Hey everybody, I'm Matt major from growth mode
content. Welcome to another edition of good news
York I'm joined here by my buddy Danny behind
the board and You might know him our friend Mike
is missing and I'm on the wrong side if you're
watching the video Mike's got the day off. We
let people do that around here once in a while.
He's home with the kids The kids are home as
well. So we thought we'd let him You know, just
enjoy the day. So uh joining me We do have a
nice other handsome gentleman here. I don't know,
Mike's got some competition, I'm thinking. Well,
thank you. But happens to be our neighbor from
Ward's Printing. Go ahead and introduce yourself,
my friend. Thank you. Good morning. My name is
Arthur Williams. I'm owner of Ward's Printing.
We are a minority -owned, certified screen printing
business, and we focus on our local community,
construction, schools, health care, and our local
school district. as well as growing our current
customer base. That's awesome. Now, you, as I
mentioned, you're our next door neighbor here.
Yeah. Moved in not too long ago, I feel like.
How did your business get started, or what were
you doing before you came over here? Sure, sure.
Before getting into the apparel side, I was a
pharmaceutical rep of over 20 years. Wow. So...
Prior to that, it was kind of hybrid. I did a
little bit of a little bit of screen printing
on the side, but I also did my main focus was
on pharmaceutical sales. So that was over 20
years of selling new, launching new products
to our health care community and as well as building
great community connections within there. So
when this opportunity came along to start Wards,
I wanted to bring all the experience that I have
cultivated over the years towards printing and
looking to grow that customer base and as well
as extending to new customers. That's so neat.
And I'll tell you what, I can give you a little
real life testimonial because you helped us out
right before the state fair. If anybody saw our
videos and Danny's actually got the shirt on
there, even though you can't see it on. Awesome.
But I'm, of course, the king of the last minute.
I'm like, oh, we need some new shirts. Ran next
door. Yeah, we can do them for you. I think you
did them the next day. We did them the next day.
Beautiful shirts. Same price that I would pay
anywhere else for a decent shirt. You certainly
didn't gouge me on the urgency, which I appreciate.
It was pretty cool. But we love them. And it's
so cool to have a resource like that. Branding,
to me, is one of the biggest things. And I've
always been a big fan of walking around with
a logo shirt on, at least during the work day,
you know what I mean? So I love to see that.
You mentioned construction and things like that
is kind of some of your core clients. What what
type of things are you making for construction
folks? So for construction folks, for what we
can provide for them, we can provide privacy
fencing signage. Oh, wow. So for example, one
of our customers is looking to do a phase one
of their product project. So we were able to
custom brand their banners, which will go around
the custom fence. And then we did a signage,
a signage that is required by New York State
for doing that project. So we were able to supply
that. Oh, wow. So even beyond the apparel and
screen printing and things, you could do signs.
We could do signage. So apparel, promotional
products, and embroidery are kind of like our
core products. But we're also finding another
niche, which is the construction side. So we're
focusing on. you know, the safety vest and PPE
equipment for. And there's a lot of construction
going on around Syracuse. Yeah. I feel like you're
in the right market here. I love this. I love
it. So if you wouldn't mind, I know Amanda's
talked with you and been over there and seen
kind of some of your samples and things like
this. But we've mentioned screen printing and
clothing and we've mentioned some signage. But
what are some other things that that you can
do at your print shop? So some of the other things
we do are within partnership with our other partner
over there, so 3D printing. So there are a number
of 3D printers that we have that customers are
looking for. Actually, we did a light box for
wards for our signage, so we have our logo and
it's plugged in. You could plug that into the
wall and our logo is illuminated. So there's
graphic design, signage, banners. We also do
business cards. posters, menus, things like that.
We have a wide range. That's awesome. I love
that. Again, just branded materials, promotional
materials, things like that are just, I think,
the right way to go. You're gonna have these
things and in many cases you buy, you know, I'm
a big fan of, you know, the mugs and things.
If I go to buy a mug for our kitchen, I'm gonna
spend as much as I would with one with our logo
on it, so why wouldn't I do that? Why not? Branding
is everything. You are your... You're walking
advertisement for yourself. That's it. You like
to have quality products. Yeah. And it stands
out. And when people see it on the street, you
know, they may ask you, you know, where did you
get that? Or I love that logo. Yeah. You mentioned
the kind of got me thinking now about the signage
for the temporary fencing. Now, is that? Am I
thinking right? That's like a kind of a continuous
length, 20 foot long banner? Or is it different
pieces? How does that typically go? There's different
pieces. Some may just want a aluminum board with
grommets in it with just their logo on it. Gotcha.
