Chef Prize - The Beauty of Giving Back

Yesterday, an inaugural event was held at the breathtaking Hampton Green Farm in Fruitport Michigan called Chef Prize!  It might have been a little chilly to start, but as the day unfolded it did warm up a bit and a great time was had by all who attended. 

The food was exquisite, the setting was perfect and the cause was one that brought a community together.  None of the participating restaurants were paid to be there.  They even provided the food they sampled.

Photo courtesy Shelley Irwin/ Facebook

Our local hospital, Hackley Hospital has a branch called Hackley Community Care and they make getting medical care for those who are uninsured or underinsured possible, and they do it by going directly to the neighborhoods they serve.  This time around, it’s a teen health center in the Oakridge neighborhood of Muskegon. The amazing statistics of just how great the need for teen health care was the focus of the day and being a fund raiser great attention was given to some facts that most people just don’t know about health care.

Photo courtesy Shelley Irwin/Facebook

From our end, we worked to provide some of the banners, imaging and items that drew attention to the event and we pooled our resources to help Hackley Community Care and Hampton Green Farm with a small media tour of radio and television stations in the area to talk about the event.  We also leveraged our social media reach to help spread the word.   It’s a great feeling to know that the connections you have made over the years can pay off when something as important as the health of our kids is concerned.

Photo courtesy Shelley Irwin/ Facebook

We were honored to be a part of this great event and humbled by the opportunity to give back to the community that has so greatly blessed all of us.  On the way out, there was plenty of talk about Chef Prize 2016 and I have to wonder what the chef’s will dream up next year for this incredible event.

The Weekend Blog - The LST 393

Last week, we told you a little bit about one of the treasures in our home town of Muskegon Michigan the USS Silversides!  That’s not the only historic maritime attraction here!  We’d like to introduce you to the LST 393 as well.

Photo Courtesy LST 393 Dot Org

The LST 393 is moored in Downtown Muskegon and serves as another tribute to our “greatest generation”.  She served in WWII in the European theater and is credited with 30 round trips to Omaha Beach on D-Day.  Once her time in Europe was completed, she was heading for Japan via the Panama Canal when the war ended in September of 1945.  She is only one of two LST Class ships left in its original configuration… one of two out of 1050 ships like her built.  Needless to say, she’s a treasure.  You can click on the picture above for their website.

Today, the LST 393 serves as a museum, and has been painstakingly restored to her grey paint scheme.  She had been camouflaged for the trip to Japan when the war ended.  You will find a lot of interesting artifacts, events in and on top of the ship and walking her decks you can see what the crew saw day in and day out on board.  A few years ago, I took my dad on a walk thru of it as he served on an LST class that had been modified into a repair ship for the Vietnam War.  It was a great honor to see that ship through his eyes.  He remembered every door and where it led.

Like the USS Sliversides, I did a video about the LST a few years back.  If you’d like a short tour.  Have a look.   

Adhesive Prints From GH Imaging

An adhesive print might not be an everyday thought to you, but there are a lot of applications for adhesive prints that you might not be aware of.   If you’ll indulge us for a second, we’ll tell you a little about some of the latest products we offer to help your brand or team stand out.

Event-Trac is one of our favorites as this product has almost limitless abilities to accentuate your event and give you a new and unique platform for your sponsors.  Event-Trac is a durable, but temporary decal that can be applied to cement or asphalt surfaces.  The colors are vivid, the message is bold and you have a new direction to grab some attention in a non-traditional location.  Need to send people to the food and drink area?  How about restroom directions?  Maybe a large print at the entrance as a “welcome mat” if you will?  Event-Trac is an eye catching way to  be noticed!

Event-Trac

One Way Vision is beneficial in more ways than one.  One Way Vision adheres to windows and makes your entire store front an eye popping attraction showcasing your products, your people and your business personality. Along with the outward message, on the inside, One Way Vision helps keep direct sunlight out and might even drop the need for cooling costs in the summer.  You can still see everything going on outside with the micro perforated material it’s made of and you’ll add a splash to your store front.

One Way Vision

Vehicle Wraps and Graphics give you mobile advertising 24/7.  Think of your vehicle fleet and the miles they accumulate over the years.  They are in and out of destinations around town, they are widely seen on the road and they can boldly carry your business pertinent information like what business you are in, your contact information and your website.  Highly effective and doesn’t keep you to one area or store front to share your message.

Vehicle Wrap

QuickStick is similar to a magnet or sticker, but are much more versatile. It is made of a fabric based adhesive, allowing it to stick to multiple surfaces and be reused without wearing or damaging the surface it's applied to. Unlike a sticker, once you apply QuickStick, it can be removed and reapplied to another location. QuickStick offers the convenience and reusability of magnets, but sticks to virtually any surface - not just metal! It is a perfect application for walls or windows.

Indoor floor graphics add to your sponsor able assets by making your floor space and first line of sight come alive with team spirit messages, sponsor or league information or additional contact info.  They are not just for sports either, malls, stores, business that have large areas that people need direction in….all can be serviced with beautiful and vibrant floor graphics.  

 

Vibrant Floor Graphics

Wall Paper and Wall Wraps can define a business.  Your imagination is really the limit with what we can do with wall paper and wall wraps.  Would you like an entire city scape?  Maybe you’d like a calm and serene setting for your lobby?  Would you like to showcase “the good old days”?  We can help make that happen.  Bring us your idea and we’ll find a way to make your fantasy room come true.

