Contributors on the Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce Blog at utahvalleychamber.blogspot.com discussed on Monday Namifiers Expansions in their European Office near Frankfurt, Germany.

To read and comment on their blog about the expansion please click this link > Namifiers Expands to European Office…

Namifiers serves hundreds of existing clients throughout Europe and the expansion will legitimize their position as a global leader for identification and branding products including custom lanyards, engraved name tags, badge holders and other swag promotional products at the lowest guaranteed rates and fastest shipping times.

This month marks a pivotal milestone in our company’s quest to truly be “the global industry leader of identification products”, as envisioned in our Corporate Mission Statement.
Namifiers GmbH, headquartered in the Frankfurt metro area of Germany, has been founded as the official division for our European sales and distribution.
This division will serve more than 250 existing customers located throughout Europe and will further expand our customer base with eTail sales and word-of-mouth initiatives.  Namifiers GmbH will maintain web domains for at least 7 different countries.
Our initial product offering for European distribution will consist of Blank Lanyards, Custom Lanyards, Badge Holders, Nametag Backings, Nametags, Nameplates, Frames, and ID Printers.

Fill In The Blank

Over the last month or so, you will have noted some changes to the layout of our production lines in processing.  The gaping distance between our Textile Press and Embroidery Station may seem inefficient at first glance, but that very space awaits equipment that will greatly magnify our efficiency for Screen Printing.  Come mid August, we will be installing an M&R Sportsman 10-Head Screen Press, alongside the existing two print stations.  The machine is reputed as one of best machines on the market for control, quality, and durability.  This new addition will allow us to offer more precise printing and coverage, easily adjust for varying thicknesses of fabric, reduce registration time for multi-color prints by 50%, double our production output from that line, and offer up to 8 colors of print per location.
From a company standpoint, this is one more example of how we continually reinvest in our own competitive edge, so that we can “efficiently manufacture a vast array of quality products to fulfill all client needs,” as it is declared in our Mission Statement.

Captions:
Lisa -  “Back in ‘82, I could throw a football a quarter mile…”
Kids -   This piece is entitled, Pinata Aftermath
Greg, Tony, and Celso -   We 3 [grill] Kings
Brian C.   -  Brian Coltharp, showing us how it’s done
Zachary   -  A big stick, a bunch of candy, and all the attention   …  it can’t get any better than that for a little boy.
Pavillion Shot -   Fun-Filled Family Memories

Industry News Inc 5000
For the fourth year running, Namifiers will be celebrated amid the ranks of America’s Top 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies.  Later this month, New York’s own Inc Magazine will be releasing the official rankings for the 2010 honorees.   Paralleled with this national recognition is the exciting way that our company has been able to represent Utah business.  In 2008, Namifiers was the #1 manufacturer from Utah on the list.  All the hard work and commitment we bring collectively to our team effort is getting noticed nationally.  We appreciate and encourage continual improvement to show the country that we should be a permanent name on this annual publication.

Congratulations to Paul Shin for being voted as our Employee of the Month for August. Paul has been an Account Executive in our Customer Service department for the last 7 months. He was born in New Jersey and has lived in 7 other states. The one thing Paul likes most about working here at Namifiers® is the fast-paced environment.

Fun Facts:
Favorite Spare Time Activity: Volleyball
Self Description: Busy

Congratulations to Daniel Garcia for being voted as our Employee of the Month for July.  Daniel has worked at our Textile Press line for 4 months now and has really enjoyed learning all the different processes that make up Screen Printing.  Daniel grew up here in the Provo area and when he is not at work, he loves just spending time with his daughter.

Fun Facts:
Nickname:  Danny Boy  (dubbed by his fellow Namifiers)
Favorite Time of Year:  Summer

Congratulations to Ryan Fout for being voted as our Employee of the Month for June.  Ryan has worked in Production for 3 months as the Line Leader for our Textiles Press.  He has done a great job embracing the pace at Namifiers and says his favorite thing about working here is being challenged every day.  Ryan is originally from San Diego, CA.
Fun Facts:
One Pet He Wouldn’t Want:  Dog
Nickname:  Gordo

Starting this month, Namifiers is opening its doors to the public for tours of our facility.  The objective of the tours will be to inform people on the unique history of our company, the many services we can contribute to the business community, and the great atmosphere we promote here at Namifiers. Each walk-through is mapped out for an approximate 30-minute visit, highlighting 16 areas of the company.
We will have two presentations in order to accommodate both adult groups and school-aged children.  The time slots for scheduling tours are as follows:
Tuesdays      10 AM    and    3 PM
Thursdays     10 AM   and     3 PM
* Also by appointment if needed.
If you have friends or acquaintances that would like to come see our building, please have them contact Carlyn Thompson (Carlyn@namifiers.com).

