A Royal Welcome by Erik
I am the Operations Manager at Northwest Custom Apparel, and I have witnessed many holiday parties at our company since I was three years old in 1977. However, nothing quite compares to the organized party we had on December 16, 2023, at the Indochine restaurant in Tacoma. Our team exchanged our work clothes for prom attire to celebrate our 2023 successes with a Winter Prom to remember. Here’s the inside scoop on the fantastic night that we all enjoyed, including the awards we received as employees.
- Erik’s Welcome: At the event, Erik Mickelson, who was the speaker for the night, started with a blend of humor and gratitude. He playfully referred to his upcoming 50th birthday, which falls on February 14th, 2023, and mentioned that he is a Valentine’s Day baby. He also joked about needing reading glasses and getting his first cavity right before hitting the milestone age.
- Mongkon Ham, who served as our production manager from 1982 to 2012, attended the event along with her husband Steve. They sat next to the owner, Jim Mickelson, to commemorate the 30 years of service that Mongkon had put in. They also discussed her retirement and spending more time with her grandchildren.
- Focus On Teamwork: I expressed my gratitude to the staff for their contribution to the team’s success this year. Accomplishing our goals was only possible because of the collective effort and importance of every individual. Our focus on teamwork was evident in our WOW program, which we used to thank our customers for their business. As a result of our efforts, our embroidery sales increased by 20%.
- Jim’s Welcome: Jim stood up and took the microphone to welcome the team members to the 46th Christmas party. He encouraged everyone to enjoy the night and thanked the staff for being exceptional team members who helped increase our company sales by 7%.
A Queen’s Tribute: Ruthie’s 25-Year Service
- From Operator to Production Manager: Ruthie’s journey from machine operator in 1998 to Production Manager in 2012 s nothing short of amazing.
- 20% Increase in embroidery sales: Her leadership has not only increased our embroidery sales by 20% but also introduced efficient processes for our custom webstore orders.
- Crystal Award and Vegas Surprise: Ruthie received a crystal award with 25 years inscribed on it. Ruthie’s big surprise was a trip to Las Vegas, complete with a mini slot machine reveal and $500 of spending money while in Vegas.
Fun Awards at Northwest Custom Apparel Winter Prom Party
- Always Timely: Sorphorn’s punctuality captured in an engraved time clock.
- Distributor of Smiles: Nika lights up every room with her smile and positivity.
- Ultimate Team Player: “Ali is a person who exemplifies support of team members and Ruthie.
- Innovator of the Year: Brian, our problem-solver extraordinaire. Brian keeps the Kornit printers running keeping production rolling.
Years of Service Awards
- Kanha & Brian: 5 Years Service
- Steve & Bradley: 6 years (the ‘5+1 Special’). Last year Erik forgot their award.
- Savy’s 15-Years: Savy had 15 years service as our Custom embroidery machine operator.
Celebrating Sales Awards: Nika and Taylar
- 1.25 M In Sales Award: Nika and Taylar, both had sales of 1.25M. This marks the first time in company history that two sales reps have hit this sales goal.
| Sales rep | sales goal |
|---|---|
| Nika | $1.25M in sales |
| Taylar | $1.25M in sales |
A Winter Prom to Remember
- King and Queen of the Night: After I was crowned as the King and Ruthie as the Queen, we celebrated by having a few dances with our spouses. The production staff entertained us with some fast-paced Cambodian music, and Kanha, who was among them, showed off some great dance moves and light-footedness.
- Accordion Tunes: Toby Hanson, our accordion player of 15 years, filled the air with Christmas songs.
- Snapshot Souvenirs: Ali’s photo booth creation allowed us to capture our prom night memories against a charming Christmas backdrop. We were provided with a QR code that we could use to upload all our photos. This made it easy for the staff to check out the prom photos when they returned to work. It was a great way to remember such an amazing party!
Wrapping Up with Cheer
As the clock struck 9 PM, we ended our Northwest Custom Apparel Winter Prom Party. We packed up all the leftover food and boxes and loaded them into our cars. The night was filled with laughter, smiles, and a few surprises by Erik that reminded us all why Northwest Custom Apparel is more than just a company – it’s a family.
Erik’s Thank You
“I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who helped organize the winter prom. It was the most well-organized Christmas party that Northwest Custom Apparel has had since 1977 when I was only 3 years old. We are looking forward to a prosperous 2024 and aim to achieve a sales target of 3 million dollars. Our customers can expect to receive more amazing gifts throughout the year. Our company’s webstores will be our main source of revenue, with Nika and Taylar working closely with our loyal customers to move them into the future of online shopping.”
