I remember the very first time I spoke with Dan Desmet. Id never met him, but the voice was so familiar and I just couldn’t place it. And then I remembered, the scientist from Lilo and Stitch. Dan could have easily been the voice actor for that role. Especially since he was talking a lot of technical data on the phone, he could have been describing the new version of Experiment 626. I knew I liked him right away.
Dan Desmet shows off the FSI 9 monitor at our Open House in March 2011.
Many of you know Dan and his son, Bram, as the two of the principals of the company Flanders Scientific which has made many of our professional lives much better with their array of incredible monitors. The company was started with a very simple idea, make a better product, make it affordable and then listen to the customer for new improvements. This simple idea has led to one of the most successful companies I’ve ever been associated with.
But here’s what I know about Dan. His incredible warmth. The man loved to laugh and his laughter would fill a room. A visit with Dan was never just about business. Oh sure we’d chat about the latest thing they had going on, what features would we like in their products and whatnot. But more-so, we just talked, usually over a simple meal at a local Italian restaurant. Stories of growing up in his native Belgium. His surprise when a certain Simpsons character started showing up in his email box after they named the company. I learned more about Dan and his family than pretty much anyone outside my own family. More than anything else, we laughed. He really enjoyed life and it was pleasure to share a meal with him. And of course we talked a lot about family.
The real story of Flanders Scientific is not about technology at all, its about family. A small family company built on hard work and dedication to a passion. Its about doing the right thing, doing it the right way and treating those around you with dignity and respect. Doing it the right way applied even to the business structure. While Dan was certainly the face of the company when it started, from day one it was never designed to be run solely by one person. It is a true collaboration with all members involved in the design, creation and support of the product line. Anyone who has spent time with Bram, Johan or Yoke know just how incredibly smart these folks are and what good hands the company is in. They have some incredible products coming down the pipeline to carry on Dan’s legacy. This is why all my monitors come from FSI and will continue to do so.
In many ways, the story of FSI is a continuation of the immigrant story begun by my own grandfather in the 1930s. A simple tailor from southern Italy, he went through Ellis Island and settled in Poughkeepsie, New York where he married my absolutely incredible grandmother. He started a tailor shop, personally built his own home and then added a much larger home to the front when his son married my mom. I was incredibly fortunate to grow up with my grandparents as a part of my life. They taught me that my word and my name were the only two things I had that were worth anything. If you break your word, your name isn’t worth the paper its written on. Ive always strived to live up to my grandparents very simple, yet very important lessons.
Dan was cut from the same cloth as my grandparents. In fact the entire Desmet family is what I call old school and it’s why I respect them so much. They are the perfect example of all that is missing in today’s business world, particularly the American business world. They’re smart, they’re passionate about what they do, they work hard, and their word is their word. They have pride in their work because the business was built up on their own, as a family. And they’ve done it with a lot of laughter. Laughter and love. You can’t help but smile and laugh when youre around this family because they simply enjoy life. Dan not only built a great company to carry on his legacy, he left us a wonderful family to share in his love.
And if I may, from a business side, Dan and the entire FSI family has always been there to lend a hand or help out in any way. When we first met, I was working out of my house, yet Dan and Bram treated our facility with the respect that a top shelf broadcast shop would usually garner. We had the first of our many Italian lunches and the first stories of growing up in Belgium and of course a lot of laughter. When we decided to open the new shop, Dan was the first to sign on and be a presenter in our vendor showcase. Heck Bram helped install the overhang outside the building for the open house.
Bram & Larry attempting to get the outdoor awning up as the rains fall at our Open House March 2011.
When the Atlanta Cutters was an idea, Dan said, “What do you need from us?” and FSI became one of our first sponsors. Whatever ideas we have going on, Dan and Bram are always the first to say, “we’re there, just tell us when to show up.” They’re good people and you just don’t find many people, let alone companies, that do the right thing anymore. I even tried to convince Dan to move the company even closer to our new shop so we could head out to lunch more often, I guess I’ll have to work on Bram now.
We only get one chance at this thing we call life. Life is too short for needless drama. Enjoy it, surround yourself with people you truly like, and try to leave this world a little better for those who follow. My life is certainly better for having the chance to know Dan Desmet and to learn from him. Thank you Dan for allowing me to be a part of the Desmet family, its a true honor. I miss you buddy.
I share the Desmet family suggestion to remember Dan with a small donation to the Be The Match Foundation, part of the National Marrow Donor Program that helps patients receive life-saving transplants: marrow.org
R.John, Dan, Walter, Yoke, Bram and Johan in Las Vegas, April 2011 enjoying a wonderful dessert of espresso and gelato at the Venetian hotel.
The official notice from Flanders Scientific is linked here.