And then you could attach that to the fence itself.
I see. Some want banners. So it could be a seven,
eight foot banner. Oh, wow. And then get that
customized. and put the grommets in it so they
can attach it to the fence. That's pretty cool.
That's pretty cool. So let's go back to this
business certification. Sure. I always jumble
the acronym. Remind me again, what is it? Minority
Business Enterprise, or MBE. And then there's
the WNBE for minority women. So the W is in the
front. OK. See, that's where I get all the letters.
What does it take to get that? Because you can't
necessarily just go, hey, I'm a minority, and
suddenly you're certified, right? There's some
steps you got to go through to sort of prove
your credentials, right? Yes. There are many
steps behind it. Quite honestly, I think when
I did it, there was about 66 steps to complete.
So it basically goes from your financial history,
your personal financial history, your personal
business history. how many employees you have.
What codes do you use? So if you're using screen
printing, what's the code for screen printing,
signage. So you have to put all those codes down
that you're looking to get certified for. So
each step, you have to complete on the application.
Part of it, you have to be in business for at
least a year. And then show support of that.
So I just show support of my statements. So that
would be my bank statements. So you're not just
making up numbers. Not making up numbers. It's
highly scrutinized. So it was a little back and
forth. But once everything was submitted and
I got approval within, I'd say, 35 days or so,
which is awesome. Yeah. And then one of the reasons
that's important to your business is because,
as we were talking about before we went on the
air, A number of these projects and things like
this, they have sort of a set -aside, right,
where they want X percent of the job to go to
these type of certified businesses. Am I describing
that the right way? Yes, that's correct. So it's
giving us minority -owned businesses an opportunity
to participate in some of the growth that's occurring
here in Syracuse and the surrounding area, especially
with Micron, especially with the construction
that's going on in the highway, and a lot of
our general contractors here. still have looked
for that requirement to do business with, you
know, WNBEs, MBEs, veterans, and I think Native,
you know, Native American owned businesses also.
Yeah, that's great. And then the other thing
that I think is kind of interesting for folks
who don't know a lot about this process is, so
we hear that and what we think is, is your sign
of going to the state and bidding to them on
these projects, but in many cases it's Bigger
private contractor that gets kind of the main
contract and then you work directly with them,
right? Is that correct? Correct and for our scope
of business for apparel. We're not That type
of a general contractor. So for example, you
were you know a general contractor Let's just
say the large ones are like till Turner and Gilbain
or Pike construction some of those construction
companies and you are the prime contractor and
you're looking for a subcontractor I'm a partner
with that subcontractor that needs our services.
Helps them fulfill that requirement. And it helps
them fulfill that requirement and and they get
what they need as far as could be PPE equipment,
could be signage that they're putting around
the fence. Gotcha. Or graphic or graphic work
that they may need. That's awesome. And then,
you know, of course, we're talking about some
of these bigger projects in these bigger industries.
But as we mentioned already for us, you serve
small businesses and organizations of all sizes,
right? Organizations of all sizes. One of the
things that attracted me to purchase this business.
is that it was a strong community tie. So Ward's
sales was the original company. It was around
for over 60 years. And then another family bought
that business. And I actually consulted with
them for about a year on helping them grow the
business. And then they decided that they wanted
to exit the business and gave me an opportunity
to purchase. And now we have Ward's printing.
That's awesome. That's awesome. I'm guessing
that's where you learned kind of the screen printing
process and all the stuff that goes into this
specifically. Was it from working with those
folks? Well, dial back. I already had the experience.
Oh, OK. So you had background in it already.
Cool. My background was in I loved drawing comics
when I was a kid. Oh, wow. So some of that artistic
creativeness was in me. In college, I would design
shirts for friends. My first one was through
ROTC program. One of my roommates needed a shirt
design, so I drew, I think, F -16s for him. That's
awesome. So it started back in college, all the
way on the side, as well as working corporately.
Sure. So I did have some experience in learning
by trial and error. I make screens and everything.
I love when creative people can turn that into
their business. and really use that, because
that's when you get the best stuff, too. Correct.
The best end product comes from folks that really
have sort of a passion for it. So also to answer
your question, do you serve the local community,
local events? We do sponsor some events. We sponsor
some golf events with signage this year, this
past year. Also, we have our collegiate license.
with Syracuse University. Really? So we're able
to work with, be a local vendor for Syracuse
University. Wow. Which we're growing with that.
