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markets. Its primary printing
and U.S. distribution facility is in
El Dorado, Kansas, though the
balloons are manufactured in
several other locations.
“We produce approximately
1.5 billion balloons per year
collectively in our Dallas, Texas;
Ashland, Ohio; and Toronto,
Canada, manufacturing
facilities,” says Mark Jenkins,
MAS+, managing director,
promotional markets. Jenkins,
who was destined to join the
balloon business after growing
up in Ashland—which he says
was the “balloon capital of the
world” in the 1960s and 1970s—
was happy to find his place at
Pioneer Balloon.
“I work in the same office and
building I walked into 30 years
ago,” says Jenkins, who served as
chair of the 2014 PPAI Board of
Directors. “That kind of longevity
can only come from a sense
of ownership in the company,
product, work and passion for
the customers we serve.”
He attributes reaching the
centennial mark to the teams
that have been assembled
throughout Pioneer Balloon
Company. “There is definitely
a family atmosphere here that
promotes and honors creativity,
hard work and excellence. We
have a large number of associates
who have been part of the team
and our success for decades,”
Jenkins adds.
Part of the reason Pioneer’s
employees enjoy being part
of the team is the company’s
creative and empowering
approach to people
management, such as offering
“flexible” job descriptions.
In a 2013 article in the
Wichita
Business Journal
, Pioneer CEO
Ted Vlamis said, “Where many
companies have ‘boxes’ into
which they try to fit an employee
to perform a certain job, Pioneer
Balloon takes talented employees
and creates jobs that fit them. We
want people to take ownership
of what they’re doing. By giving
them that kind of latitude, we
enable them to grow.”
Pioneer Balloon has led the
way in both retail/wholesale
and custom print markets,
says Jenkins.
“As leaders, we have been
able to grow both our business
and the marketplace for our
products. We have been at the
forefront of manufacturing
technology and have, in fact,
created and perfected many of
the processes for manufacturing
and printing balloons. As balloon
industry pioneers, we have been
able to drive our own success
as well as the success of the
product category. In promotional
markets, we have changed the
way distributors and clients look
at balloons,” he says.
No longer just a traditional
giveaway, balloons are now used
most successfully as a cost-
effective signage solution.
“The large everyday orders
that really drive our custom print
business, for both Pioneer and
our distributors, are used to sign
events, places of business, in-
store products and promotions.
It’s not as much about a keepsake
promotional product. Multiple
impressions for our medium
are driven by a bold, attention-
getting and very visible product
Pioneer Balloon celebrated
its 100th year anniversary at
The PPAI Expo 2017 with this
impressive balloon “cake.”
The Microfoil balloon printing press
is one of the many manufacturing
technologies the company has created.
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