I’m as guilty as the next guy, when it comes to blogging. Like every business blogger, I have a tendency to focus on topics that are relevant to our industry. Articles that we hope our site visitors might be interested in such as new corporate apparel trends or how promotional products provide cost effective advertising. Subjects we feel will help any business enhance their brand identity. It’s always been our goal to find the best quality, affordable apparel and creative new (hopefully eco friendly) products that work within any given budget. But today, we are reflecting on just being thankful. Thankful for the great friendships we’ve made along the way while growing our business.
So…
Thank you Joanne Kallunki and Chris Roberts of the Springdale Job Corps. Springdale Job Corps does a wonderful job providing education and vocational training for economically disadvantaged youth. Joanne actually gave us our first opportunity to provide embroidered outerwear for graduating students. Joanne’s trust got us started and we’ll be forever grateful.
Thank you Dave Atkinson of Willamette View Manor. Dave’s a blues enthusiast and singer, who just happens to be in charge of the very fine dining facility at Willamette View Manor. I’d know Dave from a previous business venture, so I approached him early on to give us a try. Dave, who’s always looking for the best deal and service, was gracious enough to give me the opportunity to quote him on apparel for his dining room staff. Dave’s been a loyal customer ever since.
Thank you Fred Duckwall, Kim Eastman and the entire crew at Duckwall Pooley Fruit Company. Fred Duckwall is old school. He’s an honest, down to earth, hard working guy, who runs one of the most modern fruit packaging facilities in the world. The wonderful people who work for him reflect his values daily. Kim Eastman, well Kim’s just a very sweet and special person who is a joy to work with. Duckwall was unhappy with the custom embroidery done by another vendor and asked if we could help. We jumped at the opportunity. We re-digitized their logo, cleaned it up and made it pop on their apparel and the rest, as the say is history.
A special thank you goes out to one of my personal favorites, Cheryl Erwin of West Seattle Thriftway. Cheryl came to us a couple of years ago looking for help in creating a whole new style and color scheme for the staff and management of their great store. Because our sample apparel programs made it easy for her evaluate different styles and color schemes, she was able to try out and select garments that gave West Seattle Thriftway the exact look they were after. Along the way, Cheryl and I have become great friends, sharing family pictures and stories, as well as lots of laughs and smiles along the way.
We love all of our clients, even the challenging ones and these are just a few of the special friendships that stand out and mean so much to me. These friendships make all of the trials and tribulations of running a business worthwhile. Thank you!