Difficult Times Call for Kind Measures

If you're someone who breathes oxygen right now, you know that the past few months have been the worst. For some, this might be the most trying time ever experienced. We've seen an economic downturn, mass panic, job losses, and worst of all, the loss of many lives. We have become acquainted with loneliness and struggle and adapted our lives hoping to find some shred of normalcy. But this isn't where the story begins either. No, our story begins with a blistering day in Central Texas where a company wasn't breaking records or winning awards and recognition, they were simply trying.

We are no stranger to Hungry Souls, a non-profit organization located right here in Austin Texas, whose main purpose is to feed children who don't know where their next meal will come from. In the past, we have donated over a hundred tumblers, mugs, and other drinkware, as well as several coolers with their logo printed on them. So when Chris King, the executive director of Hungry Souls, reached out to his friend of half a decade and the owner of Diamondback Branding, Will Lovelace, with an off-brand request the answer we knew would already be yes. Hungry Souls requested a vinyl wrap for the van that they use to deliver meals to families in Austin. While we do have vinyl printers, we don't offer vehicle wrapping services, but we did that day. When people are in need, and especially people who do good for others, the answer, simply put, can't be "no". So our team of production artists, department heads, and managers worked in the blistering heat that only Texans know so well to make sure their vehicle had the proper design to ensure that anyone who may see it knows whom to contact if they too need some help. Was the design perfect? Absolutely not. The heat caused some stretching in places as well as some bubbles, but it would remain in place for years, act as a moving billboard, and help to serve a group of people who live to serve others. It wasn't perfect, no, but it was more than enough.

We are reflecting on this past story because Diamondback Branding has recently had the pleasure of interacting with Hungry Souls again. We partnered with an affiliate company called ASI who wanted to help others during this time. This company created a donation plan where every dollar our company donated, to a non-profit of our choice, would be matched with one of their dollars donated to Feeding America. Diamondback Branding was able to donate one-thousand dollars to Hungry Souls which will help feed hundreds of local children facing food scarcity due to Coronavirus. This also means that one-thousand matched dollars will be given to Feeding America which helps feed families across this nation.

Food scarcity isn't about just going hungry because hunger affects so many different parts of people's lives. For children, whose families who are experiencing financial or home troubles, food shortage can create problems with concentration and behavior as well as lead to poor educational performance and higher drop out rates. And for the families that may be experiencing hunger, it is likely they experience difficulties with other basic needs such as housing, employment, and healthcare. And as true as that was months ago, those hardships will become even more extreme with COVID-19. So if you are in a situation where you can give, even just a little, remember that van with a few bubbles and a misaligned sticker here and there. Because it's not about giving the most amount or thinking that what you can give doesn't matter. It's about simply doing what you can, and most importantly, trying.

If you want to make a difference in the lives of local children, please visit hungry-souls.org.

If you wish to donate to Feeding America follow our link here feedingamerica.org.

And to read about the generous company that created this opportunity, visit their blog here at asicentral.com.

I am excited to announce that Diamondback Branding is now an Authorized YETI Customization Dealer. This is a big move for us, so I wanted to share what changes you can expect to see.

As of today, and moving forward, our minimums on YETI drinkware will be increased from 24 units to 48 units. You can mix sizes and colors to get to the 48-unit MOQ if there are at least 6 units per size/color. For example, you can purchase 24-20oz Black and 24-30oz White.

FREE SHIPPING to one location. All orders will ship ground for free to one location. Any orders requiring split shipping to multiple locations, specific labels and/or packing requirements, or expedited on a third-party account will be shipped to our warehouse and distributed from there.

FULL YETI manufacturers warranty. All YETI drinkware sold by Diamondback will be engraved by YETI and backed by the full replacement warranty. YETI will even re-engrave any item that is turned in for a warranty claim. We will no longer be offering printing on YETI drinkware, sold by us.

TURN TIME has always been one of our selling points. Unfortunately, over the past few years as we grew and stretched our supply chain, our turn time has increased, although our recent move will help with those aspects. Average turn time from PO to shipping will be 3-4 weeks. Although our in-house production crew can move product much faster than that, we often struggled to obtain stock before due dates. I believe this partnership will benefit our customers and end- greatly.

Seasonal Colors and YETI Exclusive Products. We now have access to all listed YETI colors and products and will be getting inventory reports to ensure that orders placed will be processed in the timeline needed.

Due to supply chain disruptions, we are temporarily unable to access YETI hard or soft coolers. We are hoping this will be resolved later this year or early next year.

In effort to align our policies to keep orders and proofs consistent we have placed a Side 1 branding policy in place, effective today. That means that all drinkware products must be branded on the predetermined Side 1 before branding the back side (Side 2).

Pre-Production samples will still be available at standard pricing +$25 under MOQ fee. However, because we want the samples to match the final run. YETI pre-pros will also take 3 weeks on average to process.

We are constantly expanding our brand partnerships and product line. We understand that some YETI orders may no longer fall within the policies listed above, and because of this partnership we will not be able to bend the minimums or turn time.

We here at Diamondback are advocates of brand diversity and would be happy to suggest similar products from other manufacturers that would better align with your minimum, branding method, or turn time.

I sincerely hope that you see this new journey as beneficial as we do, and I personally thank you for your business.

William Lovelace

Founder & CEO

Diamondback Branding LLC