Berkshire Profile: David Blair
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| David Blair at a favorite lunctime eatery. |
North Adams - There are times when folks register a surprised expression when they encounter Greenberg's home supply store plumbing department manager David Blair at the Curran Highway store.
The likely reason for the startled look is that moments before, the customers encountered Blair's twin brother Robert, the store's general manager, located at another section of the venue.
But now the two have a new distinction: David is the twin who acquired 3,000 reward points at the city's downtown Subway sandwich shop.
<L2>"Bob" came close to the 3,000 mark, said David Blair during a recent interview at the restaurant, but he cashed in his points during the holidays for an employee luncheon.
Lunctime Tradition
To earn the points, David Blair ate at the restaurant four days a week and did not tap into his growing reserve of Subway "rewards."
Blair said he enjoys the restaurant food, especially a turkey wrap sandwich, but the food isn't his only reason for choosing the store as a lunchtime destination.
"I've got a half-hour for lunch and I don't have time to go anywhere across town," he said. "This is quick, and there's plenty of variety."
Before the chain-based eatery launched the points program, Blair participated during a card-and-stamp promotion. The reward points program is superior to the card promo because points are registered to a customer account electronically and can be monitored on-line, Blair said.
"I was nowhere as aggressive with the paper cards, " Blair said. "Not all Subways honor the cards."
Blair is using the acquired points and believes he will be able to purchase about 27 lunches with them.
Something To Do
Saving the points became a hobby, he said.
"Most people want to redeem their points once they get them," Blair said. "There's no incentive to save 3,000 points, it was just a goal, kind of a hobby. It was just something to do."
Blair noted that some promotions can offer significant benefits; he participated in a similar program offered through the General Motors company that provided a $3,500 savings on a new car, he said.
A Fondness For Richview Avenue
Blair grew up in the city's West End, and although the family moved several times, one street seemed to have a homey appeal to the family.
"We lived in three different houses on Richview Avenue," he said.
He and his brother attended classes at the former St. Joseph's parochial school and graduated with the Class of 1971. "Bob" Blair joined the Greenberg's staff during the late 1970's and David Blair began work at the store in 1989, he said.
David Blair and his wife of 30 years Diane Blair live at 172 Notch Road. The couple has an adult daughter, Jessica Marquez, and a son, 17-year-old Michael Blair, a Drury High School senior who has earned local recognition for musical talents.
It's Nice Here - And We Have Angelina's
He and his wife have no plans to leave the area, Blair said.
"We're never leavin', we'll be staying here," he said, "I have no intention of going anywhere."
"It's nice here," he said. "Sometimes we get forgotten [politically] but there's no reason to go anywhere else."
There may be a very good reason to remain in the region for Blair; although Subway sandwich shops can be found in numerous locales, another favorite sandwich shop is based in the Berkshires.
"On Saturdays, I usually go to Angelina's," Blair said.
