Top: Margi and Steve Swett, owners of Vermont Trophy & Engraving. A hunter’s accident and the victimized boot becomes an award.

Vermont Trophy & Engraving was founded in Burlington, Vermont in 1959 by Jerry Baden, as Baden’s House of Trophies. It has had several names and owners since then, becoming Vermont Trophy & Engraving in 1974, and with Steve and Margi Swett as owners since 1996.

Corporate Careers
Before Vermont Trophy & Engraving, Margi and Steve Swett had successful corporate careers in finance, and they were steadily moving up the corporate ladder.

“Steve got to a situation where he was the executive vice president of a pretty large bank. He had always wanted to run his own department, and he enjoyed that part of work, but what he’d always loved most was interfacing with customers. Once he became a VP, he didn’t talk to customers unless something really bad had happened,” says Margi.

Margi began in banking as well, going on to work for credit unions, consulting and writing. Between the two of them, there is quite a bit of business experience.

“I think in a lot of ways the work that we did has helped us tremendously, because many of the customers we work with now come from similar situations,” says Margi.

One of those situations is the predicament that anyone climbing the corporate ladder can find themselves in, and that’s moving. Promotions are not always available in the same location they were earned, and moving up often entails moving around. For Steve and Margi Swett, that meant a move to Flint, Michigan.

Asked what led the couple to the awards industry, Margi replies that part of it was Steve’s desire to work with his customers, part of it was their desire to own their own business, but more than anything, “It was a desire to get out of Flint, Michigan,” laughs Margi.

“I had always wanted to live in Vermont, and Steve has a lot of family history in Vermont, although he grew up in New Hampshire. We like a lot of things about Flint, but it was a less-than-safe city, and we had a small girl who wanted to ride her bike all around,” remembers Margi.

As the couple worked to position themselves for a move to Vermont, a novel suggestion was made to them. Margi remembers, “My stepson, who’s a GM of a big dealership in Denver, made a suggestion. He asked us, ‘Why don’t you just buy a business and do something on your own?’ Well, we would never have thought of that by ourselves, but we really liked the idea.”

When Margi and Steve took over Vermont Trophy & Engraving, it had largely become a gift shop. One of their first decisions was to focus on awards, and their showroom reflects that choice.

Trophy Shop In A Gas Station
The Swetts decided to move ahead with the idea, but there was just one small problem, Margi remembers, laughing. “I called the Lake Champlain Chamber of Commerce and said, ‘Hi, I’m thinking of buying a business, but I don’t know where to start.’”

The chamber told Margi all about business brokers, something she calls “a revelation” and soon enough, she had one working for her, hunting for good businesses to buy in Vermont. At the time, Vermont Trophy & Engraving was not for sale. However, their broker was highly involved in Vermont hockey, and through that, he was familiar with the company that provided the hockey awards, and he knew the owners of that company were getting tired. When the time was right, he made the introductions, and before much longer, Steve and Margi Swett were in the awards business, something for which they are very grateful.

“When we started looking at businesses, we were looking at things like greenhouses. We didn’t have much sense for what business we wanted to be in at all. We are so lucky that the people around us did have that sense, because this is actually the perfect business for us,” says Margi.

Of course, it didn’t appear perfect to all parties concerned at first. The business, at that time, was part of a Mini-Mart. When Margi called Steve to tell him the good news about her find, he replied, “We sent you to Vermont to look for a good business to buy, and you found us a trophy shop in a gas station?”

“He was a bit incredulous,” recalls Margi. “The high-end, high-quality potential of the business wasn’t immediately apparent to him.”

Nonetheless, Margi got her way—one gets the impression that she often does—and the process was put in motion. She found the business in February, 1996. They moved to Vermont in June and bought the shop in July. The Swetts have owned and operated Vermont Trophy & Engraving ever since.

One of the shop’s custom awards, this one for Vermont Public Radio.

Owning & Operating
It’s a situation all married couples consider, and one which they were often cautioned against. What’s it like owning and operating a business with your spouse?

According to Margi, it’s very interesting. “I’ve had friends who had wonderful marriages where one of them traveled all week. I always thought that would drive me crazy. You really need a partner that you can be with 24/7. And if you can’t, it would be a nightmare.”

Part of what makes the arrangement work so well for Margi and Steve is the different aspects of the business allow them each to work within their personal strengths.

“I grew up with four brothers and a very mechanical father, so I’m definitely the mechanical one in our partnership. He does most of the accounting, customer service and marketing, and he does that really well. For example, he calls all of our customers to remind them it’s getting close to time for them to order their awards, and he does it in such a way that they’re always happy to hear from him. I’m in the back thinking up stuff to make, making orders and that sort of stuff. That works really well for us. We see each other off and on all day, but it’s not really until we have a chance to sit down and actually talk about the day. It’s not like being in the office together,” says Margi.

Bullet Hole-In-A-Boot Award
Another helpful factor is the variant nature of the awards industry: no two days are the same. “One of our favorite aspects of this business is that it’s interesting. No day is the same as the day before it. There are different customers with different needs every day,” says Margi.

That fondness for things new and different developed into a reputation for Vermont Trophy & Engraving. If you have something weird or unusual that needs to be engraved, this is the company to take it to.

“Over the years, we’ve got a lot of companies for whom we are their go-to company for weird and unusual awards. If somebody comes up with a wacky idea, we’re the ones they take it to. We’ve realized that, by and large, those are not projects that we make a lot of money on. But, they’re so much fun we love to do them.

