Lawrence Company Spotlights Clients’ Brands, Not Its Own
| 2017 Q2 | story by Emily Mulligan, photos by Steven Hertzog
GRANDSTAND
Though you may not have known it at the time, you’ve likely sipped a brew from a Grandstand mug.
Just about every Lawrencian has used or worn a Grandstand Glassware and Apparel product; they just don’t know it.
Grandstand’s products are ubiquitous in restaurants, local coffee shops and craft breweries across the nation. Yet, consumers may not recognize the company’s name—but that is by design, as Grandstand’s mission is to spotlight its clients’ brands.
Founded in Lawrence and located here since 1988, Grandstand, which is privately owned, is a perfect example of a small-time company that has hit the big time. With 195 employees in its East Hills Business Park headquarters and continual recent growth, Grandstand’s glass is definitely half-full.
As its name states, Grandstand specializes in designing, printing, distributing and marketing glassware and apparel for thousands of specialty beverage companies nationwide.
The company began as a small screen-printing shop on Haskell Avenue, headed by Chris Piper, previously notable in Lawrence as a University of Kansas men’s basketball player. For the first year, most of the company’s business was printing T-shirts and water bottles. The shift to incorporate glassware came in 1989, when a new restaurant, the Free State Brewing Co., opened its doors on Massachusetts Street. Free State remains a Grandstand customer.
Business grew steadily for two decades, and then the craft-brewing trend hit the beer industry, which was great news for Grandstand. Craft brewers and craft-beverage makers now account for 40 percent of the company’s business. Grandstand moved to its current facility in 2011 with 56 employees and has grown exponentially in the past six years.
“It’s a tribute to the leadership there and the employees, that they’re doing something right. They continue to innovate and look at other opportunities, and it’s a really good story,” says Steve Kelly, vice president of economic development at The Chamber.
Grandstand – factory
“Pour” Over all the Choices
The company has four aspects to its operation: decorative glassware and drinkware for all types of beverages; screen-printed and decorated apparel, including shirts, hats and server uniforms; promotional items, such as sunglasses and dog bowls, which are decorated by a separate vendor; and creative services, which include creating logos, artwork and branding for newly established clients.
Grandstand’s business model is not just about being a clearinghouse for products and artwork for its customers, though. Instead, owners want their customers to see Grandstand as a partner to their own brand. And with the services Grandstand provides its customers, to round out and enhance the production process, customers can easily “drink in” all the expertise.
“We work with well over 4,000 craft brewers. That allows us to see trends on the west coast and the east coast, and different industries,” Marketing Director Josh Christie says.
So, at the same time that Grandstand is offering more and more options to its customers, the company is also making it more turnkey to take advantage of those options.
“They’ve done a good job of putting themselves in good market segments, but beyond that, they’ve done a great job of performing for their customers, giving their customers and clients the service and products to help them be successful,” Kelly explains. “It has allowed them to continue to grow and be sourced by these companies.”
Grandstand factory.
“We look at the products as a profit center, not as a cost center,” Christie says.
In other words, the decorated glasses might cost a little more than plain ones, but that also means the beverage customers will want to buy one to take home. And that translates to more dollars per brewpub customer.
Grandstand sees its role as a retail consultant for all the merchandise, not just the glassware, that a beverage maker may want to sell. Staff analyzes the merchandise lineup and ensures there is enough variety of apparel and other items to appeal to wide-ranging tastes. And when the weather is getting warmer, for example, Grandstand offers to add something like a tank top or visor to keep choices fresh.
Grandstand has even thought of all the possible ways to take the order-fulfillment burden off its customers by supplying a customized e-commerce portal with the brewery’s merchandise that its customers can access seamlessly through the brewery’s website.
For example, Grandstand sells decorated glassware to craft brewers so they can stock their bars and serve their customers. But Grandstand also goes a step further and allows that craft brewer’s customer to order glassware for himself or herself directly, and the company packages and ships the order straight to that customer. So, if customers enjoy a craft beer on vacation at a brewery, and they want glassware but don’t want to pack and carry their new glasses the rest of the trip, they can just order some to be shipped to their home.
Grandstand also offers direct online ordering for liquor distributors across the country. If a regional distributor is holding an event and wants to serve in brewery-specific glassware, they can order straight from Grandstand, even if the distributor isn’t a Grandstand customer.
