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Tom Crutchfield: Greatest Reptile Dealer of All Time?

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There are plenty of pioneers who brought us to such heights without compromising thier integrity and the stability of the business as it used to be. Those are the people I will always lend my respect too. I have no problem with Tom, I do not know the man nor have I ever met him. I do believe that this "hyped up" thread burying this individuals nose far into Tom's darker-end is indeed very pathetic.
 
Chris, You are MY hero. Can I start up a fan club in your name and be president? Pleeeeease! Also, John, I have to tell you I think you are one of the people that makes this site a great place. Bruce, don't take it too personal, what did you expect when you came here with this wacky post anyway? You had to expect some criticism. Frankly, I am surprised they were not harder on you. Anyway, you have brought a few good laughs to all of us (Tom Cruchfield Fans and non-fans alike). Thanks for that.
 
LOL, sure, as long as I get a kick back from a percentage of the royalties earned..... :p
 
brucestephenson said:
Greetings! (as Tom would say),

Tom Crutchfield is relatively inactive right now (as far as the rest of you know). Nevertheless, I have had nothing but positive experiences in dealing with him. Tom has bought and sold the nicest and rarest reptiles and amphibians of all time and has been a completely honest, kind, and outstanding man. To me, he is the John Wayne of herpetoculture and will often be imitated, but never duplicated. Thank You! :wavey:
Click to expand...

This guy starts this thread with a great example of a Troll post, then starts throwing the troll word around when he gets dissed!
 
Do you guys actually do a lot of business? I would have spent a lot of money with certain reptile people, but when I saw the nature of their posts on the BOI or experienced their personalities at a show, I never looked at their stuff again. Is that just me? Or, does anyone else agree? ;)
 
brucestephenson said:
Do you guys actually do a lot of business? I would have spent a lot of money with certain reptile people, but when I saw the nature of their posts on the BOI or experienced their personalities at a show, I never looked at their stuff again. Is that just me? Or, does anyone else agree? ;)
Click to expand...

We do quite well, you have to realize that people conduct themselves in various ways online, and alot of people here know each other and like to take shots back and forth, its all in good fun. Sometimes tho there can be people specifically out to give people a hard time and it ruins the experience for everyone. People make thier own conclusions, thats life. :)
 
Ernie Wagner, Joe Laslo, Louie Porrus, Joe Baraduchi, Ron Tremper, Bill and Kathy Love, Rob Roy from Glades, Tom Crutchfield, and a few more......
 
Aaaahh!!! The good old days, the days of pricelists in the mail, before what are now known as computers, before the internet. Amazing to have lived through the transformation between the two worlds! :look:
 
Ken,

Good post, however, we were talking about Reptile Dealers, Tom in particular.
Anyway, a little history of your observations.

Some of the folks you mentioned were zoo keepers/curators, and some DID turn INTO Reptile dealers.


Zoo Persons:

Josef Laszlo, Louie Porras, Ernie Wagner, Ron Tremper, and Trooper Walsh.

Reptile Dealers:

Louie Porras, "The Shed" and "Zoo Herp"

Bill and Kathy Love, worked for Tom Crutchfield, then started "Glades Herp".

Josef Laszlo, NEVER a Reptile Dealer. (despite what you know who says)

Joe Berraduchi, "The Shed" along with Louie Porras.

RobRoy McInnes, "Glades Herp" before that, I believe he worked for Bernie Levine at "The Pet Farm".

Gary Sipperly, "pioneer"
Bob Applegate, ditto.
 
that is where I first met the Love's...in good 'ol Ft.Myers...all those people were great to me, and bent over backwards whenever I had a question, problem, or theory...hate to sound like an old fart, but their type has long since faded, and we are left with the technoweenieherpers...give me the old days any time !
greg
 
I do understand that some of the people I mentioned were working in zoos, and not in the business of selling herps. However, where would our business be without people like Joe Lazlo? He pioneered many of the husbandry methods that we all take for granted now. Same goes for Wagner, who is still in the herp business. Tremper and Applegate tought us how to market our herps. I can still remember the first business card Bob gave to me, "Bob Applegate, snake salesman". And who can forget Rons claim "egg to egg in one year" as he marketed the first hatchling Veiled Chameleons? A bunch of people have contributed to this industry, hobbiest, master salespeople, and zoo folks too. I can still remember attending my first IHS meeting in the '70s, as a kid. I could not believe that I was not alone in my love for reptiles. Seems I'm still not alone, after all these years. Is this the golden age of reptile breeding? Has it already past? Or is the best yet to come?
 
I remember getting stock lists from the late 80's (I know, not as far back as some of you old farts) and would drool over the fantastic selection of animals being made available. Unfortunately that excitement was usually short lived upon opening the package. Sick and/or dead animals seemed to be somewhat of the norm.
I for one think the internet has revolutionized the industry. The ability to see the animal before purchase, ease of corresponding and often times instant payment options make it far superior to the old snail mail days. Sure you get a fair share of people with poor business ethics but at least in my experience, I usually end up with healthier animals than I did way back when.
I for one don't miss what many of you refer to as "the good ole' days" and am hopefully optimistic at what the future holds for the hobby (except for the Hot sector which seems to be going downhill in a hurry).
The one thing I do miss is the excitement of seeing all of the animals that I had never seen before in person but now are so commonplace that I often overlook them.
 
If you really want to turn the clock back,

when I got into the herp business in 66, Fish and Wildlife did not have any offices at the airports in NY. Their was no such a thing as UPS. It was called REA. Their were no credit cards and toll free #s were only available to a limited # of businesses. Yet we managed to conduct business. A different time period and different business ethics. JERRY TRESSER
 
Nostalgia...

I remember a time (it doesn't seem so long ago) when I didn't think I would EVER be old enough to talk about "the good ol' days"! Some things were better then, but some are greatly improved now. It does feel good to be a part of something for so long that I can remember how it used to be in the early days, and see what it is turning into now, for better or for worse. I can remember looking at an old "Shed" pricelist in the '70s and saying "Look - some of these are actually captive born - can you imagine someday breeders actually sending out a list with ONLY captive born herps of different species?" An so it came to pass...

Some of the people who had the most early influence on me as a teenager (late '60s, early '70s) were my local "gurus", Max Nickerson (Milwaukee Museum) and Sherman Ketchum (Milwaukee Zoo). But once I got in my 20s and escaped Wisconsin, the most influential people were probably Bob Applegate, Joe Laszlo, and Dr. Bechtel. Of course, there were MANY others, but those come to mind most quickly. To keep this on topic, Tom Crutchfield was also an influence, especially in the dealer part of the industry, but by the time I met him (late '70s), I was already heavily involved in the aspects I continue to enjoy the most even today.

I hope some of the new people just getting into it now will have as long and as fun of a time as I have had so far. Hope they don't get legislated out of existence before they get their full run.

Sorry - I don't post often, but you guys got me on a roll, lol!
 
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