When it came time for Arthur Bartell, group president of Fort Collins, Colorado-based Proforma Big Dog Branding, to find a job he had a choice of three positions.
"I had just moved to Miami in 1954 and went looking for a job at the University of Miami placement office. They offered me three jobs: dictaphone salesman, insurance adjuster or Esquire Calendars. I took the Esquire Calendars position with a small Advertising Specialty Company, Jack Pector Specialties. My salary was $75 a week. One year later, I sold an order of $14,000 to a bank. In 1955 that was a big sale," he said.
The rest is history.
Here, Bartell discusses the industry, its changes and the future.
Print Professional (PP): Tell us about your background–—Where did you grow up, what school did you attend, your degree?
Arthur Bartell (AB): I attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. on a full four-year music scholarship. I could sing, but I graduated with a BBA degree in Business Administration.
PP: Describe your business style.
AB: My style is low key. Give superb service, be the fastest and do it right and on time no matter what the obstacles.
PP: What is the best business advice you ever received?
AB: Lose a sale. Never lose a client.
PP: What is your greatest business accomplishment and disappointment?
AB: My greatest achievement was selling a million decks of playing cards to Ryder System. The cards were distributed on all Eastern Airlines (EAL) flights. Another great achievement was getting the rights from Walt Disney to use Disney characters in a Walt Disney World Fun Flight Kit for children. I sold more than 2 million of those kits. One of my biggest disappointments was when I sold a $1.5 million order to EAL to introduce their El Inter-Americana service to all of South America. It was cancelled six weeks later because EAL was having financial problems.
PP: What do you think is the most exciting, cutting-edge thing your company is doing right now? Why?
AB: I regularly work with several NFL teams and I work directly with the NFL on Super Bowl promotions. I also do stadium replicas made of Pewter and Polystone to commemorate the opening of stadiums and arenas all over the world.
PP: What do you think will be the printing industry's biggest challenge in the next few years?
AB: Many people think that the Internet will diminish the printing of actual catalogs. I think differently. The catalog is kept and ordered from long after it is received by a client. The challenge for the printing industry is to stress this fact. You have to beat the Internet.
PP: What is the best part of your business day? Please explain.
AB: The best part of my day is when I have done my best and like former NFL coach Vince Lombardi said, ". . . any player's finest hour is when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle . . . victorious."
PP: What would people be surprised to learn about you—hobbies, special interests, etc.?
AB: I've sang and danced on Broadway. I've played tennis with the best players in the world including Rod Laver, Pancho Gonzales and Ken Rosewall. Professionally, I have won 24 Golden Pyramid Awards, 13 International CLIO Gold Statues and a National Addy Award by the American Advertising Federation.
- Companies:
- Proforma