Address: N26W23315 Paul Road, Pewaukee, WI 53072
Website: www.nationalpremium.com
Year founded: 1967
Product or service offered: Promotional product solutions, results-driven marketing, catalog creation and corporate e-store design, online order processing, program specific reporting, corporate gifts, corporate merchandise, trade show promotional items, employee awards/incentives, custom promotional products, point-of-purchase, sale displays, unique promotional items.
Projected 2012 revenue: $36 million
Leadership: Scott Schmidt, president
Target Clientele: “We have customers of many sizes and from many differing industries. We like to work with companies that have a large distribution network, be it dealers, distributors, or a business-to-business sales force. We have five offices in the US and one each in Europe, Australia, and Asia and work to meet the global needs of our customers.”
Business organization memberships: Australian Promotional Products Association, Advertising Specialty Institute, Promotional Products Association International, The international network of the promotional product industry, Better Business Bureau Pewaukee, Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, Jacksonville Florida Chamber of Commerce, The Netherlands Chamber of Commerce.
What has fueled your company’s growth? “We acquired a significantly large and successful distributer in August of 2011, two in the Netherlands in September and December of 2012 and completed the acquisition of a firm in Hong Kong in January 2012 that has given us significant global reach into Asia and greater strength in Europe. Each acquisition brought us something different and so with each we looked for best practices that would benefit the entire organization and implemented those practices.”
What is the biggest obstacle to your company’s growth? “It might sound funny, but growth is our biggest obstacle to growth. We have a lot of business beginning to develop and need to make sure that the growth doesn’t outpace our ability to manage and finance it.”
Do you plan any changes in your company in the upcoming months? “We are in the process of combining sales and marketing into one leadership area for a more cohesive and seamless experience for our customers, both internal and external.”
Who are the business people, locally or nationally, whom you admire? And what traits do those people exhibit that make you admire them? “Warren Buffett for the simple way in which he lives his life, he has not allowed money and power to corrupt him and his annual report comments are usually very enlightening and humorous. Steve Jobs for his innovation and dogged determination. The Disney Corporation for their relentless commitment to outstanding customer experiences, every minute of every day.”
What is the outlook for the business conditions of your industry over the next several months? “Business in our industry is on an uptick and looks as though it will continue through the end of the year. I believe we will continue to see the consolidation trend continue as smaller companies struggle to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Our industry, like many others, will be watching the outcome of the presidential elections closely this November and the future of the national health care plan.”
What is your company’s key strategy for rising out of the recession? “We have all heard it before, but “Plan your work and work your plan!” We have a strategic plan that we developed in 2010 that we have refined each year since.”
