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| Born in Worcester MA, Brett Carlson moved to Manchester CT when his father accepted an offer to become manager of the Hartford sales office of an industrial cutting tool company. Graduating from Manchester High School, Brett earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Technology from Central Connecticut State University.
As a bachelor in his 20s, Brett moved across the country to become a manufacturing engineer at BOEING Commercial Airplane Company in the State of Washington. “I helped to coordinate the final assembly of large commercial airplanes,” he recalls. “It was a remarkable experience. The sheer magnitude of the shop floor and logistics were mind-boggling. Little did I realize how valuable that experience would be years later, in planning and organizing the flow of a fast-paced promotional products business. It’s ironic, too, that my business would be located in East Hartford, CT—home to one of the world’s largest manufacturers of airplane engines.”
After five years at Boeing, Brett was sensing that it was time for a transition. His father and older brother had gone into the promotional products business. Brett decided to follow in their footsteps. He worked for his brother’s promotional products firm during the day and worked the second shift at Boeing. Over time, he was ready to cut the cord at Boeing. Brett’s dad began to have some health issues, so Brett packed up his Honda Accord and drove across the USA to be back with his family. He rented an apartment in East Hartford, then bought a condominium. In March of 1986, Professional Promotions was officially born in one of his condo bedrooms equipped with a desk, a typewriter, and a phone. “I made 26 cold calls a day for nine months,” Brett says, believing by faith that the business would succeed.
In 1988, Brett got married. A few months later, the newlyweds faced a huge challenge. During his college years at CCSU, Brett had boxed, and it now came back to haunt him. Past punches and injuries resulted in both of his retinas detaching at the same time. For eight weeks, Brett was totally blind. “That’s not the way you want to start a new marriage and new business,” he says, “but by God’s grace the open eye surgery worked and my eyesight was restored.”
In 1989, Brett moved the business from the condominium bedroom to the couple’s first home. He then moved the firm to commercial offices on Bissell Street, then to Prestige Park, and then to its present facility on Goodwin Street.
For over 20 years, Professional Promotions has managed to stay in the black through the economic ups and downs. What is Brett’s secret? “When clients hire us,” he says, “they can consider it done. We have succeeded through extraordinary customer service. For example, in recent years, out of 1,500 orders handled, just 3 missed the delivery deadline! That’s less than 1/5th of 1% versus recently-published industry stats as high as 32%. This high level of reliability and service, combined with fast turnaround and quality product at fair prices, is a recipe for satisfied customers in any economy.”
On the personal side, Brett and his family reside in Bolton. He is an elder, leadership trainer, and youth ministry volunteer at Wintonbury Baptist Church in Bloomfield and is active in workplace Bible studies.
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The Professional Promotions team consists of experts in promotional products, event planning, branding and promotion. For over 20 years, we’ve operated a business with integrity that seeks to treat everyone well—so we tend to keep our managers and employees for a long time. You benefit from our creativity, stability, maturity and experience...while having fun, too!
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| We are members of the Metro Hartford Alliance... |
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| ...and the East Hartford Chamber of Commerce |
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