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We love feedback, please let us know what you think and remember At SWAG | Blue Moon we pride ourselves on offering quality goods and services at reasonable prices, the best customer service possible and most important good community stewardship.

We got to discussing fonts and thought it a good idea to blog about some font advice.

Never mix serif and sans serif in a single document unless you know what you’re doing. Serifs are the little added bits of ‘decoration’ to a character, Arial has practically no serifs, while Excalibur consists of little else. Mixing these two basic distinctions in a document is akin to dressing as a clown at a black tie event. It looks dumb and makes no sense.

Most fonts should not be used, ever. It’s not that they are all terrible, it’s just that unless you’re making a children’s birthday party invitation, there is very little call for them. If you do find yourself in the position where you need various  fonts, don’t use the ones that are available by default.

Don’t ever use Comic Sans Serif. It was a font introduced by Microsoft in 1995 who imagined (as only Microsoft can) that having a comic looking font would make those Powerpoint presentations slightly less horrid.

There are people who’d spit on their own grandma before using Times New Roman, but will swear by the beauty of Georgia. Univers was once the golden boy of typefaces, being used on everything from General Electric products to Apple PowerBooks. Many unemployed have lost sleep over which font to use on their resume – Tahoma or Verdana? Calibri is used by people who actually like Arial, but are too afraid to admit it.

Everyone reading this has a favorite font, and that’s great… Just remember that Wingdings doesn’t count.

Happy Fonting!

check us out in the Northern Nevada Business Weekly!

http://www.nnbw.com/ArticleRead.aspx?storyID=18708

Sensing opportunity in a weak economy, Dave Sutherland and Bill Sandusky took a calculated risk in early 2011.

And then they took another, in the process creating what they believe is the largest provider of brand management, printing, promotional items and apparel in northern Nevada.

Last February, Sutherland and Sandusky bought out their former boss at Intraform of Reno and renamed the company Safeguard Web and Graphics LLC — “SWAG” for short.

This fall, they returned to the acquisition trail and purchased Blue Moon Advertising & Promotion Products of Reno from Klaus Grimm, adding promotional items and apparel to a lineup that previously included printing, marketing and brand management.

How are they doing it?

By finding niches, forming strategic alliances and constantly seeking new business.

From 2006-2010 Intraform had posted a 5 to 7 percent annual increase in business. Under the SWAG banner in 2011, revenues rose more than 11 percent, and Sutherland expects the pace to increase further this year.

SWAG currently has a 20-plus person staff and expects to hire at least two more by the end of the first quarter.

When Intraform founder Doug Clary wanted to retire, Sutherland and Sandusky decided to buy the company.

Local financing wasn’t available, so the pair contacted Safeguard Business Systems of Dallas, Texas. Safeguard provides funds and business acumen for deals like this. Safeguard bought Intraform, then immediately sold it to Sutherland and Sandusky. SWAG is now part of the Safeguard network of independent companies.

“We own SWAG and run it our way. We pay Safeguard a royalty and franchise fee. Safeguard is not interested in being part of the day-to-day operations,” Sutherland said.

Safeguard finances acquisitions through its business acquisitions management program, said Scott Sutton, Safeguard’s vice president of franchise development.

“It’s been a wonderful win for us to have (SWAG) as part of the team. Our competency is supporting the people who run the core business,” Sutton said.

The alliance works. “I’m an ambitious and competitive guy,” said Sutherland, who played college basketball in Idaho before transferring to the University of Nevada, Reno, to earn a degree in business. Before joining Intraform, he sold nuts and bolts — literally, nuts and bolts — and other industrial supplies to mining companies and industrial builders for 32 years. He joined Intraform as a sales rep in 2004, and quickly saw potential for Internet sales in the printing business. By 2006 Intraform was building and hosting e-commerce websites for clients including local companies such as IGT, Renown, Scolari’s, and Greater Nevada Credit Union.

“We were way ahead of the curve in technology,” he said.

Sandusky, trained as a graphics arts teacher, runs the creative and customer service side of the business.

“SWAG doesn’t own anything. We’re brokers. We have alliances with the biggest and best manufacturers all over the country. Our buying power and strategic alliances get the best prices and products for our customers,” Sutherland said.

SWAG has an office in Sacramento, and sales reps in San Francisco, Long Beach and Lake Tahoe serving more than 2,500 clients in the western region, Canada and South America.

“We’ve grown through the recession because of our diversified client base. Some of our clients, like construction and banking, have struggled. But because we’re broader-based, we’ve grown,” Sutherland said.

SWAG, with Safeguard’s backing, is buying two complementary Las Vegas companies.

“I don’t just buy one business in a town — I buy two at a time,” Sutherland said. Combining, finding efficiencies and eliminating overhead creates profit.

The goal, Sutherland says: To be the dominant player in this industry in the West.

Our industry’s largest trade show, the PPAI EXPO is January 2-6 in Las Vegas and we are going big to make sure we bring you a new wave of specialty product ideas. We hope to highlight the industry’s latest trends, eco-friendly finds and American-made merchandise.

If you have something in particular in mind you are looking for in the coming year, or a special event you want us to find that perfect giveaway for, please contact your sales consultant with details and we will be sure to source the perfect idea.

Sending most of our staff to Las Vegas for the expo is an important investment we make to ensure SWAG|BLUE MOON GROUP will continue to deliver the most important business fundamental: bigger, better, brighter ideas.

This weekend I cleaned out our company refrigerator; with no Hazmat suit as should have been required!

I found containers full or Blueberry’s and Raspberry’s that had enough white hair to qualify for a retirement community in Florida, if it was someone’s experiment, I’m sorry, if there was going to be an attempt to eat and get out of work for a few days, well then your plan as been thwarted. I found zip lock baggies that had unidentifiable contents that could have only been determined through DNA or Dental records! I found Thanksgiving leftovers not from this Thanksgiving…pretty sure from the one before.

You know how when you go out with a group of friends and no one eats the last slice of Pizza or takes the last Chicken Wing? Well here evidently no one uses the last teaspoon of Salad Dressing! I threw out bottles that combined couldn’t have taken care of a House Salad

I encourage fellow employees to bring food into the office as long as it’s not intended to die a long slow rotting death, if you want to do a home experiment. Please do it at home!

Now that the Refrigerator is clean and odorless free, except for a couple of anonymous Hard Boiled Eggs (which I’m sure will get their last revenge), next weekend it’s the Freezer!!….anybody have an Ice Pick!!?

Dave Sutherland
President / CEO

This week at work we had picture day. We all had strict instructions to show up in black or white OR black and white, but no patterns. Everyone obliged and as a group we took some pretty darned good photos! We are getting these taken so we can update the SWAG / Blue Moon website and put our headshots on there so everyone can put a face with the name that they are talking to and learn a little about us. As pictures are being snapped down the hall the office is filled with the occasional “Oh geez! Do I always look like that!”, but mostly with laughter and cheer. It is a good reminder during this busy time of year that we are all lucky to have good coworkers, great friends, and wonderful families to rely on.
Happy Holidays from SWAG / Blue Moon!

Here are three types of networks that can help you achieve your goals.

Support. Form relationships with people who help you get focused during bad times. These may be friends, family or colleagues with whom you can just be yourself with.

Purpose. Include in your network superiors and clients who validate what you do, also family and other mentors who remind you that your work is important.

Equilibrium. Seek out people who will hold you accountable for activities that improve your physical and mental health.