Artist
He lives! Just one look in the eyes of Rod, one recognizes the amazing artistic talent of Alan AJ Johnson.
Papa Bear Paul has a new favorite in the Bear Fever collection: it’s Rod!
excerpts taken from...
Bears will be at ‘Coming Out of Hibernation’ event 2011
By Diane VanDyke
Boyertown Times Writer
After this year’s prolonged winter season, it’s time to celebrate the arrival of spring and the bears at Boyertown’s annual Coming Out of Hibernation event on Saturday, April 16, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bears? Yes, two of the newest additions to Bear Fever, Boyertown’s community art project, will make their debuts at this block-party event.
The bears mark the most recent outbreak of the ever-contagious Bear Fever that former Boyertown high school English teacher Jane Stahl and her students started in 2004 to foster community spirit and promote the arts.
With the latest members, the collection now includes 61 bears.
“The continual support by the community of Bear Fever is such a wonderful surprise for Paul and me,” Stahl said. “We felt the community would like their bears, but we had no idea they would grow to love them.”
The new bears are “Rich,” sponsored by Erb Construction Inc., 208 S. Reading Ave., Boyertown, and painted by Jeff Graber of Graber Letterin’ Inc., 58 Schoolhouse Rd., Boyertown, and “Rod,” Dah Hot Rod Bear, sponsored by Loren and Jody Hulber, Macungie, and painted by Alan Johnson, Blairstown, NJ....
Johnson is nationally known for his pinstriping artistry and is now branching across the great pond to the United Kingdom and Scotland. He is a consultant for automotive paint manufacturers, and in 2007, he published his first book “How to Pinstripe.”
He was first introduced to the art in 1957, when his father took him to a car show at the New York Coliseum and he saw Ed “Big Daddy” Roth pinstriping. He then picked up “one of the little brushes” and started painting.
After high school, he used his painting talents to pay his way through the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Art. Following graduation, he worked as an advertising director for a Manhattan agency for five years and hated it.
“With my wife Judy’s support and encouragement, I left Manhattan and started my own business doing lettering, van murals and pinstriping,” he said. “Without her, I would not be doing what I am today.”
Within several years, he was traveling across the country to paint cars by request. His work appears in many car shows, including the prestigious Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance in California.
Loren Hulber, an avid car collector for most of his life, met Johnson several years ago at the Wheels of Time car show in Macungie. When the Hulbers decided to have a bear created to reflect Loren’s car passion, they immediately thought of Johnson.
“Rod” is the Hulbers’ third bear. Their first bear, “Hul-Bear,” has a Pennsylvania German barn star theme and was by artist Eric Claypoole for their 25th wedding anniversary. Their second bear, “Flora,” painted by Joseph Hoover, reflects a floral theme and Jody’s passion for gardening. The Hulbers display the bears at their historic (circa 1740) Fieldstone Farm.
“Alan's talent is truly amazing. In the view of many auto enthusiasts, he is the best in the country at pinstriping and graphics,” Loren Hulber said. “When you look at the bear and the air brush techniques Alan has used, he absolutely looks like a living bear. You really think you could feel his fur and the texture of the silk in his scarf. Looking into his eyes is like looking into the eyes of a living bear!”
Besides their shared passion for art and automobiles, the Hulbers and Johnsons believe in helping others. Most of the car shows they attend benefit worthy charities. Similarly, they are planning to help the Boyertown community at the Hibernation event.
While the plans are not finalized as of the publication deadline of this article, Johnson plans to demonstrate his pinstriping talent by painting selected vehicle(s) and will donate the fees to the Boyertown Salvation Army.
“I like teaching young people who are interested in learning this,” Johnson said. “It’s like the Bible verse says, ‘to whom much is given, much is expected.’ I have been blessed a lot and I want share it.”
