ChemArt Blog

I tend to find that you often need it when you least expect it.  As a recent graduate from Rhode Island College and the newest addition to ChemArt, I thought you might be interested in the transition from school, to being the Marketing Coordinator for an ornament manufacturer.  Let me start off by saying there isn’t much of a transition period!

Let’s face it; the odds of you landing a position as the Director of Brand Development directly out of school are almost zero today, and most day-to-day marketing activities don’t include you taking a month to put together a strategic plan for “your company.”  Entry to Early-level marketing is a lot more about following a plan than creating one. 

For ChemArt specifically, we use a number of different marketing vehicles including trade shows, email, direct mail, print and electronic advertising.  During my time in school I was able to learn what all of these were, but as you know, not get my hands dirty.  In 2009 I coordinated my first trade show, sent out my first email newsletter, put together my first direct mailing, edited my first website, and provided my first ROI report.  Phew! 

By now you’re probably wondering what part of going to school and getting my degree helped me.  Well, the obvious answer is the opportunities it brought me, but there are also advantages in knowing the purpose of your endeavors.  For example, I have an easier time editing our website because I’m aware of the goals of the website and how online marketing is a near essential function with the amount of people who have Internet access today.  I am also able to provide a different perspective to management for discussions about development and changes we can make.

Finally, don’t forget your arithmetic and accept that Excel will be your best friend!

One of the things we as ChemArt employees are most proud of is that our products are manufactured and assembled right here in Lincoln, RI.  It has been a growing trend over the years of cost-cutting and outsourcing to move jobs from manufacturing to call centers across the globe.  We believe it is important to keep our entire process on site not only for the purpose of quality control, but to keep jobs here in the U.S.  As you are all aware, times have become hard in today’s economy, and with so many people looking for work, we believe companies here in the U.S. should do everything they can to help the situation. 

When hired, part of the training of each employee involves spending time working with each function that goes into the making of an ornament.  This is extremely beneficial in learning the process from its development in graphic design, to etching the ornament, all the way through attaching the ribbon and placing it in its packaging.  Doing this also helps you get a feel for what everyone in the company does, and how they all take pride in their duties.  Might I add that piecing together a 3D ornament is no simple task!

A few years ago, we had a visit from John Ratzenberger and the ‘Made in America’ crew.  He took the company tour and got his hands dirty in some of the processes involved in the making of an ornament.  It was a great experience all around and we still have the footage from the episode!  We have posted it on Youtube so that everyone can get a better idea of what we do.  Click here to take a look!

We also have a clip of Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri speaking of the importance of manufacturing in the U.S. and mentioning his recent visit to ChemArt.  Check out our website to listen in.

While we understand that times are hard and many companies are searching for new ways to lower their costs, it is important to remember who we are and where we come from.  It may be cost-effective to outsource work, but the benefits of supplying jobs and seeing smiling faces day in and day out make keeping everything here worthwhile.

“Of course we’ll be there, look at this awesome invitation!”  This would be the likely response you would receive after handing out one of our beautiful custom metal invitations.  Similar to the ornaments we manufacture, we create invitations using solid brass polished in a gold or rhodium finish.  Our capabilities allow us to design your invitation in numerous ways, and I’ve never seen an ugly one!  We’ve watched them become popular for all types of special events, from weddings to fundraising events.  With a custom metal invitation we give you the capability to choose your finish, etching and screen prints to your liking.  Whether you want your organization’s logo, a picture of the happy married couple to be, or just a design that stuns your audience, our artists can make it happen!  These invitations can be mailed with regular postage, letting everyone on your list know about the event in a unique way, and also acts as a memorable keepsake for all of your guests.  Just check out one of the many invitations we’ve created:

For more information on creating a custom metal invitation, samples or photos, please feel free to contact us at any time!

Customer News

We thought you might enjoy a little blog segment about some things going on for a number of our customers. 

• The Texas State Capitol released their 14^th ornament in 2009 replicating the distinctive doorknobs in the capitol building.  To view this and some of their past ornaments, take a look at their website!
• The Preservation Society of Newport released their newest ornament in 2009 representing the gates of one of the infamous Newport mansions.  Check it out here!
• The Timber Ridge School also released its latest ornament in 2009.  Once again the picture used as the focal point of the ornament was contributed by Mort Künstler, one of America’s greatest historical artists.  To view this ornament as well as past ones, take a look at their website here!
• We recently completed a webinar on successful fundraising with an annual Christmas ornament program featuring Troy Newbraugh, the Director of Development for the above-mentioned Timber Ridge School.  We have made it available on the website for those of you who missed it, or liked it so much you want to see it again!  It contains some great information and ideas to help anyone interested in starting a program, or another perspective for our current customers.  Many thanks, Troy!

If you would like us to announce your organization’s news, work with us on a customer success story, or learn more about us and what we do, feel free to contact us at marketing@chemart.com.

There are a number of individuals here at ChemArt who enjoy giving back.  Many are affiliated with certain organizations due to circumstances in their own life, or because they feel strongly about a certain cause.  Since there are quite a few members of our little community who are involved in giving back, I offer you a few examples:

One of my fellow co-workers, Mr. John Breen, is strongly affiliated with the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation.  Not only does he help out by giving when he can monetarily, but he also assists with as many functions as he can.  Recently the foundation held a function in Boston where John helped out as a security guard (please refer to his Hulk blog).  For those of you who aren’t familiar, the Doug Flutie, Jr. Foundation promotes awareness and support for families affected by autism spectrum disorders.  Please take a look at their website and see if there is a way you can get involved!

Ken Beaupre, a member of our sales team, has put forth his efforts to try to help returning soldiers.  Mr. Beaupre helped to implement the use of theatre to help soldiers who are returning from battle to confront their issues and learn to accept what happened. 

Myself?  I like to keep my eye out for missing pets, wave at strangers, and say “God Bless You” even if the sneezer in question just sprayed me (while dusting myself off, of course). 

Keep your eye out for new posts adding to the list!

We would love to hear about the organizations and groups you give to or help out with as well!