Punchline

Have you ever wondered where bubble pens or stress relievers are made? No, they aren't from the North Pole but from Punchline Inc. in Skokie - a manufacturer/supplier of promotional products.

Twenty-five years ago Ron Schimmel started Punchline as a keychain manu-facturer that developed a sonic welding technique to fuse plastic allowing for the mass manufacture of personalized keychains. Today Punchline still makes key chains as well as a huge line of promotional products. 

Punchline prides itself on providing fun, cutting-edge promotional items. Some very cool examples are the 'Touchable Bubble' pen, that produces the unfathomable -'a catchable bubble.' The formula is a company secret and one of 23 Punchline patents. They also carry pens, flying discs, gumball machines, clocks, and the ever popular 'stress relief in a box,' all imprintable with just about any company's logo or slogan. 

The promotional products industry is especially competitive and Punchline stays ahead by participating in 9 national trade and 10 to 15 end-user shows. They also have four internal sales team members and several multi-line reps, all servicing a customer base of over 4500. 

Growth has been phenomenal (over 35% for the last two years) and in 1999 Punchline purchased a 65,000 square foot building to house its 125 team members, inventory, imprinting/stamping presses, and its newest addition a high speed machine that imprints 7000 pens per hour.

Aside from the product line itself Punchline attributes its growth to its policy of always providing high quality products and even higher service levels. Not a company that rests on its laurels, Punchline was one of the first promotional products companies to provide next day delivery, and the next goal is same day service! As a company, Punchline focuses on getting customers to come back more often. Another important factor is a low rate of employee attrition due in large part to the company culture that promotes from within and empowers team members, by allowing them to make their own decisions.