On Saturday May 22, Namifiers teamed up with the Make-A-Wish foundation to assist in their 3rd annual Walk For Wishes, a 13-mile walkathon to raise money for terminally-ill children.  The event kicked off at Willow Creek Park in Park City, and there to represent Namifiers were Tim and Lisa Hulse.
The first day of the walkathon was accompanied by light snow showers, so Tim and Lisa bundled up with hoodies, jackets and positive attitudes to participate in what turned out to be a great experience.
The first leg of the journey was followed by dinner and then an awards ceremony and presentation to celebrate the families and children that benefit from the program.  The following day, the walkers welcomed the much more favorable weather to finish the remaining 6.5 miles to close out the event.
Combined, the walkers raised over $25,000 to provide incredible opportunities, or “wishes”, for kids between the ages of 4-17 who are terminally ill.
In behalf of Namifiers, Tim and Lisa were presented with the Lead the Way award, given by the foundation to demonstration appreciation for our donation of the commemorative signage for the event.
“It felt great meet the people who dedicate their lives to make these kids’ wishes come true,” said Tim.
“There were some very inspiring stories of family members with life threatening illnesses, and the incredible hope that comes with this charity,” commented Lisa.  “The outpouring of love, and concern for the welfare of others was contagious.  It made me want to be a more generous and selfless person.”

Each year, thousands of people around Utah County submit their votes for the “Best of Utah Valley” awards.  Popular categories include Best Sit Down Restaurant, Favorite Local Celebrity, Most Influential Person, and Best Customer Service - which will be awarded to Namifiers this year.  This is truly an exciting honor, primarily because it is people’s choice, but also because it reflects our collective commitment to the customer experience.  Congratulations everyone and thank you for caring about the customer… it shows.

The new look for our Production employees isn’t just a fashion statement, it is a declaration of unity.
Unity is one of the largest bi-products of our offering to customers.  Like us, they want to rally their constituents around common objectives and grow their business.  In our own case, each team member in Processing can visually sense the collective commitment to excellent quality in the customer’s behalf.
From the outside looking in, our production crew is just as much a part of our overall brand as any other facet of the company.  They embody integrity, attention to detail, accountability to one another … all of which we embrace and associate with the Namifiers way of doing business.

As part of our mission for global expansion, Namifiers will be searching out logistical partnerships within Germany as a possible hub for product sales in Europe. During the week of May 14 - 19, Namifiers CEO Bryan Welton will be meeting with commerce officials and business owners in and around Frankfurt to further research this possibility.

On June 9th, Namifiers will be recognized as a gold-level sponsor for the annual Utah Valley Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament.  The event will bring together 144 business leaders from all over Utah County.

Employee of the Month of May
Congratulations to Wendy Brundage for being voted as the Employee of the Month for May.  Wendy came on board with Namifiers in March and is making tremendous contributions with our Laser Engraving line in Processing.  She lives in Spanish Fork and is the proud mother of two children.  Her favorite part of working for Namifiers is the fast pace and friendly co-workers.
Fun Facts:
Hobbies:  4-Wheelin’, Skiing, Water Sports and Camping
Favorite Season:  Summer

Shout Outs
Congratulations to the Outbound Sales and Customer Service teams for posting our best sales month ever this past April.  Let’s work to smash that record in May!

During the two weeks of April 22-May 4, Namifiers Management traveled the major industrial sector of Southern China to strengthen current business relationships and forge new ones for further Product Development.   The trip acted as a springboard for organizing and launching dedicated campaigns and product offerings to our customers in different industries (Channel Sales).
Much of the prospecting occurred at the official China Import and Export Fair, held every 6 months at the Pazhou Exhibition Complex.  The complex itself is famously huge for gathering hundreds of thousands of people for networking events … a whopping 9,900,000 square feet.
Other visits were scheduled to our current factories, located in Ningbo and Fuzhou, to implement further training in order management, quality, and packaging.
The tour was a success on many levels and will help drive our competitive edge on into the next decade.

Namifiers will be represented at the 107th Canton Fair this month in Guangzhou, China.  Over 160,000 business leaders attend the biannual trade fair, making it one of the world’s largest networking forums for manufacturers and retailers.  As in years past, our objectives at the event are to continue developing innovative and competitive products for our customers and to strengthen the training and quality of our factories.

Industry News:  UV50 Celebrates Top Companies In Utah County
Business and community leaders of Utah gathered in Lindon, UT on March 31st to honor the 25 Fastest-Growing Companies, 15 Top Revenue Companies and 10 Strartups To Watch.  Namifiers maintained its spot in the Top 25 fastest growing companies with the #25 spot.  This year marks the fourth time Namifiers has been published to the list.

Congratulations to Scott Bishop for being voted as our Employee of the Month for April.  Scott is responsible for all the Shipping/Receiving and has been with Namifiers since August of 2009.  Scott grew up in various parts of California before coming to Utah.  He has five sisters and enjoys all types of “boarding” in his spare time (Longboarding, Skateboarding, etc ).
Fun Facts:
Nickname:   Dennis  (FYI … he would rather not be called that)
Favorite thing about Namifiers:   The family atmosphere
Self-Description:   Organized, Clean, Crazy, Weird

40 UNDER 40 (by Utah Valley BusinessQ)
Youth isn’t always wasted on the young.
It’s time, once again, for Utah Valley BusinessQ’s Top 40 Under 40. Nominate your colleague, your boss, your business partner or even yourself — any local pro with youthful good looks (professionally speaking, of course). Winners will be featured in the Fall 2010 issue of BusinessQ.
So what are you waiting for? Go forth and nominate Bryan Welton.

