Your Brand, Our Passion

As every business owner knows, the only thing constant is change. Industries are always evolving, which means businesses need to update products, procedures and processes to stay relevant and on top of things. Dan Copeland, founder and publisher of Michiana Business Publications in Fort Wayne, has first-hand knowledge of these needs. 

In 1987, Copeland moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana with a goal to publish a business magazine for the surrounding area. For over 30 years now, he’s been successful in producing Business People magazine, amongst several other quarterly and annual publications distributed to nine counties throughout northeast Indiana. And while Copeland has had great success in the publishing industry, he’s always thinking ahead.

“A little over 10 years ago no one knew what was going to happen with print media,” Copeland says. “I had a strong feeling that we should look at diversifying our business. At the time, we had advertisers who were working on campaigns to make their businesses grow and they were in need of promotional products. They would ask us for referrals — who could they go to for these products? When the time came to think about expanding, it was almost a foregone conclusion that the promotional product business was the way to go.”

In 2012 BPPromos was born, and Copeland and his team haven’t looked back since. 

“We had, and still have, great relationships with a lot of people and businesses — the right people and businesses — and they supported us from the very beginning in this endeavor,” says Copeland. “Here we are 11 years later. We have awesome people running the promo side of the business who have helped it grow dramatically. To this day, we continually see a monthly increase in sales in comparison to the prior year.”

The BPPromos customer base has grown exponentially over the past decade. Some of its customers are the areas smallest businesses and others are some of the largest, including hospitals, manufacturers, accounting firms, schools and real estate agencies. In short, BPPromos can assist any business that puts its logo on any item. 

While many are aware that the promo team can aid in the process of ordering branded apparel and hard goods, they can also take it a step further. BPPromos can create and maintain an online company store for businesses — a website that offers a completely customized shopping experience with promotional products and apparel. BPPromos customers can provide company store access to anyone they choose, whether internal or external to the organization. Users can easily browse, select and purchase any items offered on the site.

“One of the biggest benefits of a company store is that it takes all of the organizing, tracking, ordering and distribution work off of the employer,” says Brennah Yoder, operations manager. “Once the company store launches, all the customer has to do is send out a link to its staff. That link can be accessed by the employees, who can then shop online and pick out what they want in their preferred color and size. Those orders come directly to BPPromos. We place the order, take care of the printing and then the final product comes back here to our office. We sort the order, put the product in individual bags with individual names and then deliver to the customer.”

Yoder and the BPPromos staff make the process seamless. They work closely with customers to understand their budget and suggest high-quality product that delivers what the business is looking for. 

“We meet with our customers to gain a well-rounded understanding of what products they want, and from there we create a presentation of options for them,” says project manager Brooke Harruff. “We discuss everything ahead of time so that when the store launches, everything is to their standard.”

“A company store is a great tool that allows our customers to control their brand,” adds Andrea Copeland, senior account executive. “They have control over the colors, styles and logos their staff chooses, but at the same time can still give their employees choices. It ensures the branding is presented in good taste.”

The bottom line? The BPPromos team understands that clients are putting responsibility into their hands to present and display their brands properly.

“We do everything we can to get the entire company exactly what they want,” stresses Copeland. “We have a showroom that clients can visit and we can get samples into their hands. We’re here to work with you and do whatever it takes to deliver exactly what you’re looking for.”

“We take pride in the way we treat people. When you contact us, we know who you are — we’re transparent and authentic, and we’re here to take care of you. We truly value our relationships,” concludes Harruff. 

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