Grandstand – factory
The Cup of Ideas Runneth Over
Two Grandstand product lines illustrate best how the company’s operations, services and products complement one another.
The first is the Craft Master Grand, which is a beer (or coffee) glass Grandstand created exclusively with German glassware designer, Rastal. The glass launched this year and offers characteristics that the traditional pint glass cannot: It stacks without sticking, its design is a lot less susceptible to chipping, and its wider opening allows more of the drink’s aroma to reach the drinker’s nose. The Craft Master Grand looks nice but is still practical, with its 16-ounce capacity and ability to fit in a standard dishwasher, as well as its weighted bottom that won’t tip on trays.
Along with the Craft Master Grand, Grandstand has an exclusive partnership with Rastal to provide all of the increasingly popular specialty-beer drinkware best suited to different varieties of beer, such as stouts, Belgians and barley wines. They can all be decorated and customized—and of course custom-packaged, fulfilled and shipped.
The other product line that integrates Grandstand’s across-the-board efforts begins with the Grandstand-trademarked phrase “Support Local Beer.” There are 50 different designs, one for each of the 50 states, of T-shirts, coasters and glassware—nothing short of a full merchandise line, naturally—that breweries can provide and sell to promote the concept of local beer in their area.
“ ‘Support Local Beer’ is registered to Grandstand. Anytime you see that somewhere, that’s us,” Christie says.
2017’s marketing plans have included focusing on some other burgeoning craft beverages. Grandstand has compiled glassware and drinkware product lines so it can branch out to coffee shops, cider brewers, distilleries, wineries and soda brewers. Alchemy Coffee House in Lawrence already uses a full line of Grandstand products, such as growlers and glassware, for its coffee and cold-brew products.
Christie says the artisan trend from microbrew beer has spilled over into other beverage categories, with drinkers of all sorts making small batches on a local scale. Grandstand’s products easily translate to those other beverages, as well.
“We believe that we put a superior product out there, and we provide a superior level of service,” Christie says.
Full color organic glassware printer
No Glass Ceilings, Only Glassware
Grandstand works to foster a collaborative environment for all departments. Production for both apparel and glassware decoration runs 120 hours per week. Since moving to East Hills in late 2011, there has been growth in all departments. The Creative Services department, which began in 2013, now has 16 full-time designers. There has also been growth in fulfillment, finishing, technology and e-commerce, marketing and sales.
“There are not a lot of layers here—it’s very flat. In all of our meetings, we have everyone involved, so ideas can come from any department, and they are heard by everyone,” Christie says. “Working at Grandstand is one of the few opportunities you get, no matter what position you get to, to see the impact you have on the company every single day, by seeing people use literally the product you printed.”
New innovative glassware
Sipping on Some Trends
Specialization and specification of certain glasses for certain types of beverages continue to gain in popularity. Grandstand’s partnership with Rastal all but guarantees the growth of that concept.
There are a couple of new trends in glassware decoration that have expanded Grandstand’s capabilities. Glass “nucleation,” or engraving on the inside base of a glass, not only gives drinkers a little design flair at the end of their beverage but also sets off the carbonation in beer to continually distribute vertically in the glass. (Next time you finish a beverage in a restaurant, make sure you notice the bottom of the glass.)
The state of California recently updated Proposition 65, which is designed to prevent toxic chemicals from reaching drinking water. That includes the glass that contains the water. So now, decorated glassware must be printed with only organic ink. Grandstand has adapted an organic formula, made of monomers and pigment, which can be used to decorate its full range of glass products.
Apparel trends include T-shirt hoodies, fitted unisex and female T-shirts, soft fabric sweatshirts and T-shirts with equally soft printing that doesn’t bunch or poke, as well as custom headwear, Christie says.
Raising a Glass to the Community
“A lot of our efforts in Lawrence aren’t necessarily to promote Grandstand,” Christie explains. He lists Grandstand’s involvement with Lawrence Restaurant Week, the Craft Brewers Expo and Lawrence Oktoberfest as examples.
There is also the company’s “Best Places to Work” committee, which meets weekly to figure out how to best be involved in the community. Through that, Grandstand employees have volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Lawrence Humane Society, Douglas County CASA, Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center, Van GO Mobile Arts, Boys and Girls Club, March of Dimes, Just Food, Penn House, Ballard Community Services, Lawrence Arts Center and Downtown Lawrence Inc.
