Acquisition Triggers Growth for Promotional Goods Supplier GBG

When technology giant United Technologies (UTC) acquired aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins in November 2018 the effect on promotional goods supplier GBG was dramatic and swift.

PR Newswire

TRUMBULL, Conn., Dec. 28, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — When technology giant United Technologies (UTC) acquired aerospace supplier Rockwell Collins in November 2018 the effect on one small promotional goods supplier was dramatic and swift.

“UTC’s move has been a great opportunity for us to expand our traditional sales platforms with a long-time customer,” Charlotte O’Banion, president of Trumbull-based GBG The Corporate Gift Source says. “We are looking forward to working with the Rockwell Collins team and expect to stay very busy as a result of the new business.”

As part of the acquisition, UTC merged Rockwell Collins with its United Technologies Aerospace Systems division and named the combined new company Collins Aerospace.

GBG has been a UTC preferred “Gold” supplier for more than a decade and, as a result of the merger, is now the preferred supplier for the newly named company. The small, woman-owned minority business received the “Small Disadvantaged Business Supplier of the Year” award from UTC division Pratt & Whitney in March.

O’Banion says part of the sharp uptick in business is due to the rebranding.

“When one of our customers changes its name or logo we immediately go into overdrive,” O’Banion explained. “Everything that the customer had with its old branding on it, shirts, pens, hats, paper goods, golf balls, etc., has to be rebranded. We don’t wait until it’s time for them to reorder something before we start the process.”

O’Banion says GBG began working on projects related to the merger four months before it happened. Part of that work included building a new online store for Collins Aerospace, where employees can order promotional goods with the new name and logo.

According to O’Banion, it’s not just the rebranding that will keep GBG busy. “Rebranding is short term, but we have to consider that the merger added 30,000 employees to the company,” she notes. “Typically, the bigger the company, the more promotional goods and services they need.” O’Banion plans to hire more help to keep up with the demand.

“We’re excited for the future,” She says, “and we’ll keep doing everything we can to provide Collins Aerospace with everything they need, whenever they need it.”

About GBG The Corporate Gift Source
GBG The Corporate Gift Source, Inc., (http://www.gbginc.com) is a certified Minority Women Owned Disadvantaged Business located in Trumbull, CT that specializes in corporate gifts and promotional products. The company’s products and services include a wide variety of promotional items, logo branded apparel, catalog programs, warehousing and fulfillment services, employee award redemption programs, and premiums and sales incentives – all at highly competitive prices.

 

SOURCE GBG The Corporate Gift Source, Inc.