The AB3s of the AB3 Group

January 6th, 2025

_______________________________________

The AB3 Group’s inspiration is the story of three artists who each found an unexpected path to turn creativity and ambition into viable, fulfilling businesses.

---

Alan Wechsler set up his photography studio in 1961 to take family portraits year-round in one of America’s first and largest malls. His prime positioning offered him the opportunity to capitalize on the emerging holiday trend of Department Store Santas. Extracting Kris Kringle to the mall’s center court in a spectacular winter wonderland kiosk, he snapped Polaroids all season long. This move marked the origins of his company “Santa and Me” (later adding “Bunny and Me” in the spring). In only about 50 working days each year, Alan’s elves photographed over 4 million delighted kids as they made their holiday wishes. When he sold the company in 2002, it was a multi-million dollar enterprise with 7,500 seasonal employees working across the US, Canada, and Great Britain. 

---

In 1976, David Butler was a high school Art teacher. To earn extra income, he merged his carefully honed talent for drawing and the know-how he acquired as a carpenter's apprentice to design and manufacture point-of-purchase displays for various products, eventually expanding to the interior of entire stores. In 1985, an account opportunity landed on his desk to convert a local skating rink into a new retail store called Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Through an exciting 15-year period of growth, David nurtured that relationship. His sensibly dynamic and durable designs opened fruitful opportunities with multiple other national brands. 

As Alan’s grandson and David’s son, I’m the third generation to discover unanticipated possibilities at the intersection of the Creative Arts and Business Acumen.

---

While giving tours of historic Philadelphia on a horse-drawn carriage when I was 18-years-old, I learned firsthand that telling better stories generated better tips. This was the summer of 1999, so riders could not yet fact-check my Revolutionary War tales with smartphones in real-time. Though not my ethos today, back then, I was willing to sacrifice the intellectual integrity of my colonial era data recall in order to achieve my desired business outcome…better tips.

I’ve carried that storytelling lesson to this day – better communication leads to better outcomes. 25+ years later, I’ve had the privilege to travel the world supporting top executives and their teams on this very idea. Combining the experiences I’ve enjoyed as a professional actor on TV and stages with my experience as a teacher and executive coach, I've spent the past decade partnering with global Fortune 100 companies in Tech, Finance, and Manufacturing as a leadership-communication consultant.

At its core, AB3's ethos is: Turning existing Experience, Expertise, and Energy into Influential Power

When you visited these fantastical kiosks in the 1990s, you would see displays of items for purchase: magnets, key chains, picture reproductions of various sizes, etc. Around the world, every image on display was of me (a Jewish boy) sitting on my father’s lap dressed as Santa, proudly posing for my grandfather’s portrait business. 

Through vision and tenacity, my grandfather Alan built a sustainable way to capitalize commercially on photography. Coming out of the Army reserves in 1953, his career options were limited. The passion for photography that he pursued in his high school newspaper enticed him to take a job selling coupons for a local photo company. Eventually, he had saved enough and learned enough to venture solo. The rest is history. Jingle all the way!

My father grew up in the 60s scavenging lawnmower engines to convert 2-wheelers into makeshift motorbikes. From his scrappy roots, his path to financial security was not obvious, even with his unquenchably ambitious work ethic. Through college his jobs ranged from a bricklayer’s helper to fish cleaner at Reading Terminal Market in Philly, from a bartender to a high-school art teacher. When he married my mother, he inherited a successful photographer and businessman as a secure-base. As a kid, I had a front row seat as Dad nurtured his talent as a visual artist and into a reliable line-of-business.

With a family lineage that values artistry at the foundation of business, it is not surprising that my vision for The AB3 Group is to boldly bring connection, creativity, and collaboration into organizational settings that prioritize efficiency, clear communication, and a healthy culture.

Like your favorite actor on stage or screen, effective leadership demands the ability to step into another person’s shoes and momentarily see a situation through their lens. It requires you to believably adapt to a range of circumstances, manage your mindset in high-stakes situations, build a trusting team that maximizes collaboration, deliver messages with clarity while in the spotlight, listen deeply to nuanced signals below the surface of what’s being said, and elegantly adjust to the unexpected. And, all the while, never come across as anything other than totally authentic.

Leadership often requires that you show up as others need you. In that way, it is performative. AB3 is here to support you. 

Connect with Ari

Inspirations for this blog stem from personal experiences and the in-depth research and readings publicly available on communication, leadership, and influence. If you are looking for supportive resources -- Let's talk!