The commonsku Crew Road-Trips to Texas

It’s true: everything is bigger in Texas. From the brisket sandwiches at Bu-cee’s, to the 8-lane Houston highways, to the deep regret found at Houston’s House of Pies, and to those eclectic bars and restos in Austin. Even stunning pre-storm Dallas sunsets as bigger in Texas.

But above all, for us, Texas is about friendship and camaraderie, it’s the people that make Texas, Texas. 

Part of the commonsku crew took to the road to ramble our way down highway 290, threading through Houston, Austin, and Dallas. Mark Graham (commonsku’s President and Chief Brand Officer), Bobby Lehew (Chief Content Officer), and Dave Shultz (VP of Supplier Partnerships) decided to put all our talk about community into action. By the trip’s end, we visited with over 80 industry friends in 4 days through tours, dinners, and meetings, and we consumed more Tex-Mex and brisket than one should probably have in a lifetime.

Our first stop began with our friends at Hirsch, who welcomed us with open arms. In their elegant showroom and conference room, we sat around with Peter Hirsch (owner), Paul Hirsch (VP), Brittany Frase (Dir of Sales & Marketing), Amanda Delaney (Marketing Manager), and Josh Pospisil (National Account Manager), and discussed the industry’s challenges and opportunities. We also explored how Hirsch evolved from Hirsch Gifts to simply, and proudly, “Hirsch” plus their incredible story of fortitude and tenacity, becoming one of the most trusted suppliers.

George, one of Hirsch’s longtime employees, a true craftsman, took us around the factory and warehouse. He explained how every piece of equipment and every process works within a brilliant framework of efficiency. From unpacking products to state-of-the-art decorating, to repacking products with a thousand different options and gifting variables. It’s this combination of technique and responsiveness that makes Hirsch a mecca for trending products by making the complexity of delivering hot consumer brands: simple. Our entire team was impressed by the wealth of knowledge of the factory team but also, their incredible pride in doing great work. Due to certain imprint processes and equipment being a part of Hirsch’s secret powers, we didn’t take factory floor photos, but trust us friends: your product, your orders, and your clients are in such great hands.

From Hirsch, we drove across the wide expanse of Houston to visit our good friends at Chameleon Like. Camila Linaweaver, Chameleon’s General Manager and a true artisan who has a master's in Printmaking, took us around to tour the Chameleon Like manufacturing floor.

From a myriad of cutting processing, dye processes, and massive printers carefully arranged to achieve an art-like effect, the Chameleon Houston location (as well as their Gilroy, CA factory, which we’ve visited before with owner Pierre Martichoux) is inspiring: it’s part creative lab, part art studio, and part factory. With a passion for sustainability, everywhere we looked there was strict attention to waste, dedication to excellent printmaking, and incredible skill at turning the world of kitting into high-impact campaigns. We even saw an area of the floor where customer goods were held in a bay, awaiting kitting, tightly wrapped under lock and key, but also carefully staged to avoid mismatching. Everywhere we looked was order, creativity, and craftsmanship.

Samples from projects greeted us featuring some of the world's most iconic brands, a “who’s who” of orders created by amazing distributors for A-list clients. We even spotted a project on the floor created by our good friends Robert Fiveash and Danny Rosin at BrandFuel, truly one of the most beautiful campaigns we’ve ever seen.

Toward the end of our tour, we sat in the warehouse as Creative Director Miles Carney gave us a sneak peek at a massive project soon-to-be-unveiled under the Chameleon umbrella of brands, and it was clear that this entire marketing team had a depth of talent and dedication rarely matched in such a young, passionate crew. We were inspired by their enthusiasm and design skill.

In the evenings, in Dallas, Houston, and Austin, we brought together suppliers and distributors over epic dinners with great conversation, and, of course, Texas-sized meals. Restaurants Caracol (Houston), Carpenter Hall (Austin), and Vidorra (Dallas) were well-loved by these passionate locals and we enjoyed learning about each other’s businesses: the struggles, the wins, and the joy of working together in such a vast and creative industry.

In the era of the virtual office, it’s easy to stay stuck behind our screens and relegate our relationships to text, email, Slack, and Zoom. But as we wove our way through Houston, Austin, and Dallas, visiting both suppliers and distributors, and seeing the projects and people that connect our intricate industry, we quickly realized that though this is one of the most admirable supply chains in business today, behind each and every process is a person who holds a story that can only be truly felt, in-person. 

We encourage you, if you haven’t done so, to take your team out from behind their screens to go connect with your key supplier partners and fellow distributor friends. Because you’ll soon see, that behind the countless orders, the high-pressure deadlines, and the supply chain challenges, lies an entire network of conscientious people who still care about making things in an industry that is both high art and profound craftsmanship. 

Oh, and if you do make it to Texas and are running low on fuel or are just hankering for a pound full of gut-ache brisket, we highly recommend Buc-ee’s.

Hope to road-trip to a destination near you, soon!