Food and beverage producer Smucker’s leaned into the uniqueness of their name with a tagline that reads, “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good.”

Similarly, when a company in the promotional products industry goes by the name Rush Service, there are certain expectations. They doubled down by adding a tagline that says, “Fast. Affordable. Reliable.”

This isn’t just lip service. We sat down with Zac Means, Sales Director at Rush Service, to look behind the scenes and learn what the company does to live up to its name. When asked to provide a metaphor that explains the brand, Zac came up with “a mossy rock.”

Hear him out.

“The sales team is warm and soft like moss on the surface of a rock, but the production staff and behind-the-scenes magic is extremely strong and stable, like a rock.”

What it Takes to Be Fast

Rush Service prides itself on fast turnaround times. They have 24-, 48-, and 72-hour turns for more than 70% of their product line.

How is that possible?

Three reasons:

1. Adequate infrastructure
2. Night shift team
3. Large inventory

The company has invested in the infrastructure necessary to make as much happen in house as possible. Of their four locations, two are dedicated to storing blank goods, and two exist strictly for printing. They also recently opened a small facility exclusively for apparel. Having all the facilities located in Houston, Texas allows more flexibility and control over the entire process and enables an agile production process. This in-house production also allows for Rush Service to correct problem jobs promptly, should they arise.

To achieve their fast turnarounds, Rush Service does daily transfers of goods and overnight scheduling of all rush projects, so they know what to pick, print, and ship. Overnight picking and production file setup by a small night shift team lays the foundation for manufacturing success when the sun comes up.

The large inventory they keep domestically in two locations is what allows them to meet 24- and 48-hour turn times on so many products. That and the fact that they print about 70% of their catalog in house.

There’s more to infrastructure than just buildings and machines; there’s intentionality. Rush Service is proud to be a tech-forward entity. They provide a 15% discount for online orders to ensure their platform is future-proof. They are integrated with SAGE for the sake of continuity. And they even have an automated process that prints “one day” on all orders that need to be filled in one day (and so on up to 3-day orders). The speed is in those kinds of details.

Affordability is Relative Until it Comes to Rush Charges

Rush Service has competitive product prices, but it’s the rush charges (or lack thereof) where they shine. They offer free (that’s $0) rush on some products and low-cost rush on others. For example, with lanyards and can coolers there is no additional cost for 2-day service.

Reliability: Teamwork Really Does Make the Dream Work

In addition to the overnight team that lays the foundation for success, other employees also exemplify the reliability aspect of the tagline.

Take Jasper, for instance.

Jasper has been with the company about three years now and is a massive go-getter. He answers calls fast, is always willing to make rush projects work and arrive on time. He watches and actively communicates with the customer through the whole life cycle of an order. He is not done with a sale until the client has the product and is happy. In a world where many customer service representatives think their job is done once an order reaches production, Jasper stays with customer through the entire life cycle of an order. He cross-checks mailing labels and follows up with customers after they receive the order. That’s just one example of reliability at Rush Service.

That’s how they do it. That’s how Rush Service is fast, affordable, and reliable.