So you go through that process through the licensing
committee out of Atlanta. I see. So what does
that mean? You can make Syracuse shirts and sell
them or how does that work? called internal.
So if there's a department there, let's just
say Whitman School, or within that department,
they're getting shirts to hand out to students.
So to sell directly to the university? Yes. Either
to hand out to their students or whatever they
want to do. But it's not retail, like bookstore.
Bookstore is different. That would require royalties
and licensing for that. I got you. That's awesome.
What an incredible. contract to get the biggest
organization in town, man. That's so cool. Thank
you. That's so cool. Let me ask you, it sounds
like, you know, is working as a pharmaceutical
rep and things like that. It's, you know, basically
a sales job. Is that sort of a fair assessment?
Is a lot of the skills that you learned in that
what helps you kind of make these relationships
and build this business? Or where does some of
that background come from? It does. Because you're
not just sales. You're more like a consultant.
You're looking as your advocate for the patient.
I see. So for example, if you have a patient
that has type 2 diabetes and you have a product
that will help treat type 2 diabetes, you would
talk to the physician and staff about the benefits
of using this product for your patient and what
that medical outcome can be as a result of using
this product. So it's building that relationship
with the office. It's building that trust Being
transparent showing benefits as well as side
effects and say for example the customer has
a question or the you know for the patient they
can call and Just ask what can I'm experiencing
this? You know, what should I do? I see so whether
it's a side effect, you know, I can report that
on their behalf If there's any questions as far
as dosing we can answer questions like that.
So we're kind of like a partner with the office.
And that way you're growing relationship because
they trust you. And it's hard to get into offices
as it is right now with the way that everything
is. It gives us an opportunity just to build
a better relationship. And so I wanted to transfer
those skills into what I do today. That's great.
Let me ask you this. Your biggest challenge today
in business. What's what's the thing you work
the hardest to overcome right now or to obtain
maybe it's you know, finding new leads or You
know inventory. I don't know. I sure I love to
hear about these different types of businesses
Yeah, there's challenges a long way the challenge
is the industry sometimes has not caught up with
inflation I see so as inflation goes a lot of
Industry has remained static and it should be
increasing prices to try to match the inflation
and sometimes that's tough because you're dealing
with a non -profit or you're dealing with a small
business that can only afford, you know, a certain,
have a certain budget. You try to fit that budget
the best you can and sometimes that's a challenge.
And you just have to, you want the customer but
sometimes you try to work with them and get them
the best price and the best product possible.
So that's a challenge one of the challenges that
we're working on is I call multi -line Multi
-line is for example, you know, you ordered shirts
from us now What else do you do? So we like to
talk with you and understand what other what
are your goals? So it's not just about us. It's
like, what are your goals? What are you doing
down the road? Do you have another event coming
up? Are you doing a display? So if that's those
are your goals, we may be able to partner with
you whether it's promotional products whether
it's Banner or retractable banner if you want
business cards or some type of product to hand
out to customers Yeah, so that's what I consider
multi -lining So it's not just one and that's
what we're doing right now is our challenge is
looking through our customer base Yeah, and seeing
who just is doing one thing and maybe we can
help them Come our way so they don't have to
go anywhere else. So it's a great approach Yeah,
so that's what how we're looking to grow and
scale in the immediate It makes a lot of sense.
They always say that it's always easier to do
more business with an existing client than to
find a brand new client. Any way you can maximize
that relationship is good for all parties. People
like doing business with people they already
like doing business with. That's true. Make it
easy for them and you got a winner. At least
that's my idea. Exactly. That's what we're doing.
Also, while we're doing that, I'm out meeting
new customers. One of the things I've learned
from pharmaceuticals and just being in sales
in general is face -to -face interaction. As
I'm going to go up to Syracuse University, I'm
meeting with people that are in charge of purchasing.
And also within construction, I'm going to the
construction site or going to the prime meetings
so I can introduce myself to the subcontractors
so they get to see who I am. And exchange information
and follow up. Yeah. No, that's a I think that's
great You don't get that from a random website,
you know, that's correct when something goes
wrong or something is you know, you need something
in a pinch you want to be able to call a person
and I think that's absolutely the right approach.
I love to see that. That's that's so neat What
else should we know about this awesome and very
versatile business? I love that you have kind
of so many different options here, but What else
should folks know about it? Or in particular,
where can they find websites, information, stuff
like that? Sure. Well, we're growing. We're expanding.