93 Comments
A great post without any doubt.
You need to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality sites on the web. I’m going to highly recommend this web site!
Nice i really enjoyed reading your blogs. Keep on posting. Thanks
Gold below 24 karats is less pure and will bring in less.
We are a gaggle of volunteers and opening a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable info to paintings on. You’ve done an impressive process and our entire group will probably be thankful to you.
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always exciting to read through articles from other authors and practice a little something from their web sites.
Your writing is top-notch. Sports News
The following is a recreation played in 1938 between Mikhail Botvinnik (White) and José Raúl Capablanca (Black).
Sadly, the corresponding .dap and .lod information for this location do not exist inside the sport’s recordsdata anymore, and the one different references to it in the sport’s data is a single unused quest itemizing and a point out in widespread.pkb.
Hello just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.
The information shared is of top quality which has to get appreciated at all levels. Well done…
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful post with us.
Nice i really enjoyed reading your blogs. Keep on posting. Thanks
The information shared is of top quality which has to get appreciated at all levels. Well done…
This is a topic that is close to my heart… Take care! Exactly where are your contact details though?
I blog often and I seriously appreciate your information. This article has really peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your website and keep checking for new information about once per week. I subscribed to your RSS feed too.
The information shared is of top quality which has to get appreciated at all levels. Well done…
Nice i really enjoyed reading your blogs. Keep on posting. Thanks
Hi, i think that i noticed you visited my blog so i came to go back the favor?.I am trying to to find issues to enhance my
website!I guess its adequate to use some of your
concepts!!
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful post with us.
Very good post. I will be experiencing some of these issues as well..
In the industrial scenario, product lifecycle management is the method of managing the total lifespan of a particular product.
Your style is very unique in comparison to other people I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this web site.
Meanwhile Beyonce’s fifth album hits shelves later this 12 months, however she’s already teased snippets from Bow Down/I Been On, Grown Lady (for a Pepsi advert), and Standing on the Solar (for a H&M advert).
When seeking inspiration for fresh nation style that is a bit extra eclectic, consider the Asian aesthetic.
For example, a record company might pay a songwriter advance royalties of $10,000 for the rights to 10 songs, plus a percentage of proceeds of the songs’ sales.
Nice i really enjoyed reading your blogs. Keep on posting. Thanks
The information shared is of top quality which has to get appreciated at all levels. Well done…
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful post with us.
Once you’ve cleared away your debt, you can put the funds you were formerly paying each month on a loan into your savings account.
Too often than not, when an investor sees a company they’ve invested in doing well, he will easily fall in love with it.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful post with us.
I must thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this website. I am hoping to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you later on as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has encouraged me to get my own site now 😉
A great post without any doubt.
In terms of body model availability, the bottom Catalina was the only series that had all types out there: two-door hardtop and convertible, four-door sedan and hardtop, and 6- and nine-passenger Safari station wagons.
The securities on the secondary market are open to everybody.
After looking into a number of the blog posts on your blog, I truly like your way of writing a blog. I book marked it to my bookmark site list and will be checking back in the near future. Please visit my web site too and let me know your opinion.
Nice i really enjoyed reading your blogs. Keep on posting. Thanks
The information shared is of top quality which has to get appreciated at all levels. Well done…
Thank you for sharing indeed great looking !
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) exempts candidates who have passed CFA Level I and II from the Series 86 examination from registering as research analysts.
In November 2021, it was announced that ProSieben would broadcast the present, the same channel who produced The Masked Singer.
Your style is unique compared to other folks I’ve read stuff from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this web site.
Earlier than it turned right into a manifesto of types, this submit was meant to be an expanded version of a comment I left beneath a Fediverse publish by Binyamin Inexperienced.
Dabney, William M. (1954).
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is magnificent blog. A great read. I will certainly be back.
May I just say what a relief to uncover somebody that really knows what they’re talking about on the internet. You definitely realize how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More and more people must check this out and understand this side of your story. It’s surprising you are not more popular given that you most certainly possess the gift.
Deliberate risk management is used at routine periods through the implementation of a project or process.
I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s both equally educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The issue is something not enough folks are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy that I stumbled across this in my search for something concerning this.
