Building a Business and Supporting the Community Along the Way

When Marc founded his company, Off the Wall Products, in 1989, he was adamant about doing things differently. Besides producing superior products, he was committed to helping grow cool charities and non-profits. Today OTW Safety has ambassadors in more than 10 major cities, from San Diego to Miami, and is still dedicated to carrying out charitable work in all of its markets.

As an employee at The Park City Ski Area, Marc worked on the America’s Opening World Cup Ski race for several years. As with any event, sponsors were crucial, and building brand awareness was the main motivation for event sponsorship. The event coordinators used typical banners and signs to advertise, but also needed barricades, and the choices were limited. The only crowd barriers available then were galvanized steel. They were heavy, often bent or rusted, and difficult for volunteers to set up. There was no built-in signage option or any way to support the sponsors. Seeing this need in the marketplace, Marc designed an alternative: a lightweight plastic barricade with a built-in advertising display.

The new barricade design turned out to be ideal for use at community sponsored events. Fundraisers can generate revenue by selling advertising space, and event sponsors have the chance to increase brand awareness while using the donation as a tax deduction.

Here are some tips for navigating in the event world:

When choosing sponsors, keep the focus local.

By staying local, charities can raise a lot of money while supporting hometown businesses and making a positive impact. You could go to CocaCola and sell all your advertising space or you could approach local businesses, raise the same amount of money, and increase brand awareness for the businesses that depend on you and your attendees.

When choosing a charity, keep it personal.

As a business, choose to support charities that mean something to you and to your community.

We believe that charitable work and the safety industry go hand-in-hand and we always encourage outreach within your own community. At OTW Safety we’re committed to helping local charities, non-profits, and the business community at large. If you’re an event organizer, consider using our Billboard Barricade to meet your revenue goals and give businesses a platform to attract customers.