Elizabeth Tate entered the promotional products industry the way one might eat an elephant: one bite at a time. Or, in Tate’s case, one task at a time. After graduating from the University of Memphis with a degree in journalism/advertising and public relations, Tate took a job in television ad sales. At the same time, she began helping out at the distributor business she and her mother purchased from her mother’s late husband.
“I used to go by the office on my lunch hour and after work, and file catalogs and do bank deposits,” says Tate. “After a while, I realized the potential and resigned from my job to jump into this crazy, fun business. It was a very small company, but we have grown over the years.”
Fast forward to today, and Signet, Inc., now handles programs for Fortune 500 companies from its base in Memphis, Tennessee. The distributor’s success has not gone unnoticed, and even its own team is acutely aware of Signet’s importance to the industry. Last month, Signet was named one of the PPB Top 60 Greatest Companies To Work For.
Away from work, Tate and her husband, David—also her business partner—cook, collect wines and travel. Their two adult children are following their own dreams: daughter Holly is a photographer living in Colorado, and son Stephen is an International Master Brewer. “Our daughter-in-law, Leslie, just joined the business last fall as our client success coordinator,” Tate says.
Read on to learn more about a day in the life for Tate and her team at Signet.
How long has your company been in business?
The company was originally established in 1976. We are a woman-owned company and are certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).
How does this job challenge you?
It is a daily (but fun) challenge to provide the newest trends to our clients. We strive to be the best “brand police” ever and to keep our clients true to their brand, while providing safe, creative and quality products.
What changes or improvements have you recently implemented, or are you planning to make in the future?
We recently updated our website and developed “made to order” shopping sites with merchandise specifically selected for our individual clients, to eliminate the need for deep inventory and to provide great options for...
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