When Weyerhaeuser moved from Federal Way to its new headquarters in Pioneer Square, the company wanted some gifts for its employees, and it wanted them quickly. So it called Athletic Awards, a mainstay business in South Lake Union.
Weyerhaeuser wanted its logo laser-etched on wood planters that would be distributed to employees. “We got the call on Thursday, the wood came in Friday, and they needed them on Wednesday,” says Ben Holmes, a salesperson and assembler at Athletic Awards. “And it was Labor Day weekend.”
Holmes spent his holiday in the office, and the order was fulfilled. “We got nothing but, ‘Thank you, they look great,’” he says.
Orders like this have become a cornerstone of Athletic Awards’ business. The company, which opened its mustard-yellow office with “the world’s largest trophy cup” on Republican Street in 1983, has made a habit of defying customers’ expectations and building long-term clients in the process.