The Hulbers, working with the Boyertown Museum of Historic Vehicles and 3 Dog Garage, plan a display some vehicles with Dah Hot Rod Bear. (Poor weather prevented the debut of Rod, Johnson's demonstration and the display of vehicles at the 2011 Coming Out of Hibernation Festival. j.s.)
“We are pleased to participate in Boyertown events. We admire the community spirit and think Boyertown has done well in maintaining the look and feel of an all-American town,” Loren Hulber said. “It is great that so many devote their time, resources and energy to making Boyertown a special place. Certainly Jane and Paul Stahl deserve special recognition for their years of service to the community. We know everyone will enjoy seeing our newest bear and we can't thank our good friend, Alan Johnson, enough for sharing his talents to help the community and to inspire and teach students and artists.”
For more information about Alan Johnson, visit www.alanjohnson grafix.com.
Sponsor
- Jody and Loren Hulber
Fieldstone Farm
7250 Saint Peter’s Road
Macungie, PA 18062
lhulber@ptd.net
610-967-6044
excerpts taken from...
Hul-Bear: A Love Story:
Twenty-five Years of Love Inspires a Creative Celebration
By Diane VanDyke
Boyertown Times Writer
Jody and Loren Hulber, long-time patrons of the arts, believe that richness in life comes from cultivating and sharing personal expression and creativity. The décor of their home reflects their appreciation for the arts with their collection of art by local artists. Their admiration for the Boyertown bears of the Bear Fever Community started the first time they drove through the quaint, historic community.?They were familiar with the fiberglass animal forms, since they formerly lived in Chicago—the home of Cowpainters LLC, the company that creates the molds for such projects. However, it was the enthusiasm and collaboration of artists, sponsors and members of the community of all generations, as well as the leadership of the Stahls, that impressed them the most.
“We’ll be the northern extension of Bear Fever,” Loren said. “Our mailing address is actually Macungie, which is derived from the Lenni Lenape name, ‘maguntsche,’ meaning bear swamp or feeding place of the bears. Macungie’s mascot is a bear. So, having a bear here, on our farm, is apropos.”
The Hulbers are actively involved in many civic organizations, including the United Way, Lehigh Valley Hospital and the Macungie Farmers’ Market, to name a few. They often host community events at their home, where guests can view Hul-Bear. Fieldstone Farm, circa 1740, was originally part of a land grant of the William Penn Walking Treaty, said Jody, who extensively researched the history of the property for her master’s thesis.
The Hulbers consider themselves stewards of this 120-acre property, the largest remaining single tract in southern Lehigh County. They are committed to sustainable agricultural practices and conservation and participate in the Forest Stewardship Program.
Jody, a member of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, grows organic apples and produce and is an active supporter of the Macungie Farmers’ Market. She is a beekeeper and raises fancy breed chickens. Loren has a lengthy list of career achievements as an entrepreneur and builder of high performance businesses. He is currently a high performance business consultant to technology organizations. He served as the chairperson for CorrectNet, Inc. and USAData, Inc. He was the former chair and CEO of Incurrent Solutions, Inc., and he supervised the development of several other corporations.
This energetic, high-achieving couple admires the comparable industriousness of the early Pennsylvania Dutch who settled the land and made the area prosper. They appreciate the practical application of the farm’s construction and the tools and implements.
“The bank barn, for example,” Loren said. “By using the slope of the land and building the barn into it, they were able to keep the barn warm in the winter and cool in the summer. They used the springs in the wetlands to store their milk and dairy products before refrigeration existed.”
Biographical Profile: Loren J. Hulber
Since his youth, at fourteen years of age, founding a business making Christmas ornaments for major department stores, Loren Hulber has been an extraordinary entrepreneur and builder of high performance organizations. Loren has applied his talents to numerous enterprises with outstanding results as well as to charitable and community service organizations.
