Jim Papscoe, Chief Operating Officer! It’s Our “In It for the Money” Feature!

For our weekly “In It for the Money” feature, we’ll be introducing you to the kick-ass Knock Knockers who make everything go, from creative to sales to logistics to . . . everything! Note—everybody answers the first five questions. After that, they have about fifteen wild-card questions from which to choose.

"Hello" from my office! And yes, I do talk with my hands. Once a businessman, always a businessman.

 

1. Name and title? Jim Papscoe, chief operating officer.

2. Originally from? Teaneck, New Jersey.

3. What the hell do you do all day? I am essentially responsible for the day-to-day business activities at Knock Knock, with a heavy emphasis on profitability for the company. I’m involved with all of our departments daily and usually learn something new every day, which makes the job enjoyable and challenging!

4. Favorite thing about working at Knock Knock? Our products. When I interviewed with our head honcho, back in the summer of 2006, one of the first things I told her was that I believe “product is king.” Knock Knock’s product line embodies that belief in its original and recognizable design aesthetic, as well as the unique voice that only Knock Knock can pull off. The people are awesome as well!

5. Favorite hobbies outside work? My family. I have an amazing wife of eight years and two beautiful boys, ages six and four. They are my life and my primary hobby, but I sure like to play an occasional round of golf with my buddies. Oh yeah, and my annual “John Doe” bachelor-party trip to Vegas with my high school buddies doesn’t suck either.

6. Did your professional life exist before Knock Knock? Yes, it did. I worked in the toy industry from 1994–2006, before joining Knock Knock in August 2006. I worked at Mattel and Emak Worldwide, which gave me an incredible training ground to come in and make a positive contribution in the company’s growth.

7. Favorite Knock Knock product? The Health Log. I like to consider myself a somewhat consistent runner and love to keep track of all my runs, which consists of the time of day, how I felt, my overall time, individual mile times, and my weight (usually only measured once or twice a month). At the office, I use our Paper Mousepads daily for quick notes and/or quick thoughts.

Me and my boys' golf clubs neatly in a row. One day we'll use it on the Champions Tour. One day.

8. Pet peeves? I actually don’t have too many of these, but it really drives me nuts when people chew with their mouths open, chomp on gum, and suck their teeth. I mean, come on—show some manners here, people! Maybe we should introduce a “Mouth Violation” or “Unnecessary Orifice Obscenities” Nifty Note for these peeps.

9. Favorite TV show? The Deadliest Catch. I cannot wait for the new seasons to begin—whether it’s King Crab or Opilio, it doesn’t matter to me. These fishermen literally risk it all to hit the big catch; talk about risk/reward—this show covers it. I love the anticipation of the fishermen anxiously waiting twenty-four hours for crab pots to soak and then watching them pull up either an empty or full pot. It’s something crazy, like $5,000 per crab pot. And if they come up empty, they spend another twenty-four hours or more pulling empty pots, only to try it again. It should be noted that they face twenty-plus feet seas in blizzard conditions and work twenty-four hours or more shifts frequently. Absolutely insane, but good watching from the warm couch!

10. Interesting factoid no one would know about you from first glance? I had a very fortunate upbringing, as I had the opportunity to live in foreign countries and travel the world with my family. My dad worked in finance at General Motors (GM) for thirty-five years and started his career in New York City (hence, the birth in New Jersey). When I was six years old, we moved to Europe and lived in Antwerp, London, Frankfurt, and Rome. Then, when I was fourteen years old, we moved to a suburb of Detroit, where I went to high school and onto college.

During my college years, my dad got transferred to Bangkok for four years, then to Manila for another two years. As a dependent, I traveled to Bangkok twice a year for four years on GM’s dime and took advantage of visiting numerous Asian cities as well as Australia. What an amazing experience, looking back on it!

11. If you were granted one wish, what would it be? To make the Senior PGA Tour and have my sons rotate as caddies (after college, of course). I would make some serious coin; we’d travel the world, experience new cultures, be outdoors, and enjoy life to the fullest. Ahhh . . . (Note the picture.)

12. Favorite place to sit back and relax? I love to go to the beach with the family, have a picnic, fly kites, and go swimming. My boys are just old enough where they’ll hang along the ocean’s edge by themselves (and still supervised, of course) letting my wife and I to just hang out and enjoy the day. I’m not a surfer, but I sure enjoy bodysurfing and boogie boarding, and look forward to teaching my boys as well!