Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Pin company hits Olympic jackpot

Pin company hits Olympic jackpot

Selected as Vancouver Olympics' supplier

Business Edge
Vol. 2, No. 24
Published: 24 Nov 2005


A small Regina-based company is going for Olympic gold by creating pins.

Laurie Artiss Ltd. beat out a field of international competitors to be selected as the official supplier of pins for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

"From a sporting point of view, this is the pinnacle," says Chris Pasterfield, vice-president of Laurie Artiss Ltd. "Olympic pins is the very top."

Named after its now retired founder, Laurie Artiss was the official supplier to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Pasterfield says the staff at Laurie Artiss understands the enormous task at hand. For the Vancouver Olympics the company will create nearly 2,000 designs.

Pasterfield estimates between five and 20 million pins will be manufactured for the 2010

Olympics depending on future sponsorship agreements and the strength of retail sales.

"We'll have to put together a major retail distribution system," he says. "We'll have our own sales force in Vancouver."

To be selected as the winning bidder, Laurie Artiss, also known as "The Pin People," had to beat out some significant players in the pin-producing business, including competitors as far away as Norway.

For the 2010 Winter Olympics, the company has teamed up with U.S. pin manufacturer Aminco International Inc., based in Lake Forest, Calif. Founded in 1978 by William and Ann Wu, Aminco most recently supplied the pins for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt lake City.

"Merchandising has moved in quantum leaps. We felt we needed some expertise in retailing," says Pasterfield. "Aminco wanted to go after Vancouver, but knew there would be an advantage in having a Canadian company involved."

With Laurie Artiss and its deep Canadian roots and Aminco bringing its merchandising experience to the fore, including pin sales over the Internet, Pasterfield expects the new enterprise created by the two companies will renew feelings of Olympic glory in Saskatchewan.

"Artiss Aminco Ltd. is a Canadian company that will be based in Regina," he says.

In addition to bolstering its salesforce, the pin company also has plans to take on four to six more artists to be based in Vancouver.

They will have the task of creating innovative designs that will capture the sport, cultural and historical themes associated with the 2010 Winter Olympics, including honouring the Aboriginal heritage of B.C.

"We can only use so many designs with a hockey player," says Pasterfield. "You have to have artists that are well travelled and experienced. They need to know what they can and can't do with metal. And they have to be sensitive to Native icons."

The 2010 Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) has already faced controversy over its logo - a stylized Inukshuk (stone marker) that was designed by Vancouver's Rivera Design Group - that was criticized by some groups for not depicting more closely the culture of Vancouver or B.C.

"They (VANOC) have a graphics-approval system at the Vancouver Olympics," says Pasterfield. "We want to be sensitive to Native cultural icons."

Beyond the creative forces operating behind the scenes, Pasterfield says the company has teamed up with a manufacturer in China, and a yet-to-be announced operation based in Alberta, to manufacture the millions of pins that will be required in advance of the Winter Olympics that begin in Vancouver on Feb. 12, 2010.

"They will manufacture exclusively for us," says Pasterfield.

All the factories are required by VANOC to meet a social and environmental compact that ensures accepted international standards are maintained. Working with the same manufacturer since 1976, Pasterfield says Laurie Artiss has already had the Chinese-based factories inspected by Olympic officials to ensure those standards are being met.

Leading up to the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, some social-rights organizations, including Oxfam, accused specific sportswear manufacturers of producing Olympic goods in factories in several Asian countries where forced overtime and low wages were the norm. The campaign, called Play Fair at the Olympics, was critical of companies including Fila, Puma and others.

It's a situation that VANOC hopes to avoid in 2010 by having each company producing Olympic materials enter into an agreement that outlines in detail the expectations under which they must operate.

"Environmental stewardship and social responsibility are significant elements of VANOC's strategy to host a sustainable 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games," says VANOC spokesman Chris Brumwell.

"Companies that are bidding or carrying out contracts with VANOC must be guided by the specific sustainability objectives clearly outlined to them within the request for proposal (RFP)."

And not to be left out of this primer on Olympic pins are the collectors, whose enthusiasm, some say obsession, drives the business.

Ivan LeBlanc of Winnipeg has been collecting pins for the past 25 years.