We would love to expand the Ward's brand. Gotcha.
So we're also launching an online store. And
we help other businesses launch online stores
that want to promote their brand. Cool. So that's
one thing that we're looking at. So if customers
are interested in that. They can reach out to
us and we can help. We're doing a couple of stores
right now. We're also looking to, again, in the
long run, we're also looking to expand regionally
across the state because there's still a lot
of growth going on. Improving our economy of
scale through digital, or there's a lot of AI
going on right now. So that's helping us improve
our customer relationships. communication. That's
great. So we can reach us at our website, you
know, that's wardsprintingsyr .com. That's one
thing that they can look and get in touch with
us or email us. So it's either at admin at wardsprintingsyr
.com or we want to submit a logo, it's design
at wardsprintingsyr .com. That's great. That's
great. And you do, let's see, screen printing,
embroidery. signage, what am I forgetting? Graphic
design. Graphic design. Promotional products.
To make all those things look good. We want your
customers to look good. One of the things we
learned with having a customer base already is
create it like a tribe of customers. Yeah. You
know, they're called back every year. Sure. So,
and we actually have a big order that we have
to finish today. where we've consulted with them
throughout the last couple of weeks about best
way of the logo should look on the shirt and
what colors work best with the shirt. That's
great. So we like to be a lot of business partner
and that part of our value proposition is just
being a great business partner. Some people don't
understand that. They want to put the weirdest
thing on, oh, that looks great. And it's like,
doesn't. Somebody needs to be able to tell you
that. And I appreciate that you can do that for
folks. We love to help them because at the end
of the day, it's It's their product, and we want
them to look like the hero at the end of the
day. That's our goal. How much do you find that
you're doing a lot of design work versus somebody
submits you their completely finished design?
Sometimes there's a little manipulation through
Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop, because to go
to print, it has to be a certain way. So if it's
a SVG file or an AI file, That kind of helps
us manipulate it a little bit easier. Sometimes
we get layers, no disrespect to some of them.
Some of them could be like Canva or something
like that, where some are great, but then we
have to go in and undo the layers and then redo
it. So that does take some time for a graphic
designer to redo the logo. So I'm sending just
directly from the website Google. It looks great.
An inch high, but when you pull it up. Pixelated.
So we have to correct that and reach out to the
customer and see if they have any other logos
that we can work with. Otherwise, we will do
it. That's got to be fun. Oh, man. Well, this
is great. I'm so excited to have you in. And
what a great neighbor to have next door. Because
like I said, it's already come in handy. So I
appreciate it. Love it. And like I said, a fantastic
job on top of it. It's good quality stuff, man.
I love to see it. I love to see your growth.
And anything that we can do to help you further
promote anything special going on, new products,
things like that, we'd love to have you pop in
any time. Makes it real easy. All right. Yeah.
Thank you so much. Appreciate your time. And
I appreciate it. coming in and everyone learning
more about words printing. Yeah. It's a great
business right here on East Malloy Road, right
next to us at Growth Mode Tech. If you're not
familiar where we're at. I don't know if we ever
really talk about where we're at. It's almost
like we're not like hidden in a bunker or anything
like that. East Malloy Road. Yeah. We don't have
suite numbers, so you just got to read the name
of the business over the door. That's right.
Not every UPS guy can figure that out. But you
just, that's what you got to, no shade to the
UPS. Guys, this has been another fantastic episode
of Good News York. I want to give you a little
programming notes. So next week, next weekend
is actually the retro game con. Danny and his
team are, uh, working like it's going out of
style to get ready for the biggest event that
the Syracuse, uh, uh, on center was on center
convention center. Is that what we technically
call that building? Uh, biggest thing that happens
there all year round biggest game convention.
this half of the country. It's such a cool, awesome
event, and we are going to be there. We are going
to be covering it. We're going to be doing all
kinds of things, but that means our schedule
next week is going to get a little hairy. We're
going to take a couple days off during the week,
and you're going to see some new content over
the weekend, because we're going to put that
out as we're recording at GameCon. So stick around
for that. That is going to be something that's
really cool. And also, last but not least, I
got to shout out our man Zach at ads on the go,
the official sponsor of Good News York. Get ads
on the go dot com is the website. If you are
around central New York, you have seen Zach and
his guys driving that truck around mobile video
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really neat way to advertise. And we just can't
thank Zach and the whole team over there enough
for sponsoring the show. So with that, like subscribe,
share, do all that fun stuff. Uh, I'm Matt Michael
be back next time. Peace out.