Rangefinder Magazine
August 2006
Lab Profile: MomentShare by Lou Jacobs Jr.
Ladies of the Lab
|
|
The Pai family portrait
|
IN 1968, EXPERIENCED photofinishers
Craig Pai and his father established Excel
Photo Service in Chicago. Their business catered
to the best professional wedding, sports
and portrait photographers in the area, and
after a few years Craig bought out his father,
who moved to Hawaii.
In 1976 Craig married Leslie, who had a
degree in special education and spoke fluent
Spanish. The couple had five biological daughters
and adopted a little girl from Honduras
who needed nutrition and love. Leslie raised
the girls while Craig managed the lab.
|
|
The Pai family behind MomentShare’s front counter
|
Without warning, in
November 1995, Craig
died. After 20 years of marriage, Leslie found
herself in “the most unthinkable situation” as
sole owner of an established pro lab, with no
business experience. “Competitors tried to
panic our customers,” Leslie recalls, “spreading
word that no one was in charge. Through
numerous complications, it took three years to
legally take control of my business.”
Excel continued producing its traditional
quality work as Leslie educated herself in all
aspects of the company. Accompanied by her
daughters, Tiffany, now 27, Jolie, 25, Tami, 23,
Shanie, 21, Samara, 20, and Kayla, 15, Leslie
says, “We attended meetings and shows, met
with countless photographers, and got a jumpstart
on the arriving digital age.
“We have the best digital equipment available,
from ZBE Chromira to Frontier 370. Our
employees attend training classes and all six
daughters insisted on learning every inch of
the lab. Tami even knows how to maintain and repair all the equipment. They’ve all acquired excellent digital
skills and artistic training through the Illinois Art Institute. Some
clients refer to Tiffany and Shanie as the ‘Digital Divas’ because of
their editing talents.”
As the popularity of digital photography grew, Leslie looked to the
future. Two of her senior technical consultants owned and operated
a software development and hosting firm. She explains, “Using the
skills of Elton and
Curtis Wilson, we started MomentShare (www.
momentshare.com), working closely with the most successful of
our photographers to create a full-service professional lab with online
proofing and order fulfillment. We saw that this combination of
technology and pro-lab personalized service could greatly increase
photographers’ income by giving them more exposure while increasing
reprint orders. MomentShare is our national brand, and is
the online division of Excel Photo Service. We are first and foremost
a pro lab. We realize photographers aren’t all computer geeks just
because they went digital, and we make it simple and inexpensive to
get their work out there.”
|
|
Behind the scenes, in the shipping department, everything is as neat and
pristine as the area of the lab that the public sees.
|
The digital department takes orders via FTP and email, offers
photographers tech support, and, Leslie adds, “We create a custom
web page for each MomentShare photographer with an easy-to-use
control panel to display and sell images online. Every event includes a
personal, intuitive ordering gallery that may stay online indefinitely.
“While all six Pai girls and myself manage and supervise Moment-
Share and Excel,” Leslie asserts, “we all play major roles in production
along with an amazing digital support staff. A Pai gives personal
attention to every photograph that leaves the lab. Posting proofs
online gives them exposure to new clients, and photographers can
concentrate on shooting because MomentShare handles orders. We
also offer large prints, individually designed albums, and we even do
digital artwork and enlargements for other professional labs, all at
competitive prices.”
The story of the Pai family and MomentShare is an inspiring
success story. They pulled together when tragedy struck, and Craig
would be very proud about the reputation of Excel and Moment-
Share in the 21st century.
There is a reason why Curtis Wilson is highlighted. He is Tiffany's husband of few years. Tiffany and Curtis are running or at least influencing Jolie images. This is what Curtis does for a living:
EasyAdJob.com - HitReady Inc typical rip off Buffalo Grove Illinois
The list goes on.
