PPB December 2019

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHT How did your company get its start? I am an inventor. And my patent attorney, Robert Greenspoon, who is a really good friend of mine, is an avid marathoner. In 2009, he came to me with an idea while getting ready in the stall before the Chicago Marathon for a new way to attach racers’ bibs to their shirts without making any holes. Runners have tried several solutions over the years, from clothespins to adhesives to magnets, but none worked particularly well. He thought there had to be a better way than the old, sharp safety pins. At the time, I had just started working on a project with Groupon’s founders and didn’t have the bandwidth to get involved but the idea was intriguing. In 2016 he came back to me with some IP and prototype, having patented it. I have extensive experience launching inventions, new products and events. We took the idea to the race announcer Mike “Voice of Ironman” Reilly at Ironman and a few other events, and we had some really positive feedback. Reilly said, “Brian, people have been trying to solve this problem for 40 years.” So, I went back to Rob and said that I think we’re on to something here. What led your company to enter the promotional products market? I have a background in the promo world, but coming to it as an inventor, I had a different way of approaching the market and never participated in its organizations. When we launched BibBoards, we started getting orders from major distributors like Halo, Proforma and many others. They shared their relationships in the industry and encouraged us to get more involved in the promotional products market because they believed the industry would “get it.” What’s your favorite thing about being in the promotional products industry? The thing I find most appealing is that I don’t have to explain the power of marketing. Event directors are focused on their races and don’t understand sponsorship and the value of having Red Bull, lululemon, or StateFarm on the BibBoards, front and center of every participants’ chest during the entire event and every event they do thereafter. People are now wearing BibBoards as swag after the event to work or school the next day like a lapel pin but with no holes. The real estate is priceless. Why did you join PPAI? The promotional products people we spoke with encouraged us to get involved with the industry’s organizations. PPAI came across most-recommended and plus, I’d been to a PPAI show before and made good relationships there. We decided to go with the one we knew best and the one we had the most orders coming in from. Brian Goodell Co-Owner BibBoards.com San Ramon, California PPAI 732422 | DECEMBER 2019 | 115 CONNECT