Thornton & Grooms — Webstore, Jackets & Client Gifting Pipeline

Client

Thornton & Grooms — one of Michigan's largest HVAC and plumbing companies. Karen B. (webstore), Candice H. (Marketing), Katrina J. (original contact).

Goal

One reliable partner for all branded apparel and promotional needs — simple, predictable ordering for management and staff.

Challenge

• Quotes didn't match final invoices — sometimes by large amounts.
• Staff ordering from cheap online sites; hidden costs and confusing checkout.
• No clear owner when issues arose across multiple vendors.

Solution

• Custom webstore live ~1.5 years — transparent live pricing, one point of contact.
• Centralized apparel, jackets, beanies, and promo gear.
• Dedicated jacket stores so every employee could try samples for size and color before ordering — repeated annually and expanding.
• Karen B. used as reference — helped win another company webstore.

Result

• ~$20,000 in year one; program still growing.
• Karen B.: "You're the best. You make my job so easy — I feel like I don't have to do anything."
• Candice H.: "I'd love to get you some more business in this company. We love working with you."
• In active talks: annual client gifting for ~10,000 HVAC/plumbing subscription customers — curated catalog built, first gift set in planning.

Key takeaway

Turnkey merch programs earn trust first — then expand into client gifting at scale. Thornton & Grooms went from vendor chaos to treating us like staff.