executive perspectives: Designing Success
Trevor Gnesin, CEO of Logomark, Tustin, Calif., is a formidable presence in the boardroom. Some may describe him as "boisterous," but he prefers the term "passionate." So, who is the real Gnesin? More than just the driving force behind a hugely successful promotional products company, he is a man who cares about family, respect and the industry that made him.
Similar to the Logomark tagline, Gnesin is "different by design." He doesn't set goals—he goes for opportunities. He values a $50 order just as much as a $500,000 order. And when he is brainstorming the next-big-thing with employees, a visit from his two-year-old granddaughter can instantly melt his all-business disposition into the sweetest smile.
Originally a trained fashion buyer from South Africa, Gnesin dipped his feet into the entrepreneurial pool at the age of 19. He operated his own clothing manufacturing business, but eventually made the transition to corporate gifts after receiving many inquiries. Approximately 14 years later, he moved to the United States in 1993 where he was faced with an important decision: Which business was a more worthwhile investment? He chose corporate gifts, and the rest is history.
Here, Gnesin shares his thoughts on the industry and a little bit about himself.
Print+Promo (P+P): How does your company remain nimble and ahead of the curve?
Trevor Gnesin (TG): Logomark was one of the first companies in the industry to offer a full product line across the board. When I started in the industry 20 years ago, people used to specialize in one product sector. For example, there were strictly bag manufacturers, pen manufacturers, watch manufacturers, etc. Logomark, however, had a different vision. We put out a catalog for suppliers to give to clients that had products spanning across the board in virtually 90 percent of categories. In a way, this set the trend for a lot of companies.
Catalogs used to be very plain and ordinary, but Logomark's catalogs had a fashionable and more retail-looking design. A lot of things people are doing today were things that Logomark came out with 12 and 15 years ago and just took on in the last five or six years as technology allowed them to do it. Now we have to find ways to take it to the next level, so we can offer a service that is going to make it easier for the distributor to buy certain things that are not available in the general market.
P+P: What is the most exciting thing currently happening in the promotional products industry?
TG: Some of the new technology that's coming out right now is really going to change the service levels and create innovative ways of coming to market within the next year. I think [things] are going to separate. Right now, the playing field is pretty level between the smaller and larger suppliers because it's not that difficult to get the merchandise from overseas; however, as a result of the new technologies and systems that eventually will come into play, small-to-medium operators might struggle to have the same edge as the larger operators. They are going to be presented with expensive investment decisions. So, you're going to find that the larger suppliers in the industry will be able to put some distance between themselves and the other suppliers, giving them the advantage which, again, I feel they've lost.
P+P: What is the best business advice you ever received?
TG: I never practiced it, but probably some of the best business advice that was ever given to me was: "Buy and sell and let someone else manufacture it." But perhaps the best business advice I ever got, from my point of view as a supplier, was: "You should treat your suppliers the same way that you'd like your clients to treat you." People often underestimate the importance of a good supplier. My policy is suppliers are just as important as having good clients. Sometimes, they're even more important, as suppliers can make or break your deal.
P+P: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
TG: A lot of people have the opinion that I'm this tough, hard guy. I'm actually a very soft person and what you see is very different from who I really am. For me it's about the simple things in life that actually can make you happy. Your family, your kids and your grandkids—those are the important things at the end of the day.
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