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Staying True

There was already a lot on Peter Clarke’s plate in 1988 when his father passed away and he inherited the family’s business, Clarkes Recognition Products Ltd. “I had a new house, a new baby, and all of the sudden I had to take over a business,” Peter says. “It was a bit overwhelming.”

Staying True

Clarkes Recognition Products Ltd. puts people and communities first.

By Caroline Heller

(Originally printed in the November/December 2022 issue of Insights.)

There was already a lot on Peter Clarke’s plate in 1988 when his father passed away and he inherited the family’s business, Clarkes Recognition Products Ltd. “I had a new house, a new baby, and all of the sudden I had to take over a business,” Peter says. “It was a bit overwhelming.”

In 1977, his father, John Clarke, bought a longstanding trophy business in British Columbia, with Peter joining the company’s workforce a few years later. When his father passed away, Peter felt apprehensive about assuming full responsibility for the company, particularly because there were big shoes to fill. “My father was all salesman. He was 6'5" and had a personality that filled the room,” Peter says.

But one serendipitous note helped Peter step into the role and guide the business to where it is today. “I was clearing out my father’s desk about six months after his passing, which was quite an emotional experience,” Peter says. “I found [this note] handwritten on a piece of paper: ‘There’s no limit to what a man can achieve if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.’”

“It didn’t impact me immediately. But as I evolved as a manager and a leader, I began to understand that quote more and more,” Peter says. “It takes the ego out of being a leader. It’s about providing the tools to your team to get the job done.”


Peter Clarke, owner, Clarkes Recognition Products Ltd.

In the awards and personalization business, every day is about the impact that words have. The work is dedicated to, say, engraving words on a plaque or creating a piece that recognizes a person’s achievement. “It’s so easy to get caught up in the details and lose sight of the reasoning behind what we do,” Peter says.

After all, he is someone who puts a lot of stock in words. In addition to the quote he found in his father’s desk, his company created a unique vision statement and set of values that emphasize the company’s commitment to people, real-life connections and community.


Finished work from Clarkes

Lifting the Human Spirit

About 13 years ago, Peter and his employees wanted to create a vision statement for the business. “We were looking for a connection to the reason behind why we do what we do,” he says. They landed on: “To ‘lift the human spirit’ through beautiful awards and recognition.”

The phrase not only stuck, but it’s helped guide some of his interactions with customers, too. A while back, a father came into their location to begrudgingly buy a trophy for his son. “He said to me, ‘I don’t believe in trophies or appreciation, but my son needs to be acknowledged,’” Peter says. Peter took the opportunity to talk to the man about why he felt that way. “If you know me a little bit, this is the kind of conversation I might have with someone,” Peter explains. What came out of the conversation was a realization that the man’s whole mindset regarding appreciation was a defense mechanism.

Ultimately, the father felt like he wasn’t acknowledged when he was doing good work, so he didn’t see the point in recognizing the efforts of other people—including his own son. “I shared with him some stories about what recognition can do for children,” Peter says. “He left with a wonderfully different perspective. I honestly felt like the spirit that we talk about in our vision statement left with him that day.”

It’s About People

The first of four values that Clarkes has is the emphatic phrase: “It’s about people!” Peter kept this idea in mind when the pandemic hit, and his company lost a lot of work. “My business during COVID-19 was down 85%,” Peter says. “But through the pandemic, I did not lay off anyone. I found alternatives to keep my team.”

Peter has six employees: Aaron, a customer service representative; Colette, Peter’s wife, who also is a customer service representative; Jay, Peter’s son, who is an engraver; Prafulla, an engraver; an assistant manager, Laura, who has been with the company for 26 years; and Jamie, the company’s lead production person. 

The value that the company places on caring for people was really tested during the pandemic, but Peter felt it was important to uphold it. “I still have my same team, and I’m really proud of that.”

Much of Clarkes’ business comes from corporate awards and accounts that Clarkes has had for several decades. One client of roughly 30 years requires 3,000 to 5,000 personalized items of various types every year. “We get the names at the end of January,” Peter says. “And we have them shipped out within six weeks. That fulfillment is an art form. It’s something that we’ve perfected as this client has grown.”

Building Character with Community

In 2016, Clarkes had to move to another location when they were forced out of an area due to exponential rent increases. “The government changed the zoning to allow technology in the area, and the value of the property we were leasing went from $1 million to $5 million in a year and a half,” Peter says.

He spent that time looking for a new place and found a property in Burnaby just shy of 5,000 square feet. Although Clarkes might now technically be beyond the city limits of Vancouver, the move did not deter Peter from focusing on his local community.

“My business has very proudly been part of the community in Vancouver. We focus our energy and marketing on our own community,” Peter says. “And we give back to our community in terms of supporting events and sponsorships with local sporting groups.”

 


The Clarkes Staff

Peter is also a second-generation Rotarian. “My father was involved with Rotary, and I’m a past president of the Rotary Club of Vancouver,” Peter says. “My business and experience have allowed me to partner with Rotary.” This year Peter is using his passion for training and storytelling to be his Rotary Club’s District Trainer-elect.

Clarkes is also a proud member of the APA and the Recognition Roundtable and loves how much both organizations foster a sense of community. “It’s great to meet other retailers at the Expo. It’s a great place to learn a lot and help you plan for the future,” Peter says.

At 66, Peter knows that retirement is in his near future, but he’s unsure of when that might be. However, he does have some words of advice for the future of awards and personalization businesses: “With e-commerce now, it’s so easy to forget supporters of your business,” Peter says. “To me, it’s important to sell and provide what we do to your own community.”

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