SmartSign Celebrates Fifteen Years as a Leader in Signage and E-commerce
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Jan. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Since most small businesses fail within the first year, SmartSign could not be prouder to celebrate its 15th anniversary. SmartSign is a leading distributor of custom signs, tags, mats, and labels.
SmartSign can trace its origins to a small company, XpressMyself, born in 1999 in Brooklyn, New York. XpressMyself licensed design tools to Staples, FedEx, OfficeMax, and Grainger. As it grew, the company rebranded into SmartSign. SmartSign provided expertise, service, and technology directly to customers. The Internet Retailer 2013 Top 500 Guide features SmartSign, a company that has processed over a million purchases through more than 30 sites.
The company will celebrate its anniversary with a series of events. Staff conducted interviews with CEO Blair Brewster, CFO Bryan Bowers, and Call Center Manager, Tahyna Colon, to create a blog series entitled 15 Steps to 15 Years. The three SmartSign experts reflect on lessons-learned, achievements, and how e-commerce has evolved since 1999.
Among other advice, CEO Brewster points to young people as a key aspect of the business: "Do not be afraid to hire youth. Young people are funnier, smarter, more creative, and often more connected." This point was echoed by CFO Bowers.
In addition to the blog series, SmartSign's Event Planning department will host an anniversary event on January 15th. The employees will wear blue and green in the spirit of the company's logo. This event will coincide with the monthly luncheons Event Planning creates to celebrate employees' birthdays and employment anniversaries.
Events and parties were recognized as a critical part of the company's success and as a contributor to high employee morale. Tahyna Colon, Call Center Manager at SmartSign, said, "When we have company events where we can eat, drink and play games to blow off the stress of the job and to get to know each other better, it really helps build respect. After all, we are a family!" Tahyna helps plan these events in addition to her job as Call Center Manager.
SmartSign has a lot to be proud of in 2014. In addition to its anniversary, the company will be participating in an independent retail conference with Retail Minded, a retail lifestyle publication, in New York. The company recently partnered with the Texas Farm Bureau to help rural areas use signage to alert emergency services of local disasters. SmartSign is looking to expand its efforts to more farm bureaus nationally.
SmartSign is still headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. With nearly 100 employees, 15 advocacy campaigns, an onsite sales and customer service team, and great vendor partners to thank, the company continues to grow.
"When we started in 1999, few predicted that e-commerce would so thoroughly change our industry. Yet, each year has brought both new challenges and incredible growth," said Blair Brewster, CEO. "With our talented team, I am excited and confident that our next 15 years will be just as successful."
About SmartSign
SmartSign is one of America's fastest growing e-commerce companies, and parent of brands like MySafetySign, MyParkingSign, and nearly 30 other sites. The company manufactures and distributes a wide range of signs, tags, mats, and labels. Customers can tailor their signs to meet their individual needs, and through content-rich and authoritative retail sites, the company provides specific solutions to specific problems, such as preventing accidents in the workplace. For more information, visit:http://www.smartsign.com
SOURCE SmartSign
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