When we connected with Steve Shriver of organic lip balm company Eco Lips a few weeks ago, nothing could have prepared us for how much this brand would rock our world. Eco Lips first made our list of must-get-to-know-customers in September, when a chance social media chat lead to the arrival of a generous care package filled with their yummy lip-healing magic. We were so touched by the gesture, we just had to learn more about this friendly company.
Eco Lips manufactures high quality certified organic and fair trade lip care along with private label contracting services. But probably the coolest thing we discovered whilst researching the brand is that they have built a whole online platform through www.my.ecolips.com that allows the user to create their own personalized stick of lip-balmy goodness.
If that weren't trend-setting enough, Eco Lips also prioritizes social responsibility and is known for initiating the largest solar power project in their home state of Iowa. In short, it didn't take long for us to realize that this company is the cool kid in class that we want to be just like;)
Perhaps the #1 reason the Eco Lips story really took root in our hearts was a simple anecdote that came up during the interview process. During an email exchange, Steve wrote:
"We used your stickers last year to mourn the passing of our good friend and CEO Mark Patterson. He was 34 with 3 small children and a great friend of mine. I promoted him from VP of Sales to run this business. He rode his bike to California and back a few years back...just a good healthy guy that died suddenly of an Aortic Aneurism. Anyway, we got stickers made and they are ending up everywhere....so it's great to see the spirit of Mark continue through your stickers."
We were touched by his words and reflected on the feedback during our weekly staff meeting. The story brought forth reflections about our own passion for social impact, and it made us proud to know that we are doing business with the likes of people that revere their Team members the same way we do. Collectively, it was also nice to learn that something as simple as making stickers was impacting the remembrance of a legacy, something that all of us empathize with.
Q&A with Steve Shriver
What do people really dig about your product/services?:
We are the original organic lip balm! Our products are made with care in our boutique manufacturing space in the historic Cherry Building located in the New Bohemia district of Cedar Rapids, IA. Our lip balms are certified organic, made with fair trade ingredients, made with wind power offsets, and we are certified B corporation (the B stands for Benefit). Because of our emphasis on USDA certified organic food grade ingredients, our lip balms work better to moisturize and protect.
Who are the awesome people behind the curtain at your company/project and what do they do?:
We are a fusion of cyclists, climbers, disc throwers, disc spinners, glass blowers, clay throwers, music makers, bee keepers, boat floaters, yogis & yoginis, photo takers, foodie bakers, some daddies & mommies, who occasionally hug trees, eat dirt, splash air, get air, play notes, mountain pose, beat skin, touch fins, find peace within….this family, this tribe, this friendship exists because
of our passion for lips.
Steve Shriver: Founder/CEO
Billy Valencia: VP of Operations: Production. Makes sure the balm gets made by his production team. Manages the production room and all of the equipment.
Jeff Kleineck: VP of Operation: Fulfillment. Makes sure his team properly packages and ships more than 20,000 lip balms per day.
Rob Shriver: VP of Sales: Manages sales reps and works with customers. We are currently growing at more than 40% thanks to Rob and his team.
Kathy Murphy: Private Label Sales Director: works with people who want to put their label on our amazing lip balms!
Jen Johnson: Product Development Goddess: Develops all of our new products
There are many more people who deserve to be mentioned!
Why/How do you use stickers as a marketing or outreach tactic?:
We include stickers in our outgoing orders. People love to have a little Eco Lips sticker to put on their phone, laptop, desk, folder, bike, car or wherever they feel inclined.
What advice would you give to a company thinking about using stickers as a marketing tactic to wow their fans. What has worked for you, what hasn’t, etc?:
Stickers are awesome! People stick them in the craziest places and are typically proud of stickers they've placed. A business can get tens of thousands of brand impressions from stickers fairly easily.
List some ways that fans can support your brand to encourage growth apart from buying your product or service?:
Share our site with a friend.
Be a responsible human and buy eco friendly products.
We have a new video which we would love to share and be shared:
Can you leave links to your social media outlets so that our community can get social with you?:
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/ecolips
Don’t panic, it’s organic! To learn more visit www.ecolips.com or call 866.326.5477.
Be a responsible human and buy eco friendly products.
They even have a new video featuring Steve Shriver's daughter acting as their new CEO. Worth the watch and don't forget to share!:
