Success Story
Darwill Printing – Mark DeBoer, Director of Customer Experience (oversees internal team for estimating , client facing, account teams)
Darwill Printing primarily focuses on marketing communications and direct mail pieces although we have some digital initiatives. We offer a multi-channel approach to marketing for companies.
Several years ago an invite was sent to someone in our company and it landed on my desk. I didn’t believe the offer at first, that I could get money back on my current pressroom purchases without changing anything. I kept looking for the catch but soon realized that there was no catch. After talking to another member and checking with a few of our key vendors, I was comfortable with the group and joined.
I served on the GAA board for a few years, which gave me good exposure to the organization as a whole. I have had the opportunity to network with fellow members of the board which has been beneficial. There’s not much of a time commitment serving on the board and it’s easy to participate in.
We’ve seen savings in different programs. Not all programs have been applicable but we have used many of them. It’s a pretty simple process and the small membership fee pales in comparison to the savings. There’s no need to fill anything out or submit invoices as GAA automatically calculates the rebate. We just get checks and cash them. We’re getting at least $17,000 in rebates annually for a small investment.
We have opted to stay with some of our own programs because switching wasn’t worth it in certain instances. However, we’re seeing a natural windfall with programs that we ARE using.
Since joining GAA, we haven’t experienced any issues with prices going up. Nor have we received any negative feedback from vendors.
My experience on the board has shown me that the group runs to have parity with partners and vendors and not overflood supplier services. It’s a fair way to run the group in my opinion.
It’s only $500 per year to join. You might as well try it. If it works, you get your money in returns, and if not, you can leave the group. You’ll have access to bigger deals that you wouldn’t be able to set up yourself.
