I’d like to welcome everyone to 2012 and it’s going to be a great year! I am one of the sales associates that help out in our online sales, showroom, and over-the-phone orders. Also, I get to dabble in our Facebook page. We are in the process of kicking off the year with a new “image” online. Not only on our website, but Facebook as well. Yeah, I’m guilty of being addicted. It’s such a great way to keep in touch and get instant feedback. My favorite is sharing pictures!

I, along with Cindy G, will be posting pictures of some of our custom, unique, “did we really do that” projects. We do have some of those on occasion, ha-ha. Other ideas to keep you up-to-date in trophy land will be any new products, special deals, events, trivia, polls….I think you’re getting the picture. We love to read your comments!

Angie H. ~ Sales Associate

- Amy, Trophy Account Representative

Some time ago, I was given the privilege to explore new ideas and concepts as well as be a part of the design team. I tossed out the idea of a blog on our new website.…..hmmm….. In hind sight I probably didn’t think that through enough, because a few short weeks later I was asked to write a blog entry. WHAT?! ME?! SERIOUSLY?! Were just a few of the thoughts running through my head in a panic. {deep breath} Ok, I admit, it was my idea and I really do want the blog. So here we are. 

I’m excited about the new year ahead and the challenges and opportunities it will bring. I hope in the months to come this new forum will bring about a greater level of interaction with our current clients and win over some new ones. Be sure to check back often for news, updates, and announcements on new product lines as well as specials and sales. 

In the meantime, I’ll brush up on my blogging skills. 

Cindy G., Production Supervisor

In my Car Show Rush Order Department, I don’t have much time to get very close with my customers. I take their order, get it out in a couple of days, and move on to the next one. One customer that does stand out to me though, is Cathy with a car racing group. This is not only because she placed so many orders in 2011, but she is so easy to work with. She e-mails me exactly what she needs.  Her orders are always complete with size, quantity, art, shipping address (since they all go to different places), credit card info, and due date. I know she’s busy and this makes things easier for her, but the same goes for me too! I can get her e-mail, write up the order, and get it into production in about 2 minutes. This is great when we only have a day or 2 before they need to ship, because every second counts!

As he entered the front door, the host said ‘I love your pictures – they’re wonderful;

you must have a fantastic camera.’

He said nothing until dinner was finished, then: ‘That was a wonderful dinner; you must have a terrific stove.”

– Sam Haskins

It’s the beginning of a new year, a new year of thought, experience and expression.

The cycle begins again as the new year sets in.

The perfect opportunity to start fresh, to begin new projects and to bring life to your dreams!

The world is forever changing, the economy, the system… everything changes in time.

Sometimes people forget the importance of free-thought and free-expression.

Freedom… we fought for it!

Don’t let your dreams get put on the backburner this year.

Now is the time! We live in the land of opportunity… make your own opportunities!

Don’t wait for opportunity to knock… make it happen!

We live in the digital age. All the knowledge and know-how is found at your fingertips.

An infinite resource for research, development and networking: Free advertising for your organization or business!

The world is alive and connected… take advantage of your resources and bring your vision to life.

We need entrepreneurs! The past economic struggle has put many local businesses and organizations on stand-still.

Many groups lost funding due to monetary loss and many small businesses were forced to close during the recession!

We need fresh ideas to enlighten and rejuvenate the economy, to stimulate and refurbish the ‘American Dream’.

It’s time to put on your thinking caps, re-define creativity and bring new life to the ‘American Dream’ in 2012.

As Sales Manager at Tri-State Trophies, it is basically the same theory; people want a fair price for a good quality product in an acceptable time frame, the only difference is the new playing field and the new economic issues. I love sales and I love finding exactly the product my customer wants… I will research, look for new ideas and work with our design staff to find or produce what the customer wants, it is fun, exciting and a little stressful.

But it is getting harder to…

A. find the desired for the end user in the price range…because of multiple on-line companies that have crazy low prices

and..

B. get that product completed in the time frame needed…because of faster turn around expectations by the customer.

I hear from family, friends and customers how they just want the best price…regardless. But after the transaction is complete, they are sometimes (not always) unhappy about quality, extra charges, and extended shipping times.

As a consumer myself I will look for the best deal…maybe use a coupon…shop online. But I will tell you this: I am constantly talking about the service I received. I demand and usually get good service. And price is secondary…believe me this is coming from a shopper. I will ask for the best deal but settle on the best company.

I am proud to work for a company that cares. As long as I am the Sales Manager I will always stand by our products and insist on that old fashioned good quality for a good price in an acceptable time frame. I want our customers to leave happy and come back for more. I want our products to be the “star” of their event. I want my customer to say how easy the event went with our suggestions and ideas for the awards or premiums. And I want to be talked about…rumors spread around about us…..the ones that make people think that it is the right choice to use our company.

I am excited to be launching a new web site..excited to be reaching out to new customers. We have the staff and the products I am proud of.

Caring about your customer counts. I believe it and I will always continue to care about the products we design, produce and sell, and you the customer, I care about you.

My name is Liz, Master Engraver here at Tri-State Trophies.  I would like to share some engraving ideas with you.  Here at

Tri-State Trophies we pride ourselves on doing custom orders our salespeople sell.  They come to me with what they want and our production team figures out a way to make it happen.  The outcome is usually better than we anticipate!  One order comes to mind.  We had a customer that wanted a custom floated acrylic plaque with the acrylic on the left side of the plaque and an engraved, special shaped cutout plate on the right side.  I engraved the plate with the verbage using a .010flx cutter and then cut it out with a cutout cutter.  We made a special template for the acrylic with special placement of the holes to be mounted on the plaque.  We engraved on the front of the acrylic with logos done with a .005acr cutter.  The acrylic along with the plate on the plaque was truly exceptional.  The customer was very pleased.  This shows you that you can do almost anything when you have a great sales team and a knowledgeable production team that is willing to try new ideas and make it happen.