Trotec is pleased to present a Trotec Speedy 100 to entrepreneur Chris Ziesig, who won the bid on the laser system at the Awards and Recognition Industry Educational Foundation (ARIEF) silent auction held during the International Awards & Personalization Association Education Expo in Las Vegas last month.
The Awards & Personalization Association (APA) education foundation, the ARIEF, hosts the silent auction annually during the International Expo to raise funds for scholarships awarded to eligible students pursuing education or training in the awards industry. The auction is a cooperative event in which APA members donate products, equipment and gifts to support the foundation’s initiatives.
Ziesig explains that his luck couldn’t have come at a better time, since he is in the process of launching his new awards and personalization business. After a recent layoff from his job at an awards and pro shop, Ziesig attended the expo to gather information on laser engravers for his new business.
“The timing on this was incredible,” says Ziesig. “I worked for the same awards and pro shop for twenty-four years. I had initially planned to purchase the business, but when that didn’t work out, I continued to work there for another two years, until they laid me off. At that point, I decided it was time to launch my own business.
“That’s why I attended the expo, to gather information on lasers and other equipment to prepare for my new business.”
Ziesig plans to use the laser engraver to personalize trophies, awards, and other memorabilia for his new Hicksville, New York-based business, Excelsior Awards & Pro Shop. Since he is an experienced engraver, he had some specific ideas about what he was looking for in a laser engraving system. He says one of the reasons he liked the Trotec Speedy 100, was because of its low-maintenance design.
The APA is an organization for retailers and suppliers of personalized and customized items that provides education, meetings, tradeshows, and networking to a broad range of industry professionals in an effort to promote the industry and help members increase productivity. The association’s education foundation supports its mission by providing financial assistance to eligible students and funding research to promote growth and productivity within the awards industry.
Trotec Laser, Inc., President and APA Board Member Warren Knipple says he is honored to be a part of the association’s activities to support the awards industry, and adds that he is also thrilled that the system would land in the hands of a new business owner.
“The association’s efforts to support and promote retailers and suppliers in the awards industry falls directly in line with our mission at Trotec to help our customers become more profitable,” says Knipple. “Like Chris Ziesig, many of our customers started out as new business owners, and we have had the pleasure of developing relationships with them and watching their businesses thrive and grow.”
For more information about Trotec, visit www.troteclaser.com.
