MOUNT VERNON — Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, but statistics show that 20 percent of new businesses close after one year. Heartland Promotional Products survived.
Established in 2009 at the end of the Great Recession, the company marks a milestone this year as it celebrates its 15th anniversary doing business in Knox County.
Owner Jon Jones and his team celebrated with a customer appreciation luncheon on May 9 at The Gathering Place.
“Our customers mean everything to us. We’re friends with them,” Jones said.
“We have customers coast-to-coast, but we usually met them somehow first. It’s not what we sell, it’s how we sell.”
‘Lean and mean’
Jones started the company in his Millwood home in 2009, the tail end of the Great Recession.
He relocated to Mount Vernon’s Public Square for several years and then again to his current location at 1375 Coshocton Avenue.
In the meantime, he opened branches in Newark and Wooster. Last year, he expanded to Berlin.
“We’ve had as many as seven employees. Now we have four,” Jones said. “We’re running lean and mean.”
Heartland Promotional Products focuses on gaining name recognition for its customers.
“We put people’s names on anything: apparel, mugs, hats,” Jones explained. “Our tag line is ‘Getting your good name out!’ It really helps our customers get their brand to ‘top of mind.’”
‘It’s all about relationships’
Heartland is on the sales end of the supply chain; the company does not manufacture products.
Heartland’s team connects with hundreds of suppliers through independent manufacturer representatives to source products.
Dan Alspaugh of Ariel Premium Supply and Matt Eysoldt of Eysoldt Marketing Group are two of those representatives. Both attended the appreciation luncheon to support Heartland.
“They are very loyal to us, so we are here to support them,” Alspaugh said.
The process is straightforward. Customers ask Heartland for promotional items. Heartland turns to Alspaugh and Eysoldt, among others, for the products.
Alspaugh and Eysoldt turn to their brand-name manufacturers, seeking the best quality, price, and delivery time on promotional items. Manufacturers are local, Ohio-based, national, and international.
But it works both ways.
As manufacturer representatives, Alspaugh and Eysoldt are always aware of new ideas, trends, and innovations. They pass ideas on to Jones, who in turn passes them on to his customers.
“The relationship is the big thing,” explained Eysoldt. “Our relationship with Jon, and his relationship with his customers. They know Jon’s going to hit that promise to deliver.”
“And Jon has to trust us that we’re going to get the product on time and that it will be good quality,” said Alspaugh. “If anything goes wrong with one of our vendors, it reflects on Jon and his customers. Jon knows we will make it right.
“That’s a lot of trust,” he added.
Both men enjoy the process and the relationships formed.
“This is a fun business, and it brings joy and education,” Eysoldt said.
“And, quite frankly, it’s fun competition,” Alspaugh said. “Although we’re competing against each other, if I can’t supply something, I’ll call Matt.”
Heartland’s future
Jones said that COVID-19 was the company’s biggest single challenge.
“Everything was canceled; there were no supporting events,” Jones explained. “But the Lord provided us with an opportunity for PPE.”
The national COVID response required companies to order a lot of PPE (personal protective equipment). Heartland’s general manager had contacts in the medical field, which was in dire need of PPE.
Although the company did not imprint, it served as the go-between for sourcing PPE.
“We had the best year ever with gloves, masks, and gowns,” Jones said. “We had the resources.”
Eysoltd and Alspaugh agreed COVID was their biggest challenge, too.
“Trust was really big because often you had to pay in advance,” Eysoltd said. “It was stressful, and it all came down to relationships.”
Looking to the future, Jones is optimistic.
“We expanded a lot last year. Now, we’re trying to get the return on our expansion investment. Once we catch up to where we are, we’ll expand again.”
According to the 2021 Census, the latest for which data is available, Heartland Promotional Products is among 550 Knox County businesses with fewer than five employees. An additional 521 have fewer than 100 employees.
National Small Business Week recognizes small businesses’ impact on the economy each year. In 2024, Small Business Week ran from April 28 to May 4.
