Happy Retirement, Jim Armour!

Sometimes in our careers we get the rare opportunity to meet a person who is so truly dedicated to their craft that they can change an industry; in our industry that person is Jim Armour. A stalwart of the business, Jim has been operating and managing events for over four decades and has honed his craft to a precision tool. Jim has an attention to detail that is unimpeachable and exemplifies the behaviour of an event professional.

At Bespoke we exist to always do things differently and Jim embraced that methodology from the moment he was introduced to our team. Constantly innovating, constantly challenging, and never satisfied until a project is finished and a client is happy, Jim is a role model and a mentor and will leave an indelible impact on our culture.

As we prepare to say goodbye to our friend, it has given me a moment to pause and reflect on what makes a great colleague. Is it capability or capacity? Is it someone who shows up early and stays late? It’s those things, but it’s also a lot more. A great colleague is someone who shows up, in full, every day and commits themselves. A great colleague is someone who always puts up their hand to say, “I can help.” A great colleague is someone who takes the time to thank their coworkers, sends a note to a client just because that person is on their mind. A great colleague is someone that can be counted on and in these traits, Jim Armour is a great colleague.

To this point and as a credit to Jim’s character, this is the third time he has tried to retire. In previous iterations we have needed his services and he has graciously offered them without reserve. Even now in his state of semi-retirement, Jim will be helping the team by traveling to both Calgary and Mexico to support his long-time and valued customers.

When asked how he will spend his time during retirement, Jim said, “After 40+ years in the AV business it’s time put the remote clicker away. My retirement goal is to spend winters in the Caribbean with my wife and to take the occasional freelance gig to stay in touch with the many colleagues and friends I have met along the way. My last five years at Bespoke has taught me more than I could have imagined, and I am grateful to them for that.”

Jim has woven himself into the fabric of our company and I will truly miss his charm, wit, capability, friendship, and camaraderie. I hope you will join me in wishing Jim happy trails on his next journey.

Kyle Brooks
CEO

“Jim personifies commitment, dedication and attention to detail. He brings technical skill and creative solutions to everything that he touches.” – Tristan Tidswell

“Jim! I can’t believe you are finally retiring. No seriously, I don’t believe it… I’m sure I’ll see you next year… Ever since A.V. Projects joined the Bespoke AV family it has been a pleasure working with you. Your organization and attention to detail made the transition as smooth as possible for everyone involved, and that dedication was apparent through your entire career with Bespoke AV. The care you took with your events always ensured a smooth execution for all parties involved, and the ops team loved you for it. You’ve had a huge hand in helping us design, build, and maintain many of our product offerings, and have constantly pushed us forward to be the best we can be. Thank you for always being kind and wonderful. Happy Retirement!” – Kris Di Pietro

“Jim and I have had a phenomenal time working together from my vantage. Many of the Bespoke team can only imagine our first meetings at the AVP warehouse from Jim’s view being: “Oh, no! Not a group of millennials coming in here to tell me what gear we need and what gear we don’t, how to do my shows, and who to hire.” I hope over the 5+ years we then spent working together that we’ve shown our deep commitment to maintain the AVP work ethic and quality, attention to detail, and do anything attitude. I can safely say that Jim has been inspiring to me in his passion for this industry, the AVP business as well as Bespoke business (consistently the best dressed Bespoke person at any corporate function), and someone I inspire to emulate as I continue my own journey in this industry. It would have been incredibly easy for him to just hang it up at the start of COVID and say “I’ve done my time” but instead, as he always has, he rolled up his sleeves and said “how can I help this company survive and thrive.” A true legend Jim’s daily presence will be something I miss dearly – but I’ll still text him from time to time just to be that irritating millennial in his life forever more! All the best Jim in retirement – well earned, well deserved, and thank you for being such a tremendous part of Bespoke’s success.” – Mike Wilson

I worked with Jim for my years at AV Projects and continued to work with him at Bespoke AV when I became freelance. Jim and I were like a married couple - arguing about where to run the XLR cable one minute and congratulating each other on a great show in the next minute. The years I spent working with Jim made me appreciate his attention to detail and concern to make the show run perfect. He is great at what he does and was a good leader when he put on that hat. I've been enjoyed working with him over the years. Let's hope you knows what to do with himself in retirement :) – Peter Burrill