great friendships that have developed.  Sometimes I laugh about how many true friends I have all over the world all due to a pile of sawdust.  It’s really priceless.

Many of you have inquired about my health and others have asked what my plans are from here.  Thanks for asking.  Without going into great detail, I’ll just say that I’ve recently run the gamut of tests and am going to live!  All tests have been normal.  I am currently taking the advice of my doctor to reduce the areas of stress in my life, where possible.  While the decision was heavy and difficult, it seems to be the best move for now.

So, what will I be doing?  First of all, I will be traveling with my beautiful, supportive wife to the west coast over New Years for some r & r. After the end of the year I will begin to determine what it is I want to do with the rest of my life. I have a small handful of interesting projects in the works and will probably begin to post them and blog a little.  I’ve also been invited to travel to some coffee farms in Central America (as a translator) with a friend of mine, which should be fun. It’s a bittersweet time.  I hate to leave Batson Guitars just as it begins to reach its most successful days.  But, I also have had lots of dreams and desires that running a company simply won’t allow the time to pursue.  I’m not getting younger and my kids seem to grow 6″ every day.  I’m excited to actually “be home” when I’m home, if you know what I mean.  No more answering calls at the dinner table or crunching numbers during family time.  All in all, this is the best decision for my family and we’re excited to see what the future holds.

I would love to continue to hear from you all.  My new email address is gb@grantbatson.com. I’m not sure what I’ll do with it, but since it seems like the thing to do, I also have a Twitter account and would love to have you keep in touch with me on Facebook.

Again, I want thank everyone for the immense support and the wonderful sentiments you have sent.  My phone has been lighting up, non-stop (and just in time for Christmas), since the announcement with an incredible wave of support and great wishes.

Blessings to you all and Happy Holidays.

Grant Batson