World Trade Week speaker: We need speed

The president of Notions Marketing in Grand Rapids, the world’s largest distributor of creative arts and crafts products, said a willingness to change is why the 78-year-old company has experienced explosive growth.

Adrienne Stevens was the keynote speaker at West Michigan World Trade Week May 12 at the L. William Seidman Center, sponsored by Grand Valley State University's Van Andel Global Trade Center and the U.S. Commercial Service. Stevens has led Notions Marketing through explosive growth while strengthening the organization through technology, facilities and talent. 

"We have seen our revenue continue to climb, so why change? Change is how we've stayed ahead," said Stevens. "We are willing to embrace new thinking and ideas. The biggest change we've seen for our business is that people want their product right now — we need speed."

Stevens said the company set a goal of accomplishing same-day shipments and invested money in a new distribution center with state-of-the-art equipment to achieve that goal. Stevens said 96-percent of their orders are e-commerce, accounting for 50 percent of their sales. Notions has more than 900 employees; the company ships 30,000 packages each day and processes five million orders annually.

West Michigan World Trade Week is in its 31st year bringing together a multitude of Michigan business leaders to discuss local strategies for export success, focusing on ways to increase exports and bring more business opportunities to West Michigan.

The West Michigan World Trade Week Planning Committee is comprised of volunteers from more than 20 internationally focused companies and organizations. The committee leadership alternates on an annual basis between the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Van Andel Global Trade Center.