Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Peart.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about the ‘Glow Up’ program and how it started?
As a company, we wanted to find a meaningful way to support small businesses in our local community by doing what we do best. The businesses we typically support are multi-unit brands with 250 or more locations – we provide everything from signage and menu boards to uniforms, swag, and promotional materials for places like Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Zips Car Wash, and Steak n’ Shake. Through this ‘Glow Up” give-back program we offer the same marketing and operations support from start to finish to small restaurants or retailers – both industries we are very familiar with and know firsthand have been especially affected by the pandemic. The hope was to offset some of these challenges and provide a boost in visibility that entices new guests to visit and become lifelong customers.
With so many women in leadership positions at UMI, we decided early on that the first business selected would be a women-owned business. We are also a company full of animal lovers and welcome visits from team members’ pets in our office every day of the week! So, when we came across FurBabies Bakery and when we met Angela Crowe and her wife Sandy Hollis it was clear right away, they were the perfect candidates. Like many retailers, they had applied for numerous small-business loans and relief programs during the pandemic but couldn’t catch a break.
Would you say it was a smooth road, and if not, what were some challenges you faced along the way?
As with any new undertaking, there are unforeseeable challenges and obstacles but overall, it was a smooth road. Over the course of eight weeks, our team was able to design, produce, and install everything needed to ‘Glow Up’ the FurBabies Bakery in time for their one-year store anniversary at the end of March.
As you know, we’re big fans of UMI Marketing Solutions. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
There are a lot of agencies out there in the marketing space, but that’s not what we are. We are brand growth experts. Our knowledge and experience of the multi-unit growth journey are unrivaled and what truly sets our company apart is our turn-key approach. From strategic planning to design, execution to analysis UMI works as an extension of your team to bring innovative, results-driven initiatives to life. We power communications and supply chain strategy, providing brands with innovative technology, production and sourcing, in-house fulfillment experts, and dedicated account support.
Are there any important lessons you learned from your first ‘Glow Up’ program that you can share with us?
The importance of giving back and finding ways to bring the team together in fun, morale-boosting ways. Giving back is not something new for us we have always participated in local food drives and charitable activities, but this felt very different. Seeing the passion that Angela and Sandy have for providing quality products and experiences for pets in the local community really struck a chord with everyone at UMI. We want our team to take pride in working for an organization that gives back. We are a company that cares and this was an opportunity to demonstrate that not only to our employees but also to our community and the industries we work with.
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