"I'm very excited about the Vancouver Olympics," says LeBlanc. "I'm looking forward to it."

With a collection numbering 15,000 pins, LeBlanc says he has had to specialize in Olympic pins so that his avocation didn't completely take over his home.

"They are on display from the floor to the ceiling," says LeBlanc. "I love the colourful representations of the different countries. The way they depict some of the sports is just fabulous."

Trading and purchasing pins at international events and over the Internet has allowed LeBlanc to amass a collection that he estimates is today valued at approximately $100,000.

Asked whether he plans to be trading pins in Vancouver in 2010, LeBlanc chuckles and says: "Health-permitting, I'll be there. I've already made arrangements."

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Olympic license latest 'pinnacle'

Olympic licence latest 'pinnacle'

Regina Leader-Post
Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Chris Pasterfield, vice-president of Laurie Artiss Ltd., which has been named the official pin supplier to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

For Chris Pasterfield and the staff at Laurie Artiss Ltd., winning the worldwide competition to produce pins for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics is like winning an Olympic gold medal.

"Getting a licence for Olympic pins is -- I hate to use the pun -- the pinnacle in our industry,'' said Pasterfield, vice-president of Laurie Artiss Ltd., the Regina-based lapel pin designer and manufacturer.

"We were fortunate enough to do pins for the Canada Games, Pan Am Games, and that's very, very rewarding. But the Olympics are absolutely the top when it comes to licensing for lapel pins,'' Pasterfield said.

In fact, pin trading is an unofficial Olympic sport, with more than 30 million traded at the Coca Cola Pin Trading Centres alone. "It's the one event spectators can participate in.''

Of course, Laurie Artiss Ltd., which was founded by former Leader-Post sports editor Laurie Artiss, who is now retired and living in B.C., is no stranger to Olympic competition.

Laurie Artiss Ltd. was the official pin supplier to the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and has designed and manufactured pins for the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) for 10 Olympic Games.

Artiss, who was inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame as a builder in 2004, turned over the business to his daughter and Chris's wife, Karen, in 1997. Karen Pasterfield, who is president of Laurie Artiss Ltd., has worked in the pin business since she was 13.

Despite the company's impressive credentials and sporting pedigree, winning the Olympic pin contract was no slam dunk.

Laurie Artiss Ltd. first had to submit an expression of interest to the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) in spring and then be invited to submit a proposal.

The company also wisely joined forces with Aminco International of Lake Forest, Calif., which had the contract for the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

"Combining the two firms (for the 2010 pin bid) was very beneficial. We take advantage of their recent merchandising and marketing experience in Salt Lake City and they take advantage of our heritage and tradition here in Canada,'' including 18 years of supplying the COC, he said.

Now that the pin contract has been awarded, the real work of designing, manufacturing and distributing pins begins. "We've got to come up with more than 2,000 designs,'' based on sporting, historical and cultural themes, Pasterfield said.

With five years to go before the Games begin, Pasterfield said the company can afford to make the odd mistake -- a well-designed, well-executed pin that, for whatever reason, doesn't sell well.

Laurie Artiss Ltd. also has some designs on the drawing board and some that are ready for the initial retail launch in December. "Our first series will be using the VANOC (Inukshuk) logo as a major component, then we'll bring out some skiing and hockey-type themes in time for Torino.''

That's because the 2010 Winter Games pins have to be ready for the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. That means more work for the company's staff of about six, some additional hiring and probable relocation of Chris and Karen to Vancouver for the last year or two before the Games.

But Pasterfield said the contract to produce Olympics pins isn't a licence to print money.

"We've made a tremendous financial commitment to VANOC for this licence, so we have to sell a lot of pins. And we're going to have to expand locally and to Vancouver. We're going to have to take on some additional artists.''

That's why the staff at Laurie Artiss Ltd. are celebrating winning the Olympic pin contract, but don't plan on getting swelled heads over it.

"You cannot forget your core business. One thing we learned from Calgary in 1988 was exactly that. Olympics come and they go,'' Pasterfield said.

"We learned that we can't forget our schools and churches and local sporting groups that buy their pins from us. Because that's our bread and butter.''

