Ron Johnson

Bob revisits his time working with Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson on Apple’s stores, and considers the pursuit of excellence behind spaces capable of defining entire communities.

For the full context, readers can find part one at https://www.aspentimes.com/news/beyond-the-algorithm-beyond-the-glass-cube-pt-1-a-different-measure-of-success/.

Bryan: Tell us about your background?

Bob: I came from a blue-collar family — my dad was a bricklayer and stonemason. When I was 10 years old, I remember looking at his drawings in the garage for different projects and thinking about how amazing it would be to be responsible for building the whole project rather than only doing the masonry.

I went to a high school that offered building trades programs and architecture classes. We built a home every year, which we then sold to support programs at the school, if you can believe it.

Bryan: What did you learn from actually building a house at that age?

Bob: You learned about getting your hands dirty. But there is something deeply rewarding about creating something. When you watch something come together and see how it can affect someone, even if it is a simple home, it is incredibly rewarding.

I have had the chance to create inspirational spaces that positively affect people and communities. You do not often get to make something and then watch how it changes someone’s life.

Bryan: You eventually did that at the highest level, working with Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson to create the Apple stores.

Bob: Steve and Ron were instrumental in creating what people now experience in Apple stores. It was a real treat to spend time creating those places together. I believe we completed 357 stores during that period, although I would have to confirm the exact number. It was a lot of stores.

Bryan: You were at Apple from 2002 to 2015. How closely did you work with Steve Jobs?

Bob: Very closely. I first met Steve when I was a general contractor, and we were building Pixar Animation Studios together. That was before he returned to Apple.

In Steve’s final days, he told Apple’s leadership that he was going to focus on three things: the phone, the new campus and the stores. I remember going to him and saying, “Steve, two of those three things are you and me.”

He said, “That’s right. We’re going to spend a lot of time together.”

Bryan: What were some of the things that stuck with you?

Bob: One thing I remember him saying was, “When I’m gone, do what you know is right. Don’t attempt to do what you think I would do.”

Another thing he said was, “We got where we are because, when we knew something was great, we would bet the company on it.”

He said, “Do that. Be fearless. Don’t hold back, because your tendency as you gain success is to become cautious. The moment you become cautious, you are no longer what you were.”

Bryan: What else did you learn from the way Steve worked?

Bob: My two boys have always asked me a lot of questions and looked to me for answers. I try to answer them with more questions. That is something Steve used to do. He had people around the world whom he could call and question, giving him perspectives beyond his own.

Gathering as many points of view as possible allows you to develop a much deeper point of view of your own. That was part of Steve’s magic that people did not always recognize.

Bryan: One of Apple’s most recognizable pieces of work is Fifth Avenue Cube. How did that idea emerge?

Bob: That location was presented to us with the warning, “This is available, but it has never worked.”

Steve asked Ron and me what we thought. I said, “I don’t know. That’s at the corner of Central Park and Fifth Avenue. It is a magical spot.”

We could not construct a conventional building on the plaza, so we asked, “What if we build a vestibule? A vestibule is not really a building.”

The idea became a glass element sitting above an underground store. It would be incredibly pure — a perfect form, which was something Steve always appreciated.

Then came the journey of telling that story to the New York City planning department and helping them embrace it. We built models. We would pull one out, remove the veil covering it and watch people’s reactions. They would look at it and say, “Ah, that would be perfect.”

We called those ideas inevitable. The cube felt so inevitable and so perfectly situated.

Bryan: How do you find those “inevitable” ideas?

Bob: You find it in nature all the time, especially in Aspen. You walk along a trail, see the aspen trees and recognize a beauty that feels as though it was meant to be.

How do you create places, spaces and experiences that feel inevitable? It is an incredible mission. It is easy to describe, but very difficult when you are in it. When you move through a space and feel moved by it, that response comes from an aggregation of incredible work. It is not one detail.

Rome is emotional in that way, because there you will find this incredible accumulation of the simplest details. If you view your work as an opportunity to make a difference in the world, everything you do can have an impact on someone else.

Bob Bridger’s story begins with brick dust and hand-drawn plans, eventually leading to the creation of some of the world’s most recognizable spaces alongside Steve Jobs and Ron Johnson. The real lesson, however, isn’t derived from the scale of his achievements, but in his belief that any undertaking can shape society — given enough attention is paid to the simplest details.

Bryan Welker lives and breathes business and marketing in the Roaring Fork Valley and beyond. He is President, Co-founder, and CRO ofWDR Aspen, a boutique marketing agency that develops tailored marketing solutions. Who should we interview next? Reach out and let us know [email protected] .