Global Recognition owner steers Green Bay company amid changing marketplace and workforce

GREEN BAY - It’s rare to hear a story like Art Gage’s. The owner of Global Recognition Inc. started at the then-named Green Bay Trophy in the spring of 1986 while still in high school.

“I was hired as a screen printer and was pretty much just a laborer,” Gage said. “But I always enjoyed the challenge of finding better ways to improve the department processes and myself.”

He enjoyed it so much that he never left. In the process he grew from position to position and was given the opportunity to buy the company with a business partner in 2015. He bought out that partner in 2021.

Over the years, his goal has been to change with the times, and to continue learning and improving the business, at 980 Velp Ave. That quest for learning led him to the Green Bay SCORE Chapter where several mentors have been there to listen and offer advice. An area of particular interest is the entry into ecommerce.

“We haven’t done ecommerce yet, because we are such a custom operation," he said. "That is one of our goals — to upgrade many of the internal operations to be able to provide online ordering from our website.”

That is just one of the changes that Gage has faced. When he joined the well-established company (it had been founded in 1963), it was owned by John Keegan and was primarily a trophy shop and garment printer. But Keegan, who Gage said was a great mentor, saw a need in the market for framing, particularly at the corporate level.

Keegan had responded by adding custom-framed awards, photos, artwork, medals, jerseys, and shadow box framing. It turned out to be a great success; the combined award and framing business now accounts for about 50% of sales. Screen printing and embroidery make up the balance.

“Equipment and products are always changing,” Gage said. “We listen to customers to give them what they want and need. Items like trophies have dropped off through the years, but by adding custom framing, etching on crystal, and laser engraving, we meet the customers’ demands.”

In the process, the business has had continuous growth. Gage said his niche is being a one-stop shop for organizations and corporations for awards, promotional products and custom items. There is competition, but most of that is split. Some competitors specialize in awards and others in screen printing, but Global Recognition does both.

“Items like garments are pretty competitive, but there are many things we create in-house that you can’t get anywhere else," he said. "We excel in personal service. A lot of communication is done between the sales team and the customer before an order goes to production and finally to the customer. Our award orders leave here in a custom box and for the most part, are labeled on the box. That makes a nice touch for customers.”

The proof that the company’s attention to providing service and quality is working is evidenced by a long list of large, major corporations who are loyal customers. Sales are handled by a local and outside team with 29 employees in-house.

Although Gage faces the same hiring challenges as most companies, his biggest problem is replacing employees due to retirement.

“One of our employees has been here for 38 years, and we recently lost one to retirement after 40 years. The majority have been here for between 15 and 25 years,” he said. “As they retire, some positions are harder to fill now.”

But, once hired and part of the team, Gage finds that most enjoy the business. He says that he encourages employees to take ownership like they would do if they owned the company.

“I want them to take the initiative in their roles and empower them,” he added.

As a team, the employees are vital in supporting his roles as president, owner, and landlord.

“In our organization," he said, "my strengths are my tenure and years of knowledge, and the ability to adapt. That was not a strength for me in the past. But since the pandemic, I feel the world has jumped two years ahead of me and I need to adapt. I do not want to stand in the way of productive progress or bring old-school thinking to the new table of procedures.”

The new thinking is what has him talking to SCORE mentors and planning a new website, ecommerce, target-focused marketing, and a business plan.

He said, “My business plan is a work in progress at this time. After buying out my business partner, we as a team are reevaluating the direction we want to take the company.

That reevaluation will include being more active in setting written goals and strategies. In the next year, he plans to have goals in place that set a future direction for Global. In five years, he wants his team to be in a position where the company can be handed off to the next leader.

“Our success has been in slow, steady growth,” Gage said. “We don’t want to grow so fast that we can’t handle things. We just want a steady growth and are taking steps to toward that.”

For every business, he believes that success involves continually looking at industry trends and anticipating demand. He says every entrepreneur needs to pivot because there is always room for improvement. After 37 years of owning a business, he has the experience to understand that and has advice for other would-be entrepreneurs.

He advises, “Do your due diligence on what your product, competition, and production methods will be. If you are innovative and have a new product or idea, you might be better off doing a startup. But if you are creating and selling the same products as another company, then buying out an existing company that has made its mark and has potential would be my choice. Why reinvent the wheel in you can buy it spinning already? But educate yourself in leadership, first and foremost. The team has to believe in you.”

Tina Dettman-Bielefeldt is co-owner of DB Commercial Real Estate in Green Bay and past district director for SCORE, Wisconsin.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Global Recognition of Green Bay sees marketplace, workforce changes