By: Deborah Johnson Wood
Last July, leaders at Promotional Impact predicted the company would add five jobs by year’s end. A lot has happened with the nation’s economy since then, and many companies have gone under. But Promotional Impact not only added four of those five jobs, it added two major clients and logged a 15 percent revenue growth—now exceeding $1 million in sales, a figure just three percent of all women-owned businesses achieve.
“Posting any percentage increase is worth noting in this economy,” says Karen Scarpino, president and company partner with her husband, Lou. “We have doubled in size since the beginning of 2008, and added an assistant account executive, assistant project manager, and accountant and a sales position.”
The company specializes in creating distinctive ‘green’ promotional products and gifts through greengiftz , using clients’ own scrap materials. The company recently landed two new clients who are major players on the sustainability front, Amway and Kellogg's, and Scarpino says her company is courting a contract with Toyota.
“Success is a team effort and we have such a phenomenal team,” Scarpino says. “We couldn’t have had the growth without adding the new people. We really feel like we have the right mix right now.”
On Wednesday, Promotional Impact teamed up with Haworth, one of its clients, to donate 1,000 blankets to three United Way agencies: In The Image in Grand Rapids and Holland's Holland Rescue Mission; and Center for Women in Transition.
“As a small business it is hard to grow, but we’re doing it,” Scarpino says. “And it’s our responsibility to help out the community and give back. The news has so much negative every day, and there are companies in West Michigan that do wonderful things. I hope people notice that people are actually taking time to give back.”
Source: Karen Scarpino, Promotional Impact; Christine Hoek, Articulate Communications, LLC
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Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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