Word: carles
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...many Democrats want deeper, quicker cuts. Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has just returned from Iraq. He was as impressed by the Iraqi military he saw as he was frustrated by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government. Citing improvements in the Iraqi forces, Levin says the U.S. can begin withdrawing troops in four months and cut the total number in half by mid-2008. And while Levin wants al-Maliki voted out of office, Bush has pointedly said the decision is "up to the Iraqis ... not American politicians...
Going from zero to icon in 20 years was no accident. Viking founder and CEO Fred Carl set out to create a brand that would become synonymous with professional-class home cooking. He picked a look (industrial), a niche (upscale) and a mission (to be on the cutting edge of the food movement), and has not deviated. "I reminded our people that we were a culinary company, not a manufacturing company, and that was going to make Viking different," he says. "I knew this would build brand awareness and image faster than just advertising and sales promotions...
Influenced by Land Rover's off-road driving schools and Orvis' fly-fishing trips, Carl devised a strategy to keep the product line fresh by finding ways to make Viking an experience rather than just a product. Its brand is a lifestyle badge. Currently, there are 11 Viking Cooking Schools across the country that offer courses in baking, grilling, chopping and general entertaining. Courses average $100 for a three-hour class and are taught by staff and celebrity chefs. Three years ago, the company raised the heat, teaming up with the Culinary Institute of America to offer...
Closer to home, Carl and Viking have transformed the former cotton capital turned derelict into a culinary destination. Cooking enthusiasts come to Greenwood to stay at the Alluvian, the company's boutique hotel, get pampered in the spa, learn cooking techniques and test-drive a range at the Viking Cooking School. Last year the Alluvian hosted 18,000 guests, 12,000 of whom visited the spa or took cooking classes, or both. "Viking consumers are passionate about their purchase and want opportunities to engage in the lifestyle," says Kathy Potts, who heads the Viking Life division...
...unlikely that Carl will allow his flagship to deteriorate in quality, since he spent years sweating the development details. A fourth-generation builder, the inspiration for Viking occurred when Carl was constructing his own home in Greenwood in the early 1980s. His wife Margaret wanted a gas range like the Chambers brand she had grown up with: a hulking cast-iron and porcelain beast weighing more than 500 lbs. (225 kg). Chambers was long gone, supplanted by flimsier ranges that offered utility sans style. So Carl decided to build his own, inspired by another contractor whose high-quality cooking utensils...