One of the awards they created is called the Six Million Dollar Man Award, named after the television show. “We had a company bring in an old action figure of Lee Majors, the Six Million Dollar man. It was a little bit beaten up, and they wanted us to mount it onto a base. I thought it was going to be for someone who had a hip-replacement surgery or something like that, but it was a sales award,” says Margi.

Last spring, Margi says a customer walked into the shop with a boot with a bullet hole in it. “He and a couple of buddies go on an annual bird hunting and camping trip, and one of them shot himself in the foot. So, they took the boot, and we mounted it to a plaque. Now, it’s their unsportsmanlike conduct award, which is now their annual camp award.”

Find A Way To Say Yes
There are a variety of reasons it was Vermont Trophy & Engraving that developed their reputation as the shop to take unusual and difficult awards to and not some other store. One reason is that awards of that nature are fun and funny, which complements the personality of the staff Margi and Steve have put together, one that likes to have fun and likes to laugh.

The second reason has to do with an uncommon commitment to excellence. When Margi and Steve decided to become business owners, they did so with the goal of creating a high-end, high-quality awards business whose signature would be exceptional customer service. And, in their view, an indispensable aspect of that service is their willingness, their enthusiasm in being able to look their customers in the eye and say, “Yes!” Yes, we can engrave all of those trophies in the ridiculously short amount of time you gave us. Yes, we will create a custom award from your vague description. Yes, we will mount your 1970s action figure to a wooden base. Yes, yes, yes.

“I’ve worked in a lot of places, and I’m sure everyone experiences this, where you somewhere, ask for something, and it’s like it’s their default to say no. It’s really discouraging. But, if you turn it around and say, ‘Okay, we don’t really know how we’re going to do it, but one way or another, we’re going to find a way to get it done,’ it really develops a strong relationship with your customers,” says Margi.

Saying yes so often is not easy. On more than one occasion, Margi has accused the sales staff of trying to kill the production staff. And of course, there are those rare times when the customer’s request is simply unreasonable and cannot be met. However, Vermont Trophy & Engraving does say yes almost all of the time, so much so that it is a big part of their identity.

The third reason the shop has developed their reputation has to do with their ability to say yes more than their willingness to say yes. Dawn Hartman is the production manager for Vermont Trophy & Engraving, and she has the ability to create unique tools and toolpaths. She is so proficient with the shop’s equipment that the sales staff is able to say yes to engrave on expensive crystal, pens and watches that other shops turn down for fear of making a costly mistake.

Production manager Dawn Hartman engraves a long metal cylinder, a minor challenge for her. Hartman has invented jigs for special engraving projects, one of the reasons Vermont Trophy & Engraving is able to answer unusual customer requests with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”

Be Proactive
Some business owners have an unfortunate view of sales that can best be summed up by the statement, “If you build it, they will come.”

Vermont Trophy & Engraving does not have this view. In fact, they are so proactive that it’s a matter of amusement for some of their customers. Says Margi, “One of our clients told me they take bets on when Steve is going to call them and how close it’ll be to the same time he called the year before.”

As mentioned earlier, Steve makes a point of calling each of the shop’s clients to remind them that it is time to order awards again. And, he does it in such a way that the person on the other end of the phone just about forgets that it is a self-serving phone call.

“They don’t even think to be annoyed by it. He does it so well that their view is, ‘Oh, wasn’t it so nice of him to call and remind us,’” says Margi. “During that same conversation, he reminds them of what they ordered the year before, asks them if they need anything additional or new, and he tells them of all the other things we could do for them.”

That last bit is important, as Margi says, “The majority of our growth has come from working existing customers and letting them know what else we do.”

For example, when one of their clients comes to pick up an award, Margi or someone else asks who the human resources person is at the company. They will then call the HR head and let them know of all the services Vermont Trophy & Engraving offers.

That technique has added a lot of sales to the shop. Margi also credits their strong sales with their great clients. “We work with companies that have a great view on how to treat their employees. They can’t afford to give raises like they have in the past, but they recognize the importance of recognizing their employees anyway. One of our clients is a university, and they recently started a program to recognize their custodial staff, people who are almost never recognized for their contributions.”

The Staff
As much as they contribute, Margi and Steve Swett know that they don’t get it done alone. They have a great staff of employees working with them, a staff that makes it possible to say yes almost all of the time.

“We have a fantastic staff. We are so fortunate. I wish we could freeze this staff in time, because I know it won’t last forever. Staffing is probably the biggest challenge that small business owners have. Steve and I had always worked for pretty big companies, and neither of us had ever worked in human resources, so that was one of the challenges that we faced. When we got here, we had a full-time employee, a part-time employee and us,” says Margi.

Their full-time employee died after a year. He had been engraving for 25 years and had a reputation as being one of the best in the industry. You can’t just go out and replace somebody like that.

“We were so fortunate that Dawn Hartman, our production manager, had moved here. She has an incredible background, and she really enjoys a challenge,” says Margi. Another extremely important employee is Karen Green, store manager for Vermont Trophy & Engraving. According to Margi, “Karen is like a mother hen with her customers, and it really sets a fabulous tone for everyone else.”

This lamp and cane are two examples of products whose engraving conundrums were solved by the creative and hardworking folks at Vermont Trophy & Engraving.

Diversification & Focus
The Swetts have come a long way in 14 years. When Steve and Margi bought their shop in 1996, it was largely a gift shop, something neither of them knew anything about. Because of that, they made the decision to focus the business at an early stage.

It’s a lesson other shops could learn from. Start with what you know, and then get better at it and continue to grow into new areas. Fourteen years after they took over, Vermont Trophy & Engraving is still growing. Follow their example, and 14 years from now, your business will still be growing, too.