FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 7, 2005
Contact: Stacey Swank, Business Development Manager
Pinellas County Economic Development
(727) 464-7425 or sswank@pinellascounty.org

PostcardMania Buzz:
Empower Your Team to Serve Your Customers 

There is a buzz going around the nation now, empower your people and train them to better serve your customers. PostcardMania CEO and Founder, Joy Gendusa, is ahead of the curve and is utilizing a State of Florida training grant to enhance her employees’ skills.

One of the 500 fastest growing firms in the nation
PostcardMania, recently named one of the 500 fastest growing firms in the nation by Inc. magazine, is a leader in the marketing and direct mail industry.  The company employs over 100 people and is diversified in its product line offering an array of services designed to meet the individual needs of PostcardManina’s clients. Headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, Joy Gendusa operates her business on a simple principle: if her employees are better trained, they will be happier and more productive, which will increase the percentage of satisfied repeat customers.

Training is “Essential”
“I believe on-the-job training is essential to creating a good team who are cohesive and focused on the providing our customers excellent service. It also makes our individual employees feel more certain and secure, not only in their career, but in their personal life as well,” states Gendusa. “Training staff is a very valuable tool, but it can get very expensive for the small business owner. I am certainly glad that the State of Florida has this program to fill this critical need and help small businesses succeed.”

PostcardMania was awarded over $19,000 through the Incumbent Worker Training (IWT) Program, and is eager to begin training. The company will be implementing innovative training programs in graphic design, printing, sales, customer service, marketing and public relations.

“I have always felt employee training was important to a successful business, but professional development and personal growth is important to me not only as a business owner, but as a mentor and leader as well,” Joy explains. Before she received PostcardMania’s approval letter, plans were already underway to remodel the company’s warehouse into a staff training facility equipped with audio-visual equipment, training manuals and reference materials for their industry. “The grant really allowed us to speed up our processes and implement training much sooner than we anticipated.”

Investing in the workforce and the company’s future
The Incumbent Worker Training Program is funded through the State of Florida’s Workforce Development Agency, Workforce Florida. The agency works in partnership with local economic development organizations to market the program and solicit qualified training projects from employers. The program is designed to increase worker’s skill levels making them both more valuable in the workforce and more productive in their careers.

“The cooperation and assistance we received from Pinellas County Economic Development and WorkForce Florida was essential to PostcardMania receiving this grant,” Gendusa explains. “Without these organizations and their extensive outreach and business expansion programs, I never would have known such a program existed. These organizations worked with PostcardMania to ensure a successful training schedule that will benefit all of our employees. I’d encourage more companies to contact Pinellas County Economic Development to learn more about this valuable program.”

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For more information about PostcardMania, visit www.postcardmania.com, or contact Karla Jo Helms-Eicher, VP of Public Relations for PostcardMania at (727) 441-4704.

For more information about Pinellas County Economic Development, and their business expansion and training incentives, visit www.pced.org or call (727) 464-7332