![]() What began as a single-product company, offering only a full-sized, 7.5-foot hanging tree constructed from acrylic rings and glass chandelier crystals, has now expanded into a full product line. Since starting the company in 2011, Modern Christmas Trees has grown significantly. ![]() “I just wanted to show the world his contribution to design, and we’re selling trees all over the world now.” Matt Bliss “When you have someone you love with Alzheimer’s - and they’re the centerpiece of the family and they’re not able to be at their best - it’s a very helpless feeling,” Bliss says of his grandfather, who designed the first Modern Christmas Tree in the 1960s. The entrepreneur went through the Shark Tank process with his mother, Stoecker’s daughter, making it all the more special for Bliss. He says the experience has been great exposure for Modern Christmas Trees and a tribute to his late grandfather, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in 2012. It took roughly 45 minutes to pitch on the show back in September, Bliss says, though he cannot disclose whether or not he got a deal until the episode airs on December 3. It’s a seasonal product, and it’s not a business everyone may want to be in, but I think I got a fair shake.” “They were really impressed that I have a product line, not just one tree. “I got a call in the spring of last year that Shark Tank would be doing a Christmas show, and they were wondering why I hadn’t applied,” Bliss says, adding that the producers contacted him after they saw his Kickstarter campaign online. Over the past four years, as sales have skyrocketed and demand has increased for this modern take on a holiday tradition, the executive producers at ABC’s Shark Tank - a reality show in which entrepreneurs go head to head for funding - have taken notice, as well. In 2014, the local entrepreneur spoke to Westwordabout how he took his grandfather Lawrence “Bud” Stoecker’s design - a set of concentric rings that hang from the ceiling - and created Modern Christmas Trees, a successful business selling collapsible artificial trees to customers as far away as the United Arab Emirates and Ireland. There would be no tree without him.Matt Bliss's small-business adventure started with an A-frame cabin, his grandfather and a fresh way of looking at the Christmas tree. “My goal is to show my grandfather’s contribution to the design world. Modern Christmas trees have been staged at the governor’s mansion in Denver, the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai, the Swarovski store at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at architectural landmarks such as the Stahl House in Los Angeles and the Farnsworth House outside of Chicago.Īnd every Modern Christmas Tree, everywhere in the world, bears Stoecker’s signature engraved on its base. The modern tree display is part of the hotel’s annual holiday décor. The Disneyland Hotel ordered 16 custom trees shortly after Stoecker passed away in 2012. “It would make me happy to turn him into a pop culture icon.” “There’s no doubt that my grandfather’s gift of designing this tree for our family has been a great thing for me,” Bliss said. PLU was a good fit for me.”Īfter graduation, Bliss worked in the mortgage business for 15 years before Stoecker’s 2010 Alzheimer’s diagnosis spurred Bliss to turn his back on the finance industry and launch the business in tribute to his grandfather. “When I got to PLU, I was exposed to all sorts of concepts and theories and my coursework was graded on my ability to articulate my own thoughts and form persuasive arguments. “My high school education centered around memorizing facts and regurgitating information,” Bliss said. In 2017, he successfully pitched Shark Tank, landing a $100,000 deal with Barbara Corcoran for a 15% stake in the company.Īttending a small liberal arts college enabled Bliss to realize the academic success that eluded him in high school and built his confidence for defending and promoting his ideas. He’s garnered publicity by structuring messaging to pique the interest of various publications. It’s something I’ve been working on.”īliss credits his experience at Pacific Lutheran University, where he majored in communications with an emphasis on public relations, for preparing him to run a business. As we continue to grow, I’m going to need a better solution than shipping out of my home. “We’ve reached our max with the current arrangement.
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