Logo Owl
After moving back to Maine from away several years ago, Gwen Hall landed a job as an embroiderer for a local promotions company, rather than in her chosen field of Environmental Studies. Graduating from embroidery to promotional product sales, Gwen spent the next seven years learning about the industry. During this time, Gwen also noticed that green promotional products were entering the scene, which got her thinking about ways that she could combine her most recent work experience with her background in Environmental Education. As Gwen tells it, “I saw this as a unique opportunity that I could really relate to and the idea of of my own eco-responsible promotional products company started to form.” What began as an idea then blossomed into the Logo Owl company, which Gwen created a little over a year ago.
The name “Logo Owl,” Gwen says, developed as a result of her work as an Environmental Educator with non-releasable wild animals. “The owls I took care of were such incredible creatures and that experience had a lasting effect on me,” she says, “I wanted the name of my business to be representative of the two things I was trying to integrate.” Logo Owl offers embroidery, art, screen printing, digital printing, and heat pressing services, in addition to a wide selection of promotional products. Additionally, Gwen offers marketing ideas and solutions to her clients as well as educates them about the benefits of green products. She says, “It seems that the green movement has virtually exploded in the promotional products industry. Suppliers are (motivated) to offer more and more green items. It’s really exciting to see it happening-finally!”
In addition to offering promotional products that are produced with green and recycled materials, many of the products on the Logo Owl website are meant to encourage people to make greener lifestyle choices in general. For example, reusable sports bottles, lunch bags, grocery and tote bags, and refillable pens all serve an environmentally-responsible purpose. When a company gives out one of these products to market themselves or to reward employees, it not only makes them look good, but the environmental savings keeps going after people receive them, as they are reused over and over.
Among some of the other green promotional products that Logo Owl offers are: wind-up and solar flashlights, water-powered calculators and biodegradable and compostable office products. There are even journals that are produced out of a lesser-known renewable resource…elephant waste! Logo Owl also offers products that are printed with soy and water-based paints or are digitally printed to reduce the need for chemical processing.
When asked if her clients usually choose the eco-friendly choices that she offers, Gwen responded that some clients hesitate if this means that they will need to spend extra money. The good news, as Gwen reports it, is that her suppliers’ prices continue to go down. As more cost-effective products become available, more and more clients see the benefit of going the greener route. Gwen also points out to her clients that the public responds very positively to socially and environmentally responsible companies. According to Gwen, “One thing is clear. If you are going to spend the extra money to buy green, let everyone know about it! It can make a big difference in how your company is perceived.”
In addition to selling greener products, Gwen tries to conduct her own business in an environmentally responsible manner as well. When possible, she uses local suppliers and is looking for new ways to partner with other Maine businesses. She also tries to be as paperless as she can, emailing presentations to clients and offering an online, rather than printed product catalog. Logo Owl is operated out of Gwen’s home office, and she makes a point to keep her heat turned low, even during the colder months. What else does Gwen want people to know about her business? Gwen says, “I have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and use green products as much as possible.” She also wants to point out that although some of the eco-friendly choices she offers may cost a little more, the long-term benefits to the environment are priceless.
Logo Owl
Cumberland, Maine
gwen@logoowl.com
www.logoowl.com
