Walter Hill Jr. wants results—and as his 35-plus years in brand promotion show, that hasn’t been an issue for the president and CEO of Los Angeles-based Icon Blue Inc. Hill’s success is the outcome of smart decision-making, coupled with a growing entrepreneurial spirit, that dates back to 1966 when he left Virginia for a fresh start in California. His first order of business? Launch a direct sales company at age 24.
From there, Hill took up motivational speaking and got involved with executive gifts. Soon after, he approached Idea Man Inc., a Los Angeles-based promotional products firm headed by Bob Waldorf and Les Morris, about being a supplier to the company. “[Waldorf and Morris] invited me into the promotional products business at that time, and that was the start of my career,” Hill recalled. Hill later branched out into other ventures. “I transitioned into the product licensing end of the business and worked on projects, such as Star Wars and Star Trek, and was a licensee for the 1984 Olympic Games,” he added.
But Hill wasn’t finished with the promotional side and, in 1988, he partnered with Idea Man to create Sekot. That same year Hill founded Icon Blue Inc. as an independent entity in the promotional products industry. “Four years later, the GE Pension Trust acquired a minority interest in our company, which gave us the financial stability of a much larger company,” he explained. “This partnership with GE still exists.”
Today, Icon Blue Inc. has a staff of 12 employees and generates $5 million in annual sales. Read on as Hill talks shop.
Print+Promo (P+P): How do you set goals for yourself? For your business?
Walter Hill Jr. (WHJ): I set goals in three categories:
- Personal and spiritual development
- Health and fitness
- Business (i.e., growth and new business development)
I take a bit of downtime each week to monitor my progress.
P+P: How does the economy continue to affect the industry?
WHJ: The economy, like a strategic plan, is very dynamic and changes from day-to-day. Our business, advertising and promotional products, is generally the first category to be cut when the economy is weak. Therefore, it is necessary to have a strategy for handling the downturns and to be prepared for the economic uptick.
P+P: What do you expect to be some of the biggest challenges the industry will face?
WHJ: Among the industry’s major challenges are the speed with which the Amazons of the world are entering the business, the entry of large office supply companies and the rapid growth of low/bid sellers.
P+P: What keeps you up at night?
WHJ: Nothing! I’ve lived through many changes, and I remain convinced that we have a viable industry that will adjust to most challenges.
P+P: What do you think is the most exciting, cutting-edge thing your company is doing right now? Why?
WHJ: Providing an opportunity for extremely talented young people to enter the industry. They bring new energy, new ideas and new approaches to using technology. In addition, Icon Blue utilizes its social media channels to not only market services and capabilities, but also to interact with and educate our audience. As an easily accessible communication platform, social media and the company blog affords Icon Blue the ability to not only let clients know of the most current and popular products, but also to create awareness about pertinent current events that affect the business. When the West Coast port strike began to significantly impact the delivery of goods, Icon Blue used social media to not only inform about the issue, but also to offer solutions to circumvent the issue by ordering products that would not be affected by the current events.
P+P: What would people be surprised to learn about you—hobbies, special interests, etc.?
WHJ: Tai Chi is one of my hobbies. I always enjoy the opportunity to practice with a master whenever I’m in China. Learning to play the harmonica, something inspired by my late father, is another passion. And, as a grandfather, service on the board of Mattel Children’s Hospital [UCLA] gives me a great deal of satisfaction. Helping children in any way possible has always been important in my family.