Although it had never been an intention of the Lamont brothers to go into business together or with their father, in 2005, brothers Jerry and Mel Lamont Jr. joined their dad, Mel Lamont Sr., in running the business he had recently bought, Houston Embroidery Works, a shop originally focused on monogramming materials for individuals. Chief Marketing Officer Jerry Lamont said the business, which had been open for about 25 years, only did roughly $80,000 annually. Now, the business has grown to be in the top 3 percent of the industry.
“We basically transformed the company from a small ‘teddy bear and specialty shop’ to a customer-driven business specializing in multi-location customers,” Jerry Lamont said.
In 2013, they restructured Houston Embroidery Works, and Lamont Brands Inc. was formed.
Lamont Brands, a HUB-certified service disabled veteran-owned business (historically underutilized business), works to provide the promotional and safety products your business needs. In-house embellishment capabilities include screen-printing, embroidery, rhinestones, heat press transfers, laser engraving and thermal flex designs, as well as e-commerce solutions and on-site fulfillment services. Lamont Brands is also a provider of safety apparel and PPE.
By using Lamont Brands, customers can consolidate their vendors into just one turnkey provider. This enables their customers to drive costs down, simplifies the purchasing process and creates brand consistency for all locations.
Another benefit of using Lamont Brands is its e-commerce program, a purchasing platform that enables customers to receive products quickly. By using Lamont Brands’ e-commerce solution, customers receive their orders fast — often same-day or in 24 hours.
Utilizing the e-commerce solution is especially beneficial for multi-location businesses that have purchasing at one location and several outside branches. Businesses seeking to control their branding through a centralized platform and show significant cost savings, also benefit from the e-commerce program.
Lamont Brands keeps the majority of its goods on-site at its 21,000-square-foot Houston facility so they are readily available for fulfillment. By keeping these products in stock, Lamont Brands can “control the destiny” of these products without dealing with a middle man. Local customers can pick up their orders same-day at the facility. This means no lag or lead time for promotional items or safety apparel when it’s needed fast for an event or to put your team members to work on a jobsite.
Keeping abreast of technological upgrades is something Lamont Brands prides itself on. By constantly striving to improve its systems and e-commerce program, Lamont Brands is able to reduce customer costs and fill orders quickly and efficiently.
Safety apparel and PPE is a budding market at Lamont Brands, and customers can benefit by using one vendor for both safety/ PPE and promotional products for events.
“Our fastest-growing market is our safety business, whether it’s FR coveralls, high-visibility vests and jackets — all the way to hardhats and safety glasses,” Jerry Lamont said. “We do a lot in the turnaround petrochemical business.”
Although Lamont Brands has grown into the top 3 percent of its industry, the company has done this through word of mouth and referrals, not an excessive number of salespeople. Until two years ago, Lamont Brands did not have any outside sales representatives, and now the business has several. This sets Lamont Brands apart from competitors of similar size in the safety and promotional marketing business.
“We have grown our business through servicing our customers and doing what we say we are going to do, not having a ton of sales people banging down doors,” Jerry Lamont said. “We’re a service-driven company, not a sales-driven company. “We provide solutions and programs, not products.”
For more information, visit www.lamontbrands.com or call (281) 286-7553.