Dear backers,

It is bittersweet to be sending this final update of our Kickstarter campaign! For future news about StandStand, or if you have friends interested in ordering one, please check out our new website, www.StandStand.com.

Lindsay and I are home now after a fun week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Some 165,000 people were there to exhibit and explore new products. It was exciting to tell hundreds of people about StandStand and let them try it out at our booth. We also got a great write-up in Mashable!

I even had the chance to try out for Shark Tank! After arriving at our booth on Thursday morning, someone told me that there were open auditions for Shark Tank that same day in the Venetian Hotel, right next to the expo building where we had our booth. I made it there at 10am, just in time to pick up a wristband, and was told to return at 3pm. When I came back, I had another 90 minutes to nervously run through what I would say before it was my turn to give a short pitch to one of the four casting agents sitting at the long table in the front of the room. We were all told to manage our expectations about a callback since they only take 140 people out of the 40,000 annual applicants, but it was still fun, and now whenever anyone suggests that I take StandStand on Shark Tank, I can let them know I gave it my best shot!

I’ll be getting in touch one more time next month to ask if you have any feedback about StandStand that will help us improve the product. Thanks again for all the support you’ve shown to help us launch StandStand into the world!

Yours, Luke

P.S. Paul is at the Packers playoff game today, where he used a StandStand to maximize table space at the tailgate!

Happy 2015, StandStand Kickstarters!

Emails and photos from happy backers have made this holiday an especially nice one for us. After all the hard work and uncertainty involved in a project like this, the satisfaction that we’ve been hearing has been such an encouraging validation of the project. Thank you!

All Kickstarter rewards have been sent, though not everyone received the automatic email notification with the tracking number. (Many were sent, but in the hectic final days, we didn't click the necessary box for every shipping label we printed.) If you need your tracking number or have any questions about your delivery, you can contact Lindsay directly at lindsay@standstand.com.

It has been our hope all along to use your support through Kickstarter to turn StandStand into a small company based in Superior. As the first next step, Lindsay and I are taking our first-ever trip to Las Vegas to participate in CES, a conference that we’ve been told is the Disney World of electronics and a good way to connect with computer users from around the US and beyond. Wish us luck in this first effort at post-Kickstarter marketing!

Yours,

Luke

Dear backers,

Of the 1,755 StandStands we were aiming to send out by today, we fell short by 250: 96 bamboo (all 9”) and 154 birch (110 of the 12” and 44 of the 14”). Paul thinks the remaining bamboo StandStands will be shipped out on Monday and the birch StandStands on Tuesday, but unfortunately, that means these 250 probably won’t arrive by the 25th. From the beginning, we advertised StandStand as a unique holiday gift, so for those of you planning to use your StandStand as a present that day, please accept our sincere apology if it does not arrive in time.

I can’t express enough gratitude for everyone who worked so hard these past two weeks to get us as close to our goal as we did. The crew worked long days and overtime, our parents volunteered for many evening shifts, and Paul kept going overnight on numerous occasions to cut panels to be sanded and varnished the following day. There were challenges along the way with just about every stage in the process, and we treated each one as a chance to learn and build for the future.

Finally, thanks again to each of you for supporting StandStand and making this journey possible!

Yours,

Luke

Dear Kickstarters!

Paul and Lindsay mailed around 400 StandStands in the first half of this week. That still leaves a lot to do in these next three days if we are to meet our goal of shipping everything by December 20. But we still hope to do it! Paul was on the CNC machine till 8pm tonight, when one of the shop crew, Jeremy, returned to relieve him. After a nap, Paul plans to take back over from Jeremy and may finish cutting the panels we need for the final Kickstarter rewards in time for the crew to resume sanding and varnishing during the work day tomorrow.

Over the past week, Lindsay's parents have gotten into the action during the evening shift. In these photos, Jim prepares panels to hang while being varnished, and Sandy scuffs panels between varnish coats. Meanwhile, Paul takes a breather. (It may be the only time he has taken a seat since the CNC machine arrived, so definitely worthy of a photo.)

After a day's work last week, Lindsay visited the Bent Paddle brew pub for a fun wall-to-wall yoga class. Lindsay met Laura Mullen (center, with white sweater) when they waited tables together at Bennet's in Duluth during college summers. (We like to think that we launched Laura's career as an events planner when we persuaded her to plan our wedding.) Last summer, Laura and her husband, Colin, opened a brewery that is taking the Northland by storm. Seeing friends like them and reconnecting with our hometown is part of the reason we wanted to start a business with Paul in Superior.

Paul and Lindsay are gearing up for the last few days of Kickstarter production and shipment. We're so excited to be reaching this point and so grateful for your support along the way!

Yours,

Luke

P.S. Being chosen as a finalist for Boston's 50 on Fire meant I got to take part in a photo shoot atop one of the tallest buildings in Boston. It was lots of fun, and there were amazing views in every direction!

Dear backers,

It has been a busy week in Superior! After the regular work day ends, Paul and Lindsay stay on for a second shift, sometimes joined by my parents and Paul’s dad, Rob, who founded Rob’s Custom Cabinetry thirty years ago and gave me a summer job during college. With everyone contributing, it feels like an extended family coming together to bring in the harvest. We’re so grateful for all the support we've received!

Of the 1,755 StandStands we need to get out in these two weeks, we sent 481 through Friday. I haven't heard the numbers for today yet, but Paul, Lindsay, and members of the crew worked through the weekend to prepare the 215 StandStands you see boxed up and ready to go in the top photo. More StandStands are airing out along the wall after receiving the varnish top coat, and additional pieces are cut and ready for sanding and varnishing. There may be some short nights this week, but we are cautiously optimistic about getting everything shipped by the 20th.

The local news came by last Wednesday to check out the progress we are making. You can see an interview with Paul and production scenes from the shop at this link.

Thanks for the reports you are sending to standstand.us@gmail.com and the photos you are posting to Facebook and Twitter when your StandStands arrive!

Yours,

Luke

P.S. We were delighted to be chosen as finalists for Boston's 50 on Fire and attend the awards gala on December 4. Lindsay got so many compliments on her dress!