Dear Customers, Partners, and Friends,
It’s been just over 2 years since I officially emerged as CEO of Westminster Promotions. For those that don’t know me, I’ve had the privilege of working alongside one of the most brilliant, compassionate and fearless leaders I know, our Founder, Bruce Williams. It was only by his mentorship, leadership, and encouragement that instilled in me the confidence needed to carry on his vision for a successful Westminster.
This year marks Westminster’s 24th year in business. It was in 2001 that I started this journey and it feels a little scary to write that. I was a 20-something young woman, venturing out from the non-profit world, with no clue about the promotional products industry, let alone print, signage and graphic design which was essential knowledge for my success. Day 2 and I was out meeting clients and developing relationships, many of which, I’m proud to say remain standing to this day.
Needless to say, Westminster has transformed from the company it was in 2001 to who we are today. What company hasn’t? Adaptability is essential for survival.
However, the core values we were founded on will always remain intact; integrity, commitment to our clients, exceptional customer service, continuous improvement and innovation, desire to make a difference, trust, passion, diversity and teamwork. Rarely will you hear “no” but, rather, we’ll find a way.
Today, Westminster is woman-owned and operated and continues to perfect a “one-stop-shop” solution for our clients’ marketing communication and branded merchandise needs. Our move in 2016, from Sunnyvale to San Jose, landed us in the heart of Silicon Valley, stationed only minutes from where many of our clients are headquartered. This centralized location creates ease for product presentations, client meetings, and access to many of the assets we store and ship for our clients’ tradeshows, company store programs, outreach campaigns, fulfilment projects and so-on.
In addition to our sales team growth, Westminster has integrated leading-edge technology solutions, specifically designed for the promotional products industry. Our new web-based solution offers clients 24/7 access to promotional product shopping, online order processing, customer-managed and branded product websites, automated order updates, order tracking and the ability to view order history and invoices.
Another significant improvement has been our ability to achieve incredible buying power and preferred pricing from our industry’s top promotional product suppliers. These partnerships allow us to extend deep discounts on the latest promotional products, high-end marketing and graphic services and preferred inventory access directly to our clients. We understand the importance of providing tools that build your brand using cost-effective methods and creating singularity that sets you apart.
If you haven’t noticed, we’ve also taken a much more active role in marketing and social media. Keeping our clients in the know about promotional product trends, unique ideas, marketing solutions and resources in addition to providing a glimpse into our workday here at Westminster. After all, we see our clients as an extension of our team, and our hope is that’s how you see us!
I couldn’t be more thankful and blessed to have my two partners, Armela and Amanda, leading alongside me. Their commitment to our company, employees and clients, astonishes me each day. Each one of our employees, many of which have been with us ten years or more, contribute unique abilities to our team. It’s those abilities that allow us to offer our clients with a well-rounded and equipped one-stop-shop experience. We truly are a small business offering BIG solutions, BIG ideas and BIG hearts.
To conclude, Westminster wouldn’t be here today without YOU, our customers. Your continued support, business referrals, loyalty and friendship has kept a small business alive and we hope that we can pay it forward today and for years to come!
With Gratitude and Appreciation,
Lalia