As A Founding QCA Supplier, Logomark Continues To Invest In Providing Brand
Recognized for its distinctive collection of awards, bags, clocks, drinkware, eco-products, high-tech items, housewares, padfolios, pens, personal care products, recreation items, stationery, tools and watches, Logomark is one of the 14 founding companies that launched QCA a decade ago. In 2008, the conversation about being able to consistently deliver safe, high-quality, socially compliant and environmentally conscientious merchandise was just getting started. Moreover, the company’s leadership wanted to be at the forefront of creating new standards within the promotional products industry.
“We realized that safety, compliance and social responsibility were becoming more and more important to our distributor clients and their end users,” says Joe Chanin, vice president of purchasing and compliance for Logomark. “When we were given the opportunity to become a part of a new organization that was going to be leading our industry in that direction, we felt it was something that we needed to be a part of.”
While product safety has been an industry focus for many years, there’s much more to a well-rounded compliance program that ensures overall brand safety. “QCA has been an integral part in the creation of a complete compliance program from product design to delivery,” Joe says. “Although we have always been committed to product safety, once you have QCA there to guide the development of your program, you realize how much more there really is to know and implement.”
Joe notes that through the company’s emphasis on regulatory compliance, social responsibility and product safety, its clients know they can trust both Logomark and its products. Part of that trust stems from QCA’s requirement to re-accredit, ensuring companies remain up-to-date with all policies and procedures.
“A compliance program is an ongoing process that involves continuous improvement and commitment from all parts of your organization,” Joe explains. “Staying accredited is extremely important because it can be easy to get complacent if you don’t have the checks and balances in place. QCA is one of those checks.”
Because rules and regulations are constantly changing, there is no one-and-done with QCA’s Accreditation process. The real value comes in the form of being held accountable year after year.
Case in point: New Prop 65 regulations went into effect on August 30, and there has been lots of uncertainty. “I spent a lot of time speaking with distributors about the changes that were coming in August of 2018,” Joe says. “It is amazing how much bad information is out there.”
However, through Logomark’s involvement with QCA, Joe was armed with the right information to help educate his customers on precisely what Prop 65 is and the changes that are happening.
That’s just one of the benefits. “QCA also helps ensure continued improvement with ongoing audits both domestically and overseas,” Joe says. “All of these things help us have both the policies and practices in place to provide safe and compliant product to our distributors and their end users, giving them peace of mind in terms of brand safety.”
So is investing in QCA worth it? Absolutely for Logomark. “More and more distributors are looking to QCA Accredited Suppliers, and end users have started to become aware of what it means as well,” Joe says. “For any suppliers who on the fence about taking the next step in safety and compliance, they really need to look at QCA Accreditation.”
