What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Rock’s Family Business Memoir

Guest Post

Eileen Fritsch, Journalist & Writer, Eileen Fritsch Communications

When I joined the LaManna Consulting Group team, I knew Rock had served as CEO at Vomela, a pioneering company in wide-format graphics. But until I read Rock’s new book, I didn’t know the full story behind the business his father Carlo LaManna had purchased from founder Jack Vomela in 1980.

It turns out that Carlo LaManna, Rock LaManna, and creative Vomela employees such as Mike Donovan played key roles in developing technology for the growth of large-format graphics markets.

Working with 3M engineers, Vomela’s early experiments with a Kongsberg computer-controlled die cutter in the 1980s laid the foundation for using computer-cut, large-format adhesive vinyl for fleet markings, vehicle graphics, and signage.

In the 1980s, computer-aided design (CAD) systems and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) were new technologies that promised to revolutionize design, engineering and manufacturing. Vomela’s work with 3M engineers was part of nationwide efforts to explore what might be possible.

At Big Picture magazine in the 1990s, I reported on the efforts of the 3M Commercial Graphics Division to promote new opportunities such as bus wraps and truckside branding to advertising agencies and brand marketers.

So I was fascinated to read about Vomela’s role in pioneering computer-cut large-format graphics and helping entrepreneurs build new types of businesses.

In 1988, Mike Donovan left Vomela to start his own business: the Grafix Shoppe in Minneapolis. It was one of the first businesses to design, print, and install computer-cut adhesive-vinyl graphics for police cars, fire trucks, and other public safety vehicles. Today the Grafix Shoppe also offers vehicle wraps, retail signage, and event graphics.

A Family Business Memoir

Rock LaManna’s memoir “They Named You Right,” is a deeply personal account of what it was like working for Vomela as it transitioned from being an established producer of screen-printed, die-cut labels and tags into a corporate-sponsored test facility for technical innovations.

The first chapters of the book explain how Italian immigrant Carlo LaManna rose through the ranks at Vomela from letterpress craftsman to plant manager and eventual owner. In addition to his technical ingenuity in developing the kiss-cut die-cutting method of label converting, Carlo was a voracious reader of books about business and investing. He passed along a lot of what he learned to Rock.

When Carlo LaManna owned the Vomela Specialty Company in the 1980s, young Rock served as CEO and attended the Harvard Business School for Executive Leadership. Vomela worked with 3M engineering and business development teams to produce computer-cut vinyl to customize Ford Mustangs, RVs, and fleet markings. The business was wildly successful.

Vomela was a beta tester when 3M created their Scotchprint 2000 printer for higher-speed production of outdoor-durable wide-format graphics.

Rock’s memoir isn’t all business, however. He also delves into some of the emotional challenges of working in a family-owned business. Rock describes some of the personal turmoil that created financial obstacles to Carlo’s exit strategy. While Carlo originally wanted to sell the business to Rock, the transition wasn’t nearly as smooth as he expected it to be.

Three years after Rock became a part owner of Vomela, the majority owner Tom Auth asked Rock to sell his 40% stake in the company to him. Since then, Vomela has acquired a number of large-format graphics companies to become one of the largest producers of wide-format graphics in the U.S.

Although Rock achieved his goal of becoming a millionaire before age 40, his workaholic ways destroyed his marriage and impacted his relationships with his 10 brothers and sisters.

Rock’s Diamonds

One reason Rock wrote the book was to share some of the hard lessons he learned when he bought and sold the family business. He wants entrepreneurs of all ages to avoid some of the painful mistakes he made.

Rock especially likes guiding mid-career entrepreneurs who recognize they might not want to wait until they are in their 70s and 80s to do something different in life than run a business. He devotes the final chapter of his memoir to lessons that might be useful to young entrepreneurs or new business owners.

For example, Rock knows what happens when your work and home lives are out of balance: “Listen to a workaholic: Working too much will implode your personal life, which in turn can hurt your career. In business terminology, you might call this a lose-lose-lose scenario: you lose, your family and friends lose, and in the end, your business will probably lose, too.”

He advises readers to “Count on your friends and family to help you achieve work-life balance. Sometimes they know you better than you know yourself.”

Now in his ‘60s, Rock believes the ultimate goal in life is to die happy: “All the cash and financial success in the world don’t mean anything if you’re not happy. Is your ultimate goal in life to die with a million bucks in the bank, or with a smile on your face?”

He also provides advice about when to give up on a dream and when to stick with an endeavor: “How do you get to be ‘the best’ at something? I’ve found it’s a matter of choosing something that makes you a better person. I try to open myself to change and growth, which often doesn’t come easy. But you’re more likely to find your way when you’re generous, kind, and selfless.”

You can read more excerpts from the book and order a copy for yourself at theynamedyouright.com. All proceeds from the sale of Rock’s book will go to The Rock LaManna Foundation, which financially contributes to organizations that support underprivileged and children with special needs.