I along with my wife Chrissy have lived in Nampa, Idaho since 1984. We have owned several business’s in Downtown Nampa of the past 20 plus years. Most recently the Little Kitchen for the past 16. By the way Messenger Pizza took over our old location and you might stop in and give them a try.
Chrissy currently works at Plexus in Nampa and I have teamed up with Kaeser & Blair, a Advertising Specialty company leader who have been in business since 1894. You can see their history below.
I have decided to team up with them for a couple of reasons. I like the fact that they have been in business for a long, long, long time. That just makes me feel better about working with them. A little stability in today’s market goes along way with me. I also am excited about the fact that you don’t have to order thousands upon thousands of the same item when maybe you just need 250 or in some cases just 50 of something. So smaller minimums and competitive prices were important in making my decision.
I have a little bit different approach to marketing. Chances are you are reading this because I either slipped a flyer through your door or handed it to you personally. And you may have noticed by the hat I’m wearing that I’m just a little bit crazy (but in the good way) about having fun while I am working. Hopefully I will get to know you too.
All My Best, Scott
The Kaeser & Blair Tradition
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Bill Blair |
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Dutch Kaeser |
Our foundation was built over a century ago in 1894, during the administration of Grover Cleveland. A small printing company, Cincinnati Printing and Paper Products Co., opened its doors at 200 West 8th Street, Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was a division of a Northern Kentucky printing company dating back to the 1850′s. In 1923, two paper salesmen, Dutch Kaeser and Bill Blair, negotiated to purchase the assets and stock and incorporated the name Kaeser & Blair, Inc. In 1925 Dutch and Bill expanded their sales efforts by inaugurating a new and revolutionary method of marketing called, “Direct Selling”. That is selling its paper products, by mail, exclusively through a national network of independent sales persons. The sales person would write the order and receive a commission on the sale. This revolutionary marketing strategy remains the “heart” of our business today, as we continue to market exclusively through independent sales professionals.
Kaeser and Blair flourished even during the depression. We are proud that we never missed sending a single commission check. In fact, corporate minutes reflect Dutch Kaeser met his payroll with cash during the “bank holiday” that ignited the 1929 depression. During that era Dutch Kaeser proclaimed, “There is, I feel, no nobler, more secure endeavor than providing business with the means to attract and keep the patronage of their customers. We are in the business of building business”. A statement that is still accurate and noteworthy to this very day. New items such as imprinted pencils, book matches and other unique printed products were introduced to the market by Kaeser and Blair.
In 1946 Dutch Kaeser’s two entrepreneurial sons, Dick and John, decided to give the printing business a try and started their own corporation, Kaeser Incorporated. Their relationship was perfect. Dick pounded the streets all day selling, while brother John ran the shop. In 1951, Bill Blair retired from Kaeser and Blair selling his shares to Dutch. Dutch reached an agreement with his sons, and in 1954 a merger between Kaeser Incorporated and Kaeser and Blair was complete. The three continued to build the business, implementing a solid business strategy for direct marketing through independent contractor sales people. In 1966, Dick Kaeser was faced with the most difficult decision of his life. Dutch asked him to leave the streets where he religiously “pounded the pavement” selling for 25 years and come inside and run the company.
