40 under 40
Tim Beckett has been an integral and dedicated Townsend Leather Partner for 15 years.
Tim has been long recognized by Townsend Leather Partners and every community he is involved with, as a passionate irreplaceable force of greatness. In 2020, one way that recognition took shape was in Tim being awarded as a 40 Under 40 recipient by The Albany Business Review.
This is the third time a Townsend Leather leader has been recognized for this prestigious award, and with the massive projects Tim has been heading up as well as being his 15th Townsend Leather anniversary – it comes at a great time.
Tim was selected as a young professional by The Albany Business Review as someone “who is vital to the capital region by helping make great strides in shaping our community’s future”.
Along with passionate hands in everything Townsend from Sales, Production, Traveling, Team… Tim also spearheaded our growth into The Stitch building and continues to use his keen eyesight to look to the future and build toward it.
Known in equal parts for his seriousness and jokes,
his drive and his care,
his business focus and his sense of fun…
it is no surprise that one of his most memorable quotes is of his love for mullets. Tim is essentially a human-mullet himself and he appreciates that vibe in others as well.
His interview with Albany Business Review is shown below, including his now-famous quote:
What quality do you most value in a colleague or teammate? Someone with a mullet. It is business in the front and party in the back. A teammate that works hard, doesn’t take it too seriously and is ready to have some fun.
That quote and his own business yet fun attitude inspired some of his team to shoot some glamour shots with some seriously fun new fashion. See the short video anniversary tribute to Tim here:
Tim Beckett
Vice president, Townsend Leather
Tim Beckett’s job with Townsend Leather has taken him to 24 countries, the Great Wall of China, a five star hotel in Dubai and the Taj Mahal.
Over the past decade, Beckett and his co-workers have worked with designers of yachts, New Balance sneakers, jets, casinos and Air Force One.
“The pride of being a manufacturer in America is something that a lot of people in the past few decades haven’t been able to realize,” Beckett said. “It is really rewarding to get to see, stay at, fly or even wear some of our products.”
What was your first job? Bailing hay at Model Dairy during the summer. There is nothing like farm work to teach you about work ethic.
What would you tell your 16-year-old self? You don’t want to be labeled as someone with potential. It means you didn’t use and push your abilities to the limit.
What is the biggest future challenge this area should be preparing for? Consolidation of many of the local governments, nonprofits and school districts would spur economic activity and creativity on how we can move forward. We have far too many organizations with overlapping responsibilities and high costs that deter more people from investing back into our communities and retiring here.
What quality do you most value in a colleague or teammate? Someone with a mullet. It is business in the front and party in the back. A teammate that works hard, doesn’t take it too seriously and is ready to have some fun.
What was the toughest choice you made professionally? In 2015, we had to close our sister company, Studio Vizto, a 50-person upholstery company, based in Orlando. The Viz was upholstering custom head of state aircrafts. Market conditions and consolidation ultimately made it unsustainable. The hardest part was letting go of all of the amazing people that we built such close relationships with.
Are you working on any side projects? We just finished renovating our building, The Stitch in Johnstown, for Townsend’s new offices. We are currently renovating other parts of the building for office space. There is more space to lease and we are hopeful to get a brewery or event space on the first floor.
Who are three people, dead or alive, you’d want at your next dinner party? Chris Farley, Michael Jordan and Teddy Roosevelt.
Age: 37
Industry: Manufacturing
Grew up/resides now: Gloversville/Saratoga Springs
Family: Wife, Rose; son, Lars, 8; daughter, Vera, 3
Education: Bachelor’s in business administration, University of New Hampshire, 2004