Maxwell retires

[DavidG]

Dear fellow chondroheads,

I have some important news to share with you at this time. I have made the decision to sell my business and retire as a breeder of pythons. This has not been an easy decision to make, and I will explain some of the reasons that have contributed to my decision.

My passion for green tree pythons remains as strong as it was at the beginning, but my energy to continue driving and building the business end of things has waned in recent months. For over ten years my life has consisted of developing my web site, founding and administrating the ChondroWeb Forums, spending several hours a day answering mail, as well as photographing animals and making family portraits, writing two books, editing and graphic design layouts for other authors, writing articles, and traveling to several countries and many states giving talks. I've performed all of these activities while caring for an ever-increasing collection that includes 50-100 babies annually. Most all of this has been a labor of love, but one that took 10-12 hours a day, six days a week and 6 hours on most Sundays. To be frank, I am burned out on the business end and can no longer put my heart into it. If I am no longer willing to put 100% into things, it is time to leave and in a way that reflects well on what I have accomplished. Too many people wait until they can't take another day and then bail out. I don't want to do that.

The second reason for the sale is that I have a buyer. It has always been my long-term goal to sell the business at some point, and that time came into focus for me when I was approached recently by Andrew Kelley. When you have put your heart and soul into something the way I have with my chondros, you want to pass that on to someone who is both able and willing to carry on the tradition of excellence… someone who understands what fine green tree pythons are all about. I am convinced that Andrew is one of those persons, and the time was right for both of us to make this emotional and important change in our lives.

There are a few other factors that went into the decision, including my recent cardiac health issues that mandated changes in lifestyle and diet, all of which takes time that I don't have available while running my business in the way I have in the past. I also want to be able to travel at will, something that is difficult with a large collection and active business. All in all, it turned out to be the 'perfect storm' for me to sell at this time.

Andrew has purchased a substantial group of animals from me, including the calico, blue, blue-melanistic, and Dream line projects. He has also purchased some of my cages and equipment, as well as the FineGTPs domain and email address.

I will be selling all of my remaining animals and cages. Some very nice animals remain and details will be made available soon. My remaining cages will also be sold. Anyone who may be interested in these can email me to get on the notification list. Animals will be offered to all on the list before any public sales ads are placed.

As a part of my retirement as a chondro breeder, I will no longer be available to answer questions about chondros. I know that not everyone will agree with this decision. Please understand that for over ten years I have been one of the most accessible breeders in the world and have spent thousands of hours answering virtually every email and question I have received. I am going to be more involved with my kids and grandkids, travel, and other things that I have not been able to do for a long time. I feel that if I answer some mail then I need to answer all mail, and I can no longer do that. Making a clean break is the best thing for me so thanks for your understanding. Please understand that I do intend to stay in touch with friends and I will be sending out a private email address to those who are friends. At some point soon, all gmax@finegtps.com mail will be going to Andrew. Of course, all current 2009 sales and business will be handled by me exactly as it has been for years.

One last piece of business: Autographed copies of The More Complete Chondro will still be available directly from me. I have retained all the rights to the books and they are not a part of the sale. A link to purchase books will remain on the web site after Andrew takes it over, which will be soon.

I would like to ask the community to support Andrew and his animals in the future as you consider making high end purchases. I've spent quite a bit of time with him over the last month and I feel very good about his approach to things. His facility is top notch and his dedication to these animals is evident. Certainly he is his own man and his success will be determined by his customer service and quality, the same way mine has been. He won't be doing his best impression of me (nor should he) but rather he will build on what I have done, just as I built on what those before me did. You can expect to see the very best in designer GTPs from Andrew and I assure you that he will take care of you after the sale.

Words cannot express how fulfilling it has been to work with this species for the last fifteen years, thirteen of them as a breeder and eleven of them as a full time commercial breeder. I am proud of all that I have accomplished, and what I have built upon the foundation of those who came before me. I have stood on the shoulders of giants and from the vision of that vantage point have helped to lead a new generation of keepers and breeders into the joys of GTP success. I now look forward to the next chapter of my life, and I also look forward to talking with you on a social level in the future.

All my best,

Greg Maxwell




First I want to thank Greg for entrusting his animals with me and for his contributions to green tree pythons in our hobby. His hard work and dedication have been evident, and his animals are nothing short of breathtaking. His influence will certainly live on with his book, his animals, and his place in chondro lore.

I look forward to working with Greg's animals and combining his collection with mine. Carrying on Fine Green Tree Pythons' philosophy and practice of providing amazing green tree pythons and providing unparalleled customer service will be my number one goal. In the past as a hobbyist, after my demanding day job, I had little to no time for customer service. With this new venture, and with my former career being over, I made the decision to purchase Greg's collection and business. I look forward to meeting many of you and also look forward to providing excellent customer service and offering all of my animals internationally. With that being said - as you all know I will have to actually PRODUCE these little tree pythons, and also as we all know that can be painfully challenging at times - I promise you all that I will do my best.

In closing, I want to again thank Greg for doing such an excellent job with green tree pythons and for all his contributions. All the animals are currently set up doing very well with me, and as of this morning are looking very comfortable with the move and their new environment. I will be launching a new site next week (if all goes well) at http://www.finegtps.com. The site will be updated regularly, and I hope many of you will check it out to see what is happening with the chondros in New England.

Best,

Andrew Kelley


http://moreliaviridis.yuku.com/topic...ouncement.html

[juddb]

I saw that on the mvf board. Its too bad, but gosh what a collection! Andrew is a lucky man....

[DavidG]

Yes he is. Andrew already has an outstanding collection and with the GM name it will be nothing short of incredible. I really bet the price for GM babies sky rockets. Trooper retired and now his animals for a nice chunk of change for even those with very deep pockets. I almost with Sean Steward could have got them, maybe some breeding loans will go out. Sean and Brad Johnson have my favorite collections.

On a side note Judd, I'm pretty upset you did not message me to discuss that Aru. I would have grabbed it in a heart beat! That guy/gal is a gorgeous animal, and I'm a sucker for blue lips!

[Lucas339]

i saw this on MVF too....thats crazy!!

[DSGB]

I wish Greg a happy retirement. Sad to hear but you gotta do what ya gotta do. He was an insperation to all us chondroheads!!!

[fishmommy]

Best of luck to Greg on his well-earned retirement.
He's got a legacy that would make anyone proud.

Good luck Andrew! Make us lots of blues!

[frankykeno]

David, I'm sure you'll be greatly missed in your area of expertise but what a lovely introduction for Andrew.

Enjoy your retirement. You've spent a lot of years doing what you loved, now you can sit back and enjoy the coming years with a focus on family and your own needs - something I'm sure you richly deserve.

[DavidG]

Not me, please check out this site www.finegtps.com from internet explorer (his operating system is not so up to date.)