PPB July 2019

with information about schools, churches and community events, themost effective of which, she says, were printedwith advertising to help recipients recall the names of businesses. To handle the increased business, Ford hired two assistants who helped her publish amonthly newsletter and organize a club for neighborhood newcomers tomeet one another. And having tripled the number of advertisers—then referred to as “sponsors”—during her time at WelcomeWagon, she quickly noticed a scarcity of sources available for printed products. “I found a limited few from a local Brown&Bigelow salesperson. That wasmy ‘aha’ moment.” After applying for a job at Brown&Bigelow in Portland, Oregon, and receiving a response of “We don’t hirewomen,” she remained undaunted. “I was determined to do itmyself and startmy own company,” she says. Ford’s first officewas her dining roomtable—the early start of a company that celebrated 60 years in business on June 6. To her table she added stationery, a hand-operated addingmachine and a second-hand L.C. Smith typewriter with quirks and kinks of its own. She also leased a car and proudly advertised her services on the inside rear window. She acquired business from local communitymembers whomshe knew, and eventually reached out to larger companies, whose decision- makers she didn’t know, earning their trust and impressing themwith her dedication and quick decision- making. MARCO’s first order was for 250 carpenter pencils for builders and repairmen, with ample space on the side for advertising. Ford also led interesting, multi- dimensional self-promotion campaigns for her company. During election years, many years ago, she recalls people being bombarded with political advertising viamailers, TV, radio and billboards, but hardly any promotional products, because they were then illegal in Oregon, with the exception of bumper stickers. MARCO distributed amailer that enclosed an oversized campaign button, themed in red, white and blue, that featured the recipient’s name in handwritten letters, followed by “For President,” as an invitation to attend an open house and vote for their favorite products froma selection of executive gifts. When attendees arrived, they saw the building draped in political bunting and heard Hail To The Chief played from speakers in the parking lot. They were treated tominiature hot dogs and tap beer served in handled glass mugs that read, “Vote for MARCO— the company that CAN handle it!” Attendees had their photo taken as they entered the building, and again after sliding their vote into the ballot box, and the photo was later framed in a desk calendar to take home. Ford, now 90, no longer works for MARCO, but she lives in a retirement community just amile fromMARCO’s offices in Oregon, where she is a frequent visitor. “I am warmly welcomed when I do [visit],” she says, “and everyone there calls me ‘Grammy.’” The company is now in its third generation of business, with her grandson, TomGudekunst, CAS, working as sales manager, and her daughter, Nancy Gudekunst, MAS, as president of MARCO and Higher Promos, a division of MARCO catering to the cannabis industry. A lifelong learner and devoted writer, Ford writes for her community’s magazine and interviews other residents; an opportunity she truly enjoys. She recalls her early days in the industry inminute detail, from the products associated with her favorite projects to the precise color of the banners used for a focused campaign. ”I love our industry, and I amproud that I was able to play a part in the growth and development of a strong, creative, viable advertisingmedium,” Ford says. “And yes, I wish I could do it all over again!” Her experience wasn’t only a life-changing one for Ford, but for all women who followed her footsteps into promotional products, including her daughter. “While growing up, I saw how [mymother] operated, which gaveme confidence to start my own business in 1984, which I sold in 1991 to join her company,” says Gudekunst. “I never really realized how difficult some women had it, and was able to forgemy way ahead by following her example.” Danielle Renda is associate editor of PPB . Right: Ford joined the promotional products industry in 1959, a time when the industry was largely male-dominated, paving the way for generations of future female-led businesses and professionals to work in promotional products. Far right: Tom Gudekunst, MAS, sales manager of MARCO and Ford’s grandson; Ford, and Nancy Gudekunst, MAS, president of MARCO and Ford’s daughter, are all smiles at the distributor’s Portland headquarters. “I love our industry, and I am proud that I was able to play a part in the growth and development of a strong, creative, viable advertising medium.” —Margaret Custer Ford, MAS | JULY 2019 | 79 CONNECT