The furor over the royal baby has been at a fever pitch for months. The question of what the next heir to the throne would be called has generated an epic amount of speculation. We know now that it’s a boy and the world is eagerly awaiting the royal moniker. The day before he was born, the odds-makers had the favorite boy names as “George” (10-to-1) and “James” (20-to-1).
There’s a lot that goes into a name, since it is freighted with meaning, symbolism and a variety of possible sentiments – intentional or not. Back in 2007, when we were combining our business operations with our subsidiary, APA Cables & Networks, and rebranding the company, we were dealing with many of the same naming issues that new parents face.
- What name will convey strength? Compassion (i.e. service)? Purpose?
- What name will people remember and look up to?
- What name can be nicely abbreviated (in our case, for a NASDAQ trading symbol)?
- What name will make our family proud?
For us, the changes in business structure and company name was intended to provide a better understanding of what the company offered to telecommunications service providers, and the original equipment manufacturers who look to the company for fiber management and passive connectivity expertise. We wanted our company name to better reflect the creative, problem-solving orientation of our engineering and sales staff.
In the end, we felt that “Clearfield” best illustrated our commitment to designing innovative passive connectivity solutions that not only meet the unique network configuration and density requirements of our customers, but also capture their imaginations.
Granted, we weren’t naming the future king of England. But we took our task very seriously and are thrilled with the outcome. I hope the heir to the throne lives up to his name. (Unfortunately, “Clearfield” is already taken.)