UV BusinessQ - 40 UNDER 40
Simply go online to http://utahvalleybusinessq.com/ and click on the Contests tab, then complete your survey.

Several of you are already part of our Namifiers Facebook Group as we’ve grown as a company these last few years.  If you haven’t joined our group yet, we encourage you to do so tonight sometime.  This will be a great way to share exciting news, learn more about company direction and history, share pictures from our events, etc.
We also want to tell others about the good things we have going on here at Namifiers.  So, here’s  a personal challenge ….
1.    Login to Facebook tonight, and in the search bar, type in Namifiers and select our group (if you haven’t joined, you can take the few seconds to do so).
2.    In the top left corner of the page, click on “Invite People to Join”
3.    Select all the friends in your list that breathe air.
4.    Invite them to join with a comment like this ….
“Hi everyone.  Some of you already know about my line of work, but in the spirit of networking, I want to invite you to join our company Facebook group for Namifiers.   We get to make cool stuff all day for businesses and family events.   You can check it out at www.namifiers.com, and it would be great to learn more about what you do. Thanks.”

We also have a twitter account with relative tweets at www.twitter.com/namifiers

Cover Story: Do you know the Namifiers story?
Pivotal Points In Namifiers History

Inevitably, in the acquaintances of life, you will get asked about your line of work thousands of times.

Yes, we namify cool stuff for people everywhere, but there is a richer history to know and tell: key decisions and milestones from our story that help explain our applaudable growth.

2002 - Hug the Internet
After just a year from our founding as The Nametag Source, we recognized the short and long-term potential of the Internet for our industry, while most of our competitors remained skeptical.  Nametagsource.com became the pioneering web store for personal identification.

2003 - Climb Supply Chain
For the first 2-1/2 years, we worked with domestic wholesalers for our goods and materials. This allowed us to be fast, something that our target market was beginning to value more, but knowing that volume determined our bottom line, we began to engineer our own offering and inventory, thereby replacing the wholesalers and becoming even faster and fiscally smart.

2005 - Compartmentalize Growth Tasks
In 2005, we further delineated responsibilities and reporting by department, in order to free up the executive leadership to perfect our processes, using principles of Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.

2006 - Switch from Personal Identification to Brand Manufacturing
By 2006, only 28% of our annual revenue was coming from Nametags.  The remainder came from listening to the customers and implementing aggressive solutions for the other products they needed to brand themselves.  Our evolved offering called for an evolved name change; we were now in the business of namifying a lot of “cool stuff for people everywhere”.  We officially made the change to Namifiers, LLC and launched a database-driven, online store that integrated our company knowledge base.

2009 - 50,000,000 Manufactured Pieces and 100,000 Customers Served
These two milestones resonate more sweetly when knowing they came after 8 years in the business, while many acclaimed manufacturers have taken 20+ years to build a similar resume.  The accomplishments are a testament of the tireless leadership of our CEO and work of our company family through the years.

2010 - Accelerate:  User Experience and Channel Sales
We have an established offering and a customer base that appreciates our ability to quickly take away their branding problems.  Going forward, we will perfect the user experience across the board and broaden our influence exponentially through Channel Sales, or niche industries.

Industry News:

Namifiers To Be Honored With UV50 for 4th straight year

Bennett Communications, Utah County’s most prominent media group, is setting the stage to honor Namifiers, LLC and 24 other Utah businesses as the fastest growing companies in the area.  This will be the fourth straight year that Namifiers is selected for the honor.  A banquet and awards ceremony will be held in Lindon, UT on March 31st to announce the complete list of winners and their respective rankings.

Employee of the Month:  Krystal Wall

Congratulations to Krystal Wall for being voted as our Employee of the Month for March.  Krystal has been an Account Executive in our Sales Department for the past year and a half and has demonstrated great consistency and dedication to her goals and responsibilities.  The youngest of three, Krystal is originally from Naples, Florida.  She came to BYU and earned her degree in Cooking.  Beyond time in the kitchen, she enjoys reading,  watching movies, and spending time with friends.  Here at Namifiers, Krystal enjoys the fun people to work with and challenging herself to always do better and hit her goals.

Fun Facts
Nickname:  The Wall, and then WALL-E  (after Disney-Pixar’s movie hit came out)
Favorite Season:    Spring, warmer weather and blooming flowers

Shout Out:

I want to highlight Tony Difiore and his team at Banners for their work in the last 3 weeks.  They have processed nearly 5000 banners (or approximately 85,000 square feet) and have demonstrated impressive dedication to take care of incoming orders.
-Tyler Kimball