Trophy Packing Secrets

By Terrence Dehring

How do we pack your order so it is not broken during the shipping process?

Over the years, with lots of trial and error, and with the help of packaging professionals, at QuickTrophy, we have developed a trophy packing system that seems to work pretty good. It is not 100% fail safe, but it works way better than anything else we’ve tried. And it is a system that is flexible, and adaptable to different sizes, shapes, and numbers of trophies and awards.

What makes packing trophies difficult in the first place, is that a trophy has an odd balance. It is has a piece of marble on the bottom, basically a rock, and the other end has a lightweight figurine. So when you lay a trophy in a box, it automatically wants to fall to one end, the end with the marble in it. This is difficulty number 1.Paper FIll

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A Different ARA Trade Show

By Terrence Dehring

The International Awards and Recognition Trade Show was different this year. Sure, there were industry vendors to visit, new products to see, educational sessions for new QuickTrophy ideas, trophy and award people from all over the world to network with, the ARIEF silent auction to raise money for the ARA Scholarship Fund, and the Gala evening where we recognize the achievers in our own industry. But this year was different for me personally – this was the year that I learned to love Las Vegas.

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Who wants a Personalized Beer Growler?

By Terrence Dehring

Micro breweries are popping up all over the place as people are discovering that real beer tastes way better than the lite beer we’ve been sold for so many years. The waPersonal Brewing Company Growlery Ben and Jerry returned to the roots of real ice cream, and Starbuck’s showed us the way to real coffee, home brewers and micro breweries are helping us to rediscover the taste of real beer. And when you visit your favorite micro-brewery and find that special IPA or Porter brew that you want to bring home and share with your family and friends, you’ll need a “to-go” container – your own 64 ounce personalized beer growler. That’s right – a half gallon of your favorite beer to take home and enjoy. I’ve seen some special and unique growlers over the years, from clear glass to colored glass to growlers with special handles and ceramic tops to stainless steel vacuum growlers. But the most special growler of all, is one that is totally unique and personalized to fit you or someone on your gift list: A personalized beer growler.

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Marquette Marathon Sponsor

Marquette MarathonQuickTrophy is proud to be a sponsor of the Marquette Marathon, Half-Marathon and Relay Race to be run Saturday, August 31st, 2013. The race course starts at Presque Isle, follows the lake shore to the North Country Trail, then connects to the bike path around the town leading back to the lake shore down town. From there is heads south through Founder’s Landing then back along the lake shore bike path to Presque Isle, looping around the “island” to the starting site. It is a beautiful course and three lighthouses can be seen along the Lake Superior shoreline. A half-marathon is one loop, a full marathon is two loops. The course is mostly paved, relatively flat (with the exception of Presque Isle), and fast. Proceeds of the race are used to benefit the local high school programs.

Good luck to all the runners!

Un-Birthday Cake

un-birthday cakeAt QuickTrophy we celebrate birthdays with a birthday cake. We have one cake per month and celebrate all the employee birthdays for the month at the same time. In July we had 4 employees with birthdays so it was a big celebration with an Oreo Cake. But what happens when you have a month without birthdays? This happens sometimes so what do you do? Skip the cake and say “Too bad”, or have the cake and celebrate all the un-birthdays with an un-birthday cake? Thanks to Lewis Carroll, and “Alice Through the Looking Glass”, we all have lots of un-birthdays!

In August we celebrated everyones “un-birthday” with a Raspberry Cake! A delicious white lemon cake with fresh raspberries between the layers and on top paired with a lemon butter cream frosting. A delicious creation of “Jule of a Cake” by our own past employee: Julia. Seems like the un-birthday cake is loved and appreciated as much or more than the birthday cake!

Bocce Ball Awards

bocce ball awardsBocce Ball has been popular in Europe for millennia, dating back to ancient Roman Empire times. It is especially popular in Italy and around the world where people of Italian ancestry have relocated. In the United States some urban areas have bocce ball courts that are maintained and used quite heavily. In recent years it seems to have become increasingly popular among the population at large. At weekend gatherings, picnics, and family reunions, bocce ball is a popular pastime.

We have noticed an increase in the use of bocce ball awards and trophies for family events as well as larger organized tournaments. Anytime there is a recurring event, people like to commemorate it with a trophy – and what better way to commemorate a bocce ball tournament than with a perpetual trophy to keep accurate records on past winners and give future winners something to strive for!

For smaller events, like family reunions, summer picnic outings, or city leagues, smaller bocce ball awards may be more appropriate. At QuickTrophy we have a pretty nice selection of trophies. And if you don’t see something you like, just call us and maybe we can put something special together for you.

Fresh Cookies!

Fresh CookiesA long standing tradition here at QuickTrophy is warm, fresh cookies baked for break time on Friday mornings. We have a convection oven in our break room so I bake them fresh every week. I do it as a way to say “Thank You” for working hard all week – to show I appreciate their hard work. It is a little gesture, but an important part of our culture here. A culture that values each other, shows respect for each, and consideration for each other. A culture that feels like a family.

I often think of when I would fly Midwest Express airlines and they would bring by fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. It was a great indulgent perk worth big bucks to me – but probably only cost them pennies per person. It had a huge ROI. Likewise, showing appreciation for the work someone does is always worth way more than the cost involved. Plus – everyone loves fresh cookies, be they chocolate chip or any other flavor.

Walleye Trophies and Awards

We just launched a new line of walleye trophies and awards featuring the artwork of Steven Trofka. The Walleye trophies and awards show a walleye fish ready to attack a fishing lure. It looks very realistic and inspiring, if you are a walleye fisher! Living in Minnesota, Steven has several paintings depicting fish and wildlife found in the surrounding lakes and woodlands. Steven displays and markets his work through the web site Walleye Trophies and Awardswww.artbizbee.com.

Walleye fishing has always been popular in the north country but lately there have been more and more walleye tournaments. What better way to commemorate and congratulate the winners of the tournaments than with a walleye trophy? See our full line of walleye fishing trophies and other fishing trophies at QuickTrophy!

Fantasy Football Season

The end of July and the beginning of August mark the start of Fantasy Football Season. Fantasy Football started in the 1960’s and was enjoyed a level of popularity through the 1990’s. But the popularity of fantasy football exploded over the past decade with the proliferation of on-line Fantasy Football Leagues. Now there are apps that help you keep track of how your fantasy “team” is doing and it seems like leagues are popping up every day!

At QuickTrophy we have developed an entire line of fantasy football trophies dedicated to fantasy footballfantasy football trophies and other fantasy sports as well. All of the fantasy trophies have a large engraved plate to hold the name of the fantasy league and space below to place an engraved plate to commemorate the winner of the fantasy league each year. The smaller fantasy trophies hold the winner’s tags for up to 9 seasons while the larger trophies will hold the winner’s tags for up to 32 seasons! With several sizes and styles available to fit every league’s budget, QuickTrophy has the trophy for your fantasy football league!