So you mail letters for people? What's the big D? 

(Originally written and posted by Mary Claire, January 10, 2012)

I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume that when someone asks you what you do for a living, you have some rote response ready to go, a prepackaged sound byte that wraps up your job description neatly and concisely.  I know I’ve got one.  It’s convenient to have a answer on hand (one that has become more and more necessary as college fades and my 10-year high school reunion looms).  But while these responses are handy for explaining what we do, they do not always explain why we do what we do.  

And “why” is the bigger question.

Just as “why” is an important question for an individual, it’s also an important question for a company to ask itself because it addresses its very existence.

So why does Chalk Line exist?

In 2001, Ed and Tina Goerges started mailing out their daughter and son-in-law’s prayer letters through their direct mail company.  It didn’t take long before God laid it on their hearts to open up their services to other missionaries.  As they began putting word out there, people kept signing up, proving that there was a need for a simpler way for missionaries to communicate with their partners.  So back in 2002, God led a couple to start a niche company with no guarantee it would make any money, and Chalk Line was created.  

Here we stand at the advent of 2012, our tenth year, looking forward to a new year that will bring about some developments at Chalk Line that we’re really excited about (stay tuned; we’ve got some things cooking).  And I’m not just blowing hot air when I say that.  We are SO EXCITED, Y’ALL.  It has just as much to do with the fun things we’re working on as it does the fun people we are working for.  You guys make our jobs legit.  We want to serve you better because we care about you and those you’re serving, and we are committed to doing our very best to support you.  

Why do we work here?  Why does Chalk Line keep moving along day in and day out?  It helps that we’re a collection of peeps and geeks who feel passionately about design, print quality, and stamp placement, but it’s much, much bigger than that.

Your work is important.  Your network is important.  Communication is difficult, no matter if you’re serving at one of the largest universities in the US or out in the bush of Botswana.  We can help you with that.

That is why we exist. 

How’s that for a sound byte?