“Step outside your comfort zone”

RED Swag is a one-stop shop that can produce small orders for small companies, large complex projects for Fortune 50 companies, and everything in between. In her statement, the company's Vice President and Partner, Thea Rodrigue, asserted we are a creative group of individuals, whether that's pivoting when the world shuts down, thinking of a new creative idea for a product launch, or innovating and developing a new process to make us more efficient while still increasing the joy we get from our work. RED Swag was born as a division within its sister company, Roth Event-full Design Company, Inc. or RED Company for short, a corporate meeting and event planning company. We started with a deep understanding of how swag can impact attendee experience. We care about our clients, suppliers, communities, and the planet. “We've got your back, too. That's us!”

The RED culture is built on authenticity and heart. It all starts and ends with the team. Valuing tenacity, Thea says a "roadblock”, a "stumble”, or a "no”, is not the end. "No" is her second favorite answer. It simply means they must find another way. A big part of Thea's philosophy is people learn best through experience, and the hardest lessons come from making mistakes and failing. People who never make mistakes rarely step outside their comfort zone. Her optimism keeps them moving forward with the greatest expectations, as she is confident her team is capable of more.

Besides, "Your worst deeds shouldn't define you" Thea claims. She also shares her stumbles with the team, so they know she is fallible. They see her show grace when a team member has a bad day, and in turn, they do the same for each other.

Thea embraces criticism, she jokes that she has a dozen bad ideas for every good one. We're all here to do good work and have fun. When she makes an unpopular decision, she wants the team to trust she is leading them in the right direction.

Inefficiency drives me crazy! Thea adds. Every company has bottlenecks; it can be a person or process, in her view. She'll simplify things to help staff re-align their actions with their goals. She believes in each team member and lets employees explore their avenues of interest whenever possible.

RED views client and vendor relationships as partnerships. When things get rocky, that's when a relationship is tested, and you want RED on your side. Leave it to us to recognize the details. Thinking-beyond-expectation sets us apart from our competitors.

In 2020, when the pandemic first caused a shutdown, our corporate meeting and events sister firm understood the need for individuals to keep connected. RED Swag immediately offered our clients' Stay Well Kits for their remote workers. In June of 2020, we drop-shipped 5,000 branded kits. As 2020 continued we began to see what we already knew: the swag you keep, and use is what truly makes an impact on company morale and pride. During this time, we also were able to identify multiple families that could safely work. We provided PPE to employees during quarantine and helped ease the move for many to a home office.

To promote comradery, RED partnered with a client and their creative company. We mailed pre-stamped custom postcards in custom mailers along with DoorDash gift vouchers. The team was then able to use these postcards to communicate appreciation and praise to their colleagues, during 2020’s spring and summer quarantines.

In 2021, together with the client's creative company, we sent celebratory gifts to engage and connect the staff and bring their festival theme to life. A Jabra speaker, a custom band t-shirt, glow sticks, a lanyard, a badge, and sparkling cider were included.

RED custom wrapped, belly-banded, and boxed the gifts with tissue and tape. This gift was all tied together with a uniquely created QR code leading the staff to a leadership-made Spotify playlist.

Now in 2022 this year is not slowing down! All year, RED has prepared for holiday in-house fulfillment and drop shipping. We have streamlined our methods and improved output and quality. Last year alone, we dropped-shipped 12,000 shipments.

Internally, RED Swag has fully transitioned to CommonSku, a promotional products industry platform. We use it to simplify and capture projects, sales presentations, and invoicing. An additional benefit of using this platform keeps us up to date on new and trending information. It's great to see how our industry is becoming more technologically driven and connected.

Thea says that her tips for aspiring entrepreneurs are still in their early stages, she has worked with Girls Inc. to mentor and intern high school girls who are exploring career fields.

Our industry loves sustainability discussions, shares Thea. Our motto is "the best swag is the swag we keep and use." For years, we have encouraged a shift from "one-and-done" items to high-quality, well-thought-out gifts. We will continue using less wasteful packaging while maintaining the unboxing experience. The future is bright for RED, and I'm excited to see how we grow. One thing remains, “Everyone loves to Unpack happy!".