Loren is currently a high performance business consultant to technology organizations. He served as Chairman of CorrectNet, Inc., a leading provider in the rapidly growing $3.0 billion market for data consolidation and web reporting services for asset managers and their investors. Prior to CorrectNet, Loren was Chairman of USAData, Inc., a leading provider of sales leads on demand through web-based solutions for customer acquisition and customer relationship management.
Prior to CorrectNet and USAData, Loren was Chairman and CEO of Incurrent Solutions, Inc., acquired by ORCC. Incurrent develops, licenses, operates, and manages advanced customer self-service and electronic billing and collection systems for financial institutions in the global credit card industry. Loren led Incurrent to accelerated growth and profitable operations, Series A and Series B rounds of funding and numerous industry awards.
Prior to Incurrent, Loren was founding CEO, President and Chairman of NCES, an outsourced provider of human resource services to thousands of companies and tens of thousands of employees in 46 states. Loren took the company from start-up to $1.3 billion in revenues, completing numerous acquisitions and an IPO, and ultimately selling the company to Fidelity and AFLAC. As President & CEO of Day-Timers, Inc., Loren led this direct marketer of time management tools into reseller channels like Office Depot and Staples, generated record results and produced the strongest revenue and profit growth in the history of this 50 year old company with 4.5 million users. He led Day-Timers into software, acquiring and successfully integrating a leading developer of time management solutions for PC’s and hand-helds.
As President of Wilson Jones Company, Loren dramatically re-energized this 100-year-old manufacturer and distributor of office products restoring strong revenue and profit growth. As President and CEO of Durand Corporation, Loren revolutionized this 50-year-old company by successfully introducing the Slant-D ring binder, forever changing ring binder design and usage, and selling the company to Jostens, Inc., subsequently becoming President of Jostens Business Products Group, the fastest growing segment of this NYSE company.
Loren was named to Who’s Who in New Jersey, was twice a Finalist in the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award Program, was named One of the Most Influential People in the Professional Employer Organization Industry by the ProEmp Journal, was interviewed as One of America’s Hottest Business Leaders in First Job, Great Job by Jason R. Rich, and is a frequent speaker and panelist.
Throughout his career, Loren has demonstrated a deep commitment to entrepreneurial success in business as well as to charitable and community service organizations. He served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network, one of the leading regional teaching hospitals in the USA.
As Campaign Chair of the Lehigh Valley United Way, Loren led the turnaround of the Campaign with a record 12% increase, one of the highest growth achievements in the country. He received the President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership and went on to serve as Vice Chair of the United Way Board of Directors.
Loren has been President and a Director of several trade associations, including the New Jersey Technology Council, and also served on the boards of Lehigh Valley Partnership, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Executive Committee of the Minsi Trails Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and the Regional Advisory Board of Wachovia Bank.
Loren received the Boy Scout’s of America Distinguished Citizen Award for his service to the community.
Loren holds 3 U.S. patents, attended the University of Detroit, and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. He and his wife, Jody, live on their historic (circa 1750) Pennsylvania farm of 120 mostly wooded acres, where they are committed to open land preservation and responsible wildlife management. Jody is quite active as a community volunteer, board member, and organic gardener. Loren also maintains a rotating collection of about a dozen collector cars as a hobby.
LJH:12.2007
A Woman of Many Talents: Jody Hulber
Jody has a Masters Degree in Liberal Studies from Lake Forest College in Chicago. She is a beekeeper, raises fancy breed chickens, and grows organic apples and produce in addition to being an active community volunteer and board member. We are both committed to sustainable agricultural practices that do not harm people, animals or the land. Jody is a member of PASA and we participate in the Forest Stewardship Program. Our farm, Fieldstone Farm, is the largest remaining tract of land in southernmost Lehigh County, and we look upon ourselves as stewards of this property that dates back to a land grant from the William Penn Walking Treaty to the first of nine owners, who were Swiss. We admire and seek to preserve the practical culture of the early 'Pennsylvania Dutch' who settled and made this land and area prosper.