The Beat Goes On

CBS Sunday Morning March 29, 2009

What do legendary drummer Buddy Rich, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, and master chef Mario Batali have in common?

The tools of their trade.

Drumsticks of all kinds … along with pepper mills and rolling pins … are all made by Vic Firth at his factory in Newport, Maine.

Even today, in the midst of the recession, Vic Firth's factory turns out between 85,000 and 90,000 drumsticks a day!

That's 140 jobs in a part of the country where jobs are scarce and many factories have closed, or moved their operations to China.

And what is Firths' secret for success?

"The key word for me is persistence," he said. "Whatever you set out to do, you have to have a magnum passion for it, and you've got to work beyond what you ever dreamed you're gonna work to succeed at the level that you want to succeed at.

"Persistence, persistence, persistence!"

A lesson in stick-to-it-tive-ness.

FMI