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106 PAPERCITY PROMOTION GETTING TO KNOW YOU AUGIE BERING V T he year 1940 was an ideal time, as there was a big need for lumber. The Great Depression was fi nally beginning to ease. Employment was up, and things were promising. My great grandfather, August C. Bering Jr., owned a store call ed Bering Tire and Rubber Co. on the corner of Main and Lamar. In 1940, he bought a lumberyard downtown and called it Bering Lumber Co. (The original address was 2000 German Street, now Canal Street.) My grandfather, August C. Bering III, left his job at the Bering Manufacturing Co. to work for his dad at the lumberyard, but his dad died unexpectedly from complications from having a kidney stone removed, leaving my grandfather to take over the business. Bering Lumber moved in 1952 to the current 6102 Westheimer fl agship location to fulfi ll a burgeoning demand due to suburban growth. Retail milestones. Opening our gift shop in 1971. Then our Bissonnet store in 1989. Exiting the lumber business and adding t h e c h i l d re n 's department in 2006. The creation of The Men's Shop in 2018 and the soon-to-be-launched berings.com, in 2020. Your journey to CEO. I worked at the store during summers in high school. It taught me a great deal a b o u t customer service, supply chain, as well as retail buying. My leadership skills really evolved in college and post-college years with NOLS [National Outdoor Leadership School] and the Wilderness Medicine Institute. Becoming president and CEO was never part of my plan. However, when my father called and said he needed me to help manage a new storefront in San Antonio, I was there for him. At the time, I was building homes off the grid in Taos, New Mexico, after graduating from the University of Montana, where I also met my wife, Mia. What the outdoors taught you. I discovered and sharpened my leadership skills in the backcountry — in environments where there is a lot of uncertainty and where group dynamics really come into play. When you're not minding the store. You might find me at the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center, where I've served on the board for over 10 years. I'm an outdoor enthusiast and an adventurer at heart. Getting outdoors is deeply cathartic for me and helps to clear my head of daily complexities. I'm always running in Memorial Park and hanging out with my kids. The most surprising thing about you. I am a huge Grateful Dead fan, and now a Dead & Company fan. And I love road trips to the mountains, deserts, and oceans. Six must-haves in Bering's Men's Shop. The Turtlebox Bluetooth indestructible speaker. Boker knives. Our men's shirts. A Grateful Dead-inspired line of clothing and accessories called Pesca Muerta. Our vast line of whiskey and beer barware and essentials. Vuarnet shades. Typical day. An early-morning run or Seal PT workout, taking my daughter to school (during non- COVID times), and grabbing a cup of Café Bering's on the way up the stairs to my offi ce at our Westheimer location. On Bering's iconic wedding registry. It was our customers and an employee that gave us the idea to open our gift shop in 1971, which immediately opened the door to our registry (serving nearly 500 couples annually). Aside from tabletop, many couples are registering for grills, kitchenware, coolers, hammocks, and items from the hardware department. All about tabletop. Our most popular line for formal china is Herend and, for casual china, Juliska. Herend's Chinese Bouquet is the leading pattern, Juliska's Berry & Thread for casual. Top seller in the hardware department. The Stihl line of battery-operated hedge trimmers, chainsaws, tree trimmers, and pruners. I love these tools. No gas, no cords, and all the power you need. The batteries charge within minutes. Community and philanthropy. Bering's hosts Houston's Rise School for their annual gala at our Bissonnet store. We believe in their mission and are honored to underwrite the fundraiser for the fine school. We are also involved with the Houston Arboretum around the holidays. Most of our donations go to local schools. And I'm on the advisory counsel for NOLS in Lander, Wyoming — which serves many Houston young adults, a mission that's very important to me. Top fi lms of all time. Apocalypse Now, because it's full of grit and awesome one-liners. Star Wars, because I think it shaped me. I was obsessed with that movie; I saw it 13 times in the fi rst year. The Big Lebowski, because "the Dude abides." Currently, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, because it's an adventure worth watching. Sport to play. Snow skiing. Steep and deep! 500 couples annually). Aside from tabletop, many couples are registering for grills, kitchenware, coolers, hammocks, and items from the hardware department. All about tabletop. Our most popular line for formal china is Herend and, for casual china, Juliska. Herend's Chinese Bouquet is the leading pattern, Juliska's Berry & Thread for casual. Top seller in the hardware department. The Stihl line of battery-operated hedge trimmers, chainsaws, tree trimmers, and pruners. I love these tools. No gas, no cords, and all the power you need. The batteries charge within minutes. Community and philanthropy. Bering's hosts Houston's Rise School Augie Bering V a b o u t Memorial Park the lumber business and adding Bering's Westheimer location, circa 1970s Memorial Park surprising thing Grateful Dead fan, and now Bering's hosts Houston's Rise School for their annual gala at our Bissonnet store. We believe in their mission and are honored to underwrite the fundraiser for the fine school. We are also involved with the Houston Arboretum around the holidays. Most of our donations go to local schools. And I'm on the advisory counsel for NOLS in Lander, Wyoming — which serves many Houston young adults, a mission that's very important to me. Top fi lms of all time. Apocalypse Now Bering's hosts Houston's Rise School for their annual gala at our Bissonnet Memorial Park August C. Bering III manning the store, early 1960s