Oklahoma-based distributorship, Eskimo Joe’s Promotional Products Group, has a lot to celebrate this year. In 1975, Eskimo Joe’s first opened its door as the local college bar for Oklahoma State University. Fast forward 27 years, and after successfully selling their own branded merch, Eskimo Joe’s CEO & Founder, Stan Clark, created EJPPG to help other company make their brands standout like theirs. In celebration of two huge milestones, we wanted to know the secret ingredient to longevity in the industry. We reached out to Amy McCray, President of Eskimo Joe’s Promotional Products Group, to give us a peek behind Eskimo Joe’s early days and how the company added “promotional products distributor” to their resume.
The Folio: For those unfamiliar with your story, Eskimo Joe’s wasn’t always the promotional distributor we know you to be. Take us back to the early days of EJPPG and what the company's initial goal was.
Amy McCray, President, Eskimo Joe’s Promotional Product Group: Eskimo Joe’s opened on July 21, 1975, as a bar with ice-cold beer and red-hot music right next to the campus of Oklahoma State University. Eskimo Joe’s CEO & Founder, Stan Clark, sold T-shirts from day one. Food was added to the mix in 1984 when the drinking age changed from 18 to 21, and Eskimo Joe’s Clothes World Headquarters opened next to Eskimo Joe’s in 1987, showcasing Eskimo Joe and Buffy’s big smiles on apparel, hats, drinkware, and more. The goal from day one was to provide everyone with a good time - big smiles on the faces of our team members and our guests! Stan quickly learned how impactful Eskimo Joe’s merchandise was and thought developing a division of the company to help others with their promotional products and apparel needs seemed like the right fit. So, fast forward 27 years after Eskimo Joe’s opened, EJPPG was formed.
The Folio: What was the initial spark to start the promotional products sector of your business?
McCray: Eskimo Joe’s Clothes opened their own screen printing facility in 1990 and then built a newer, much larger facility in 1998. We thought, “Why not take the experience of branding Eskimo Joe’s and help others make their brand really stand out”? EJPPG was created in 2002 and is all about creating a brand experience for our clients with exceptional service and creativity.
The Folio: Talk about the early days of establishing your distributorship. What challenges did you face in the beginning that you didn’t expect?
McCray: We originally started as Eskimo Joe’s Screenprinting Services Inc. and quickly learned that our clients needed more than just screenprinting. They needed drinkware, headwear, padfolios, bags, writing instruments, and more. EJSSI quickly became EJPPG, Eskimo Joe’s Promotional Products Group. One of our biggest challenges was communicating to our clients that while our name is Eskimo Joe’s Promotional Products Group, we aren’t looking to incorporate the Eskimo Joe’s logo with our clients' logos. We really want to utilize our marketing experience to help our clients brand their company.
The Folio: You’ve been a Facilisgroup Partner since 2015. Tell us how Facilisgroup has helped EJPPG through their promotional industry journey.
McCray: Facilisgroup has really allowed EJPPG to transform how we do business. Having a CRM that allows us to track what we are doing day in and day out is instrumental to our success. We are also extremely thankful for the supplier partner relationships that we have been able to develop. Having a team that helps us secure the best possible pricing with suppliers that we were already working with has been an added bonus.
Additionally, building strong relationships and fostering open communication with other distributor partners has been instrumental for EJPPG. These connections, characterized by candid conversations, shared best practices, and genuine friendships, have arguably been the most significant aspect of our journey over the past 10 years with Facilisgroup.
The Folio: What’s the secret to EJPPG’s longevity in both the promotional products industry and the restaurant industry?
McCray: Eskimo Joe’s is celebrating their 50th anniversary, and EJPPG is celebrating their 23rd anniversary this year. We truly believe our mission, “To delight every guest by giving my best,” empowers our team members to go above and beyond to make sure that every guest/client experience is one they won’t forget. We are so thankful to our guests/clients, our team members, and our supplier partners for their part in our success. We also firmly stand behind our 100% satisfaction guarantee - whether it is a plate of Joe’s famous cheese fries or an order of 1,000 tumblers, if our client isn’t 100% satisfied with their order, we stand behind it and replace it, with no questions asked.
The Folio: What do the next 10 years look like for EJPPG?
McCray: We hope in 10 years that EJPPG will continue to delight our clients with hospitality and customized service, who value the depth of relationships we build and the value of industry knowledge we maintain. We aim to provide more job opportunities in the areas that we serve and empower team members at every level. We see ourselves as a contributor to our community in ways that make a positive impact. We hope to continue to maintain superior industry supplier relationships with mutual respect and partnership. Our approach will remain centered on creating lifelong connections—one person at a time.