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Official 2010 pins coming soon

Here's how it all started ... it's the press release announcing the appointment of the Official and Exclusive Vancouver 2010 Lapel Pin Licensee ... Artiss Aminco.

Official Vancouver 2010 lapel pins coming soon

VANCOUVER (October 24, 2005 -- Some call it the most popular sport at the Winter Games - pin trading. Now, Olympic Games fans are one step closer to starting their pin collections with the announcement today that the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) has awarded its exclusive pin license to Laurie Artiss Ltd.

Based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Laurie Artiss Ltd. will manufacture, distribute and sell lapel pins, related products and accessories bearing the Official Marks of the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games. It is expected that pins will be available for purchase at select retailers including Hbc, souvenir and gift shops and ski resorts starting in December 2005.

"Pins are one of the most popular, accessible and collectible products associated with the Olympic Winter Games," said Dave Cobb, VANOC Senior Vice-President of revenue, marketing and communications. "Working with a company like Laurie Artiss Ltd. that has major Games experience will result in a unique line of pins that will capture the spirit and passion of Canada's 2010 Winter Games."

In 1896, when the Olympic Games were revived in Athens, pins were made of cardboard and were issued exclusively to athletes and journalists. Metal pins were introduced at the 1900 Paris Games, with the earliest evidence of pin trading dating back to the 1924 Olympic Games when athletes began exchanging pins in the spirit of friendship. In 1988, the IOC officially recognized pins as Olympic Games memorabilia, and it is estimated now that more than 30 million pins are traded at Olympic Games in Coca Cola Pin Trading Centres alone.

"We're delighted to continue our longstanding association with the Olympic Games in Canada and are absolutely thrilled to be part of the Vancouver 2010 Games," said Chris Pasterfield, Vice President of Laurie Artiss Ltd. "Each and every pin we produce will reflect our enthusiasm for Vancouver, Canada and the 2010 Games, resulting in a range of pins that people will be proud to collect and wear."

Laurie Artiss Ltd. has 37 years of experience, including the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games pin program, as well as being a Canadian Olympic Committee pin supplier from 1988 to 2004. For the Vancouver 2010 pin program, Laurie Artiss Ltd. will partner with Aminco International (USA) Inc. of Lake Forest, California to form a new company to fulfill the license. Aminco has 28 years of experience and was the pin licensee for the Salt Lake 2002 Winter Games.

"We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with Laurie Artiss Ltd. and to be involved in the Vancouver 2010 Games," said Adrian De Groot, Chief Operating Officer of Aminco International (USA) Inc. "We have a strong track record for developing Olympic pin programs and look forward to delivering high-quality, innovative products to pin collectors, sponsors and Canadian consumers alike."

The Vancouver 2010 exclusive pin license was awarded through the Organizing Committee's Request for Proposals process designed to ensure a fair, equitable and open selection of the successful applicant. Each application was independently evaluated and three companies were short listed and independently evaluated to determine the successful company.

The sale of Vancouver 2010 pins and all official licensed products contribute directly to Games revenues and thereby support the financing and staging of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

About VANOC

VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010.

About Laurie Artiss Ltd.

Laurie Artiss Ltd., the Pin People, has been designing and producing custom lapel pins for local sports teams, schools, towns and cities since 1968.

About Aminco International (USA) Inc.

Aminco has been in operation since 1977 and has grown to be one of the largest manufacturers and designers of licensed pins in the United States.

Tuesday, May 1, 2007

How I got started with pins

There I was, in downtown Calgary in 1988, and it happened.

I saw a Swiss athlete ... make that a Swiss Olympic Gold Medallist ... and went up to shake his hand and congratulate him. What an impression that first encounter would make.

After I said hello, and what a terrific downhill run he had, he pressed something into my hand and said, "Here ... this is for you."

It was my very first Olympic pin ... a Swiss National Olympic Committee or NOC pin. I was hooked ... and it's continued ever since then.

Because this is not just some small piece of metal to adorn your lapel ... it's a connection. It's a connection with a person, place, time or event.

For me, it was a Swiss Olympic Gold Medallist on a downtown street in Calgary, Alberta, Canada in February 1988. And I will always remember that.

Do you have a favourite Olympic Pin Collecting memory?