Back to Basics

After making many technological advancements within the company in the 90s, the 2000s we decided to go “Back to the Basics”. Time and energy were now being focused on expanding our award product lines and catalogs. It was agreed we needed to create new market specific catalogs geared to help customers make the best award decision based on their events and award needs. By 2002, sales had passed $10 million, we employed over 170 people in Rhode Island and Missouri and produced 4 catalogs and 14 flyers. Before the decade was over, we would add catalogs for Dog Shows (2002), Gymnastics, Cheerleading, and Dance (2006), and Swim (2007). 

With the growing sales we needed to expand again. We purchased a 20,000 square foot building in Washington, MO, adjacent to our existing facility. Moving our warehousing operations to 12 Chamber Drive, keeping our manufacturing operations at 3 Chamber Drive proved to be the right move. 

As the winter of 2003 approached, we continued expanding our line of engravable items, and started offering a variety of silver, nickel plate and copper items. This was so successful that we purchased four more engraving machines and watched sales of engraved products take off. Ribbon rolls were added to the school market and Horse Show in a Box was created for the special needs of our beginner horse show mangers. In addition, we developed a line of full color ribbons and began offering colorful ribbons as side streamers on rosettes, rolls of ribbons and promotional ribbons. In 2005, trophies were added to the ever-expanding Hodges product line as well as acrylics and plaques in 2006. With the success of the new product lines, we decided to add Crystal to the list of products offered. 

United States in the 2000's:

• The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 11,722.98 in January 2000 (at the peak of the Dot-com bubble).
• The American Kennel Club Rally competition began.
• September 11 attacks: Al-Qaeda terrorists crash planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. A fourth plane is downed on the outskirts of Stonycreek Township, Pennsylvania; 2,996 people die in the attacks.
• The Euro enters circulation.
• Space Shuttle Columbia is destroyed on re-entry.
• Facebook is formed by Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew McCollum, Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes.
• Israel withdraws from Gaza.
• Twitter is launched.
• Introduction of the iPhone.
• Stock markets plunge around the world in 2008, signaling the start of the Great Recession.
• Swine flu pandemic began in North America.

From left to right, dog awards, gym, cheer and dance awards and swim awards catalogs.

Rotary engraving one of our silver awards.

Wind turbine at our
Portsmouth, Rhode island location.