18 Nov

Having a Fun Friday Workday at OP

Steven K. Ledin,

Elk meat from heaven!

I’m having a fun day today at OpticsPlanet on this chilly Friday in Northbrook. Our weekly staff meeting was even more delicious than normal, with lots of great news from various departments. Lots of continued growth. This is truly a dynamic place to work. At all levels you had better be on your toes and not rest on your laurels. Not what have you done for me lately, but what are you doing for me now. And it’s Christmas! Our time of the year!

My first meeting had to do with a project regarding SHOT show and all the people going. We are renting three separate houses this year to accommodate all of us. We’re about two dozen strong attendees so far. Every single person is so valuable to us.

My second meeting was with our Social Committee regarding our Christmas party. Fun projects posed to me earlier have already cost me about a week’s worth of extracurricular activities in my garage and basement with paper mache and balloons.

 My third and fourth meetings were with vendor services and purchasing, and here I am back at my desk deciphering potential OPMOD products and directing my great soldiers from Product Intelligence.

 Last night was a great meeting with a particularly favorite vendor, and the night before was a great dinner with the new cheese from Zeiss. Look for a completely exciting and new look from this company, traditionally underappreciated by the middling income spending public.

 I had another hour long interview with Jim Slinsky from the Outdoor Talk Network this week and it will be aired Saturday. Take a listen. Jim is a kindred outdoor spirit and easy to talk to. His show is the longest running and most widely distributed radio show in the country. Click on this link to find the stations and times for your listening pleasure.

 Christmas time is about here, which is superbowl time for OP. We are now a full-fledged campus, with three separate buildings. The latest move went extremely well. We’ve been growing so fast for so long, we simply get better every time.

 I’ve been using my new favorite headlamp for grilling, the Coast LED #19273. It has a rear battery box, small and light, that holds three AAA batteries and has a lever to easily adjust intensity. The on/off switch is on the front and accessible even with frozen gloved hands. The beam is adjustable in intensity. It has a working battery life of up to 15 hours. I used one in Alaska on my last hunt and is now my go-to headlamp. I highly recommend this light, and I’ve been using it for grilling for the last few weeks.

 My cooking lately has been grilled Cuban pork chops with cumin, olive oil and lime zest, and I just made one of My Shirley’s favorites, goosekabobs marinated in light teriaki with bacon, fresh vegetables and wild rice. I also smoked some goose breasts with red wine, cider, cloves and cinnamon sticks in the water pan, and basted the breasts with honey and cinnamon. I used apple wood this time. Last night was Swiss elk sirloin tips with lots of mushrooms. We eat a lot of God’s creatures.

Elk Swiss steak with fresh spuds and lima beans

Enjoy your weekend!

 

About Steven K. Ledin

Steve has never not known guns. Before motorcycles, money, or girls, they have always been part of his life. He was tenured as General Manager of one of the country’s largest gun stores and ranges, a buyer in a big box sporting goods store, and is currently OpticsPlanet’s Director of Product Intelligence. He was a US Navy gunners mate, and is an NRA certified instructor in ten categories, as well as an Illinois CCW instructor. He shoots competitively and has hunted from Alaska to Africa. He thoroughly loves life with his beloved wife, Shirley, and their three wildish dogs Tinker, TranRek (pronounced “Train Wreck”), and Crash Almighty. He is a stubborn stage 4 cancer survivor not yet ready to cash in his chips.

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