Wall Paper

As you can see, we’ve done the homework.  We’ve got the tools and what we need is your imagination.  Click on the link to see the latest in all you’ve read about.  We’ll be happy to help your image stand out in any way you choose.

What's In a Monday?

Here it is!  You didn’t really ask for it and chances are, it snuck up on you kinda quick but….it’s MONDAY!

You could face it with a snarl.  You could go back to bed.  You could work behind closed doors till noon or 1.  You could so a lot of things but let’s take a good look at MONDAY.

It’s a new start!  It’s a new game!  It’s the golden opportunity to hit the reset button and begin to be the person you want to be.  Honestly, every day is a new start but Monday is special because it’s a building block.  You have a good Monday, and that leads to Tuesday and it’s acceptable, Wednesday comes along and you’re half way home for the week!  It’s a matter of getting off on the right foot and bringing your champions attitude with you.  If you lack a champions attitude….fake it, fake it till you make it.

We’re not immune to a case of the “Monday’s” but we believe that a new week of challenges defines who we are.  After all, those challenges wouldn’t be present if we didn’t have great customers and a highly a motivated staff to find solutions for them at a great price.  We take great pride in the image and message we share and we hope that comes across in our excitement for your project or need! 

Hopefully…we’ve given you a little pick me up for your Monday, and should you need a hand with a project or two….we’ve got the coffee on!  Get a hold of us.

Happy Monday!

The Weekend Blog - USS Silversides

Welcome to the weekend!  We’ve got a few minutes to chill with you this morning so, how about a peek at one of our hometown of Muskegon Michigan’s greatest treasures.  The USS Silversides.

Photo Courtesy Us National Register of Historic Places

The USS Silversides was commissioned on December 15^th 1941 and served in the Pacific theater of WWII racking up 23 sunken ships to her credit!  Only one American was lost on the submarine during her time.   The 23 sunk made the Silversides the 3^rd most lethal submarine in the Navy.  The Silversides is also has the most prolific combat record of any still extant United States submarine.

Today, the Silversides is painstakingly taken care of in the Muskegon Channel between Lake Michigan and Muskegon Lake and is available for tours, overnights and a history lesson or two for those younger people who may like an adventure.  The USS Silversides Museum is a growing monument to our military service men and women.  They work hard to bring in interesting speakers, special exhibits and maritime artifacts.  You can take a self-guided tour through her quarters and see, smell and feel just what it was like for our “Greatest Generation” to have served on this amazing ship.  You can also tour the Coast Guard Cutter McClane also located at the Silversides Memorial.

We are proud to have a National Landmark here in Muskegon.  If you like, you can watch this video produced by our blogger a couple years ago to learn a little more and take a peek through her hallowed hull.  We’d recommend you come take a look for yourself though, and bring the family for a nice day out and a lesson on what life was like on board the USS Sliversides.

Now, That's a Wrap!

At one point, the only vehicles you saw with a wrap on them were usually some kind of promotional vehicle for a radio station or maybe a bus sponsored by a sports team in your local community.  Well, there is a reason for that kind of vehicle treatment…..it works!

Your vehicle, or vehicles in some cases, are essential to your business and why wouldn’t you take advantage of the places your vehicles go, the people who see them?  Think of the daily impressions made by a stationary billboard.  Think of the impressions made by your website?  Think of your television, radio and print advertising.  Now, take all of the advertising outlets and make it mobile!

Everywhere you go stand out with a vehicle wrap!  John Belasco owns Belasco Electric in Muskegon Michigan and we asked him about his wrap – “It’s fantastic!!  I have even talked to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers about getting some of their vehicles wrapped by GH.  The response is phenomenal and everywhere you go, it turns heads and gets you noticed”

Our vehicle wraps use the highest quality inks, state of the art material and instillation by experts to give you the mobile power to stand out in any crowd!  It’s an exceptional value in advertising and brand awareness!  If you have a vehicle or a fleet, put them to work for you in ways you never imagined and in areas where you can reach people most.  Where they are!

Let us help you "wrap it up" click the image below for a quick quote on your vehicle!  

Say Thank You With GH Imaging

Recently, a local drive thru has implemented the phrase “It was my pleasure to take your order today” and “It was my pleasure to serve you today”.  Both very nice thoughts but let’s face it, a drive thru at 7am is about speed and accuracy and in as much as the pleasurable salutations are nice, they are often delivered to fast and with no genuine feeling behind them.  It feels like an airport actually….a busy one.

Yes, the daily grind often finds all of us trying to get to the next meeting, putting out this fire or that and as demand picks up so does everything that goes along with it.  It’s important to make sure that you are genuine with your words and actions and make sure to let people you work with and people you work for know that they are a valued and essential.   Be genuine in your gratitude.

There comes times too where an employee or customer deserves special recognition.  Maybe it’s a work mile stone or maybe it’s a loyalty reward.  Maybe they hauled in a big sale or maybe they found an innovative use for a product that somehow slipped past the R&D.  We can help with a huge selection of items customized just for you.

Take a look at our page dedicated to recognition and appreciation.  We can custom tailor just about anything to help you say thank you and show your genuine feelings.

Click on the plaque below to see ways we can help you say thank you!