Hey everyone — Eli here, writing to let y'all know of a mildly interesting update: 'hey' is going away. As in, heyfieldday.com. We've moved on up to fieldday.com.
It's cool to have the domain. But what’s cooler is its history, and the similarities to the journey that we’re on at Field Day.
Andrew Arntfield started his own business in Toronto in 1989, a graphic-design firm. The first office: his apartment bedroom where he did typesetting and early digital design on an Atari 1040ST.
For his company, the name Field Day didn’t come around until 2002, domain in hand, of course. His customers included the Toronto Raptors, Canadian National Exhibition, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Cavaliers, XM Satellite Radio, and Warner Bros. Not too shabby.
Andrew died last year, after almost 35 years running his business.
What I’ve been struck by most through learning about him, is the sense that Andrew cared most about the how: how he treated others, and how he approached his breadth of passions, with energy and optimism. He had a clear belief in innovation through experience and embracing the journey.
When I was exploring the domain transfer with Sandy, Andrew’s business partner, he wrote:
“Andrew was amazing. He could do just about anything. And if he couldn't, he'd figure out how to do it and master it. He was a musician in a band that charted here in Canada, he was an accomplished artist, he ran a business that he started, building it into something that had Major League sports clients, among others. But above all, he was a kind soul who you could always count on.”
Versatile, relentless, positive, kind. I shared a little bit about my brother, Sam. A lot of similarities, I told him.
“It sounds like Andrew and Sam would have been fast friends. Or at least friendly rivals ;)”
He nailed it.
Andrew spent most of his 30-year anniversary post thanking others. So I'll say, thank you, Andrew. We plan on being good shepherds for fieldday.com through our commitment to community. And carry on the entrepreneurial spirit we inherit with it.
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