Hodges Badge Company’s Weblog

One of the most fulfilling parts of this job is the knowledge of a job well done and in turn a happy customer. We received an email today from a 4-H customer that let us know we had achieved both and I wanted to share it everyone.

“I received my order of ribbons today and I am so excited. Thank you so very much, they are beautiful. This was my first time ordering ribbons for a show and you made it so easy and hassle free. I asked for shipping by the 26th and received them today, can’t ask for better customer service. I will definitely place all my ribbon orders from you in the future, as well as refer you when I am asked where the ribbons came from, which I am sure will happen because they are so unique. Thank you so much again.”

Today was a beautiful day to visit the KY Horse Park – site of the 2010 World Equestrian Games.  I am here to visit with USEF, USDF, USPC and USHJA – a busy couple of days!  I had not been here since Rolex in 2008, and wow, has it changed a lot

It is obvious as you enter the park that a huge amount of money has been spent on improvements.  The most obvious changes are the new open air stadium and the indoor arena.  Scott Carling of USEF told me that they began construction of the open air stadium seating immediately after Rolex in 2008, and it was actually completed in time for Rolex 2009!  Here are some shots of the stadium on a day when the occupancy was 1.

Here is a shot from the courtyard outside.

After climbing the bleachers (all the way to row AA) I made it over to the new indoor arena.  It is kind of landscaped into the hill to hide its size, but as you can see, it seats about 5,000 in climate controlled splendor.  One of the early events in the venue will be the 2010 IHSA championships next May.

Here is a shot from the outside.

Looking across the horse park

Fall is always an interesting time to visit the horse park as many things are changing.  One change is the new USHJA building.  Almost complete as you can see in these photos, but I was unable to go inside for a look-see.

As always, the horse park is a great place to visit.  If you are coming for WEG, make your plans early – and think about flying into Cincinnati – it is only 70 miles away and has much better access.  In addition, don’t be surprised if accommodations are not available nearby.  Hotels have already upped their rates, so an hour of driving may just save you a lot of $$!

Every year in October we celebrate our Customer Service department with Customer Service Week. This year is no different. The whole company realizes what an important part of the team customer services is.

It’s a fun week, filled with games, food, contests and sometimes costumes. Every day this week has been something different. This year there were three contests – Guess who!, ID competitor rosettes from a photo  & Who’s gonna win the football game  on Sunday.

We started the week with a “Guess Who!”  Almost everyone brought in a childhood photograph and you had to match the employee with their photo.

Apparently  I haven’t changed much because everyone knew this picture was me.

The next part of the week was fun too. Everyone had a chance to role play. Each department in the company tried their hand in another department for an hour. Of course the most popular request was to be the president!

This Friday is causal day with cheese  ‘n’ crackers with the winners of the contests being announce but today is my favorite day. It’s the lunchtime picnic. Rick Hodges heat up the grill and cooks a mean burger. I can taste them already!

Just so you see what I’m talking about,here are a couple of pictures from years past:  

This week Rick Hodges (CEO), Jenn Hodges (Customer Service Manager), Jennifer Rocha (E-Commerce Manager) and Rochelle Ramalho (Product Manager) travelled to Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard, CT for the fall meeting of the New England Mail Order Association and three days of meetings about mail order business.  Even though 75% of our orders come over the telephone, we still hark back to our roots when orders actually arrived in envelopes – and call ourselves a mail order business.

Highlights included great sessions on search engine optimization and how to remain profitable during the recession (40 Ways to Lose Your Losses).  Friday morning we heard from Hamilton Davidson of the ACMA (American Catalog Mailers Association) who talked about where the USPS is going and what catalogers can expect to see over the next 12 months.