Hi, I do think this is an excellent blog. I stumbledupon it 😉 I am going to return yet again since i have book-marked it. Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
He also established rules for the way non-public collectors and metropolis staff ought to cooperate and he developed customary dimensions for refuse containers: his title in France is now synonymous with the rubbish can.
Also, CFDs provide trouble-free methods to the traders to trade with margin, access other markets and sell stocks short if they want.
The bond holder lends the issuer a fixed amount of money for a certain amount of time in exchange for regularly scheduled interest payments.
Would fallout completely have an effect on pasture grass and forage crops?
You don’t basically should rent knowledgeable photographer to tug in 1000’s of dollars worth of apparatus to develop an unforgettable photograph report of your house.
In mathematics and, specifically, actual analysis, the Dini derivatives (or Dini derivates) are a category of generalizations of the derivative.
Faculty football is extraordinarily standard within the U.S., and since many video games take place on Saturday, don’t be stunned or offended if people have a hard time choosing which occasion to attend.
If you are rejuvenating relatively than remodeling a kitchen or a bath (or a chunk of furniture), replacing the hardware — or including hardware the place none has previously existed — is one of the quickest and best repair-ups you can do.
Simplify the admission process with MBBS Direct Admission in West Bengal.
Instantly after the stock conversion is complete and shares are issued to the Investor Relations firm, guide, lawyer or similar social gathering, the basher/s then turn out to be pals of the company and move quickly to ensure they revenue on a basic Pump & Dump scheme to liquidate their ailing-gotten shares.
Total Bankruptcy. “Bankruptcy Fraud: Definitions and Penalties.” (Sept.
Wealth administration India is proving to be link between these products and investors who need to use non conventional methods to develop their wealth.
Managers thus analyze and monitor both the internal and external environment facing the enterprise, addressing business risk generally, and any impact on the enterprise achieving its strategic goals.
Another good way to introduce warmth into a bathroom is with color.
Risk can be reduced due to diversification.
The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it does not disappoint me as much as this one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read, nonetheless I truly believed you would have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you could fix if you weren’t too busy looking for attention.
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always exciting to read through articles from other writers and use something from their web sites.
Nevertheless, this characteristic of choices trading does not come with out its prices.
The share of real cash issued by the governments has been continually on the way out in a lot of the international locations, while the proportion of the mock money generated by the banks out of zero is rising.
Both actions will proceed to put immense stress on the U.S.
It’s hard to come by well-informed people in this particular subject, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
You can write off the cost of babysitting alongside with the cost of nursery school.
Gold has held up higher than any asset off the uncertain monetary outlook.
There is certainly a great deal to know about this subject. I really like all of the points you’ve made.
ٙBut a lot work stays to be carried out on understanding Waṇetsi.
Other cities that adopted this type of government on this interval were Clarksville in 1907, Chattanooga and Knoxville in 1911, and Jackson in 1915.
These days, there are numerous numbers of occasion management firms out there available in the market to prepare grand and superior parties.
Reputable Crypto ads Twitter and social media marketing company that offers effective answers to our client’s needs.
Additionally, Apollo Global Management completed a private placement of shares in its management company in July 2007.
Very good article. I will be facing many of these issues as well..
The town is part of the South Holland and The Deepings Parliamentary Constituency but is also part of South Kesteven District.
Hmm is anyone else experiencing problems with the images on this blog loading? I’m trying to determine if its a problem on my end or if it’s the blog. Any feed-back would be greatly appreciated.
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and also the rest of the site is also really good.
Now from here, Safal Buying and selling Advisors hear your funding plan and mould it in such a method that revenue graph get speeds up at its peak.
What if, just like the victims of the Mt.
With all this, what Ford trumpeted as a “New American Highway Automobile” ought to have scored even higher output than the 357,000 recorded for ’79.
The very next time I read a blog, Hopefully it does not disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, Yes, it was my choice to read, nonetheless I actually believed you’d have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you were not too busy seeking attention.
I quite like looking through a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for allowing me to comment.
Contemplate placing on your hair up, down or in-between to help keep your decisions open up.
You might even have seen that (in the United States, anyway) the proof is always twice the percentage.
It gives strength to Jupiter and Saturn.
William Ian McGregor, Assistant Chief Constable, British Transport Police.
Why is it that so few electronics go on sale?