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EDSA/I: Bob, ever since we have been with EDSA/I, we have seen you at all our shows. How did Atlas Pen & Pencil Corp. Come into being?

BOB: Atlas has its roots back in 1940 when my father Harold Schneider, was a young man living in New York City. He had a little imprinting machine and during the day he took orders for imprinted pencils. He imprinted the pencils at night and delivered the orders the next day. He did this for about two years, 1940 and 1941. He closed the business to enter the service in 1941. When he returned from the service in 1945, he reopened the business and started expanding, hiring salespeople and getting more equipment. The business grew steadily, and in 1958, he moved it from New York to Florida. My mother, Henrietta, joined the company in 1970. I came into the business in 1972 and my brother, Eric, in 1976. It was during those years that the business really started expanding. Today, we currently have 200 employees and about 100 different machines that either print, package, or in some way enhance the product. We have an 88,000 square foot building and on any given day, we ship out approximately 850,000 pencils.

EDSA/I: That's a lot of pencils!

BOB: A lot of pencils, and a lot of pens!

EDSA/I: What is the ratio of pencils to pens?

BOB: Pencils are probably 70%, pens 30%.

EDSA/I: When you joined Atlas in 1972, did you start at the top?

BOB: No, I wouldn't say I started at the top - I started in the back! The first few years I spent most of my time in the factory learning the ins and outs. I also tried to add a little ingenuity, or a little common sense, to how I thought we could streamline things and make Atlas a little more efficient. I got very familiar with production. I still spend a great deal of my time in production. I also spend a great deal of time in purchasing, in doing trade shows, and in direct selling to our dealer customers. Eric spends most of his time in the overall marketing, in communications (telephone systems, computer systems), and in direct mail campaigns. We have entirely different responsibilities, so it is very easy to work as a family. My mother is still very involved in the company as our creative director. She puts together catalogs, writes ad copy, and is very much an integral part of the company. My father is semi-retired now, but he is also still involved. He spends time at the office almost every day - keeps all of us on our toes. So even though we've evolved into a 200+ employee company with many managers and supervisors, Atlas is still a family business.

EDSA/I: Atlas is very different now from those early days in New York. What factors do you consider have had the most influence in your growth as a company?

BOB: Well, we started as a company that just sold imprinted pencils. We've evolved into a company that not only sells pencils and pens, but about 300 other advertising specialty items.

EDSA/I: What percentage of your market is the school supply industry?

BOB: I'm not certain of the exact percentage, but the educational market is an essential part of our company.

EDSA/I: We did a telephone survey of dealers that was published in our magazine (Dealer Talk, March/April issue). We heard some good things about your support of dealers. Just what is your dealer policy?

BOB: Atlas is a very visible company. We are a household name with teachers and schools. We get letters and calls from teachers all the time saying, "Where can we get your products?" Basically, our policy is to direct these teachers to their closest dealer who supports us and carries our products.

EDSA/I: Dealers told us they really appreciated that.

BOB: Dealers love it. It's like finding a new customer who not only comes in to buy Atlas pencils, but everything else that dealer sells. We support the dealers to thank them for supporting us.

EDSA/I: Can you explain to us how you imprint pencils?

BOB: Most of the pencils we sell to the school supply industry are foil wrapped and/or silk-screen printed. I'm not sure you have seen the new bright and shiny glitzy foils. They are the best sellers in the educational industry. The dealers love the foil pencils with designs silk-screened on them. We start with just a plain pencil with no paint on it. Then we take the foil which is a roll (like gold leaf) and we actually wrap the pencil with it. The foil is like a thin film. Our machines have a way of heat transferring the foil onto the pencil. From that point, we can imprint a message, a design, or a motif on the pencil. We start with an idea. That idea is given to an artist who comes up with approximately 12 different variations on the theme using different pencil colors and different message colors. We have four people in our art department who have a lot of creative concepts that go into making the finished design. When we have our dozen samples, we try to get a consensus of what we think the consumer will ultimately choose. Many times we will bring these sample pencils to a show and get the dealers input before we reach a final decision. I believe we are the only manufacturer in the industry that actually silk-screens on top of a foil wrapped pencil Silk-screening gives the best detail and the finest quality.

EDSA/I: Pens are really different from pencils.

BOB: Most of the pencils wind up in the hands of K-5 - that's the pencils age. The pen comes a little later.

EDSA/I: Do you put the glitter on the pens, too, as well is imprinting?

BOB: Yes. We start with a plain white pen and wrap the barrel in foil. The foils come in 50 different colors and designs. After the foil is on, we can imprint them. We pride ourselves in being able to custom imprint very low quantities at very reasonable prices for dealers. Dealers can order just a few hundred custom pens or pencils with their name imprinted for back-to-school or holiday specials. Even on custom imprinted orders, we turn the order around in ten days.

EDSA/I: Pencils have really changed since we went to school. Some years ago, Richard Dozier gave us some pencils to give out on Halloween. We gave the kids a choice between the pencils and dimes. The pencils went first!

BOB: Next to Christmas, Halloween is our biggest holiday. There are a lot of people who buy pencils for Halloween treats.

EDSA/I: We visited the kids at Jacobson School in Las Vegas, Nevada (See Jacobsonville, Community of Learners, July/August, 1994 EDSA International Magazine). The school had an integrated school activity that consisted of student businesses. The students who had an educational supply store told us that pencils were their best sellers. They said that kids liked the exciting colors - the brighter the better!

BOB: Most dealers will say the same. They sell more units of pencils than anything else in the store. We stock over 400 different designs at all times.

EDSA/I: What is the best way to get dealer feedback?

BOB: The trade show is real important - talking face to face with the dealers. We also talk to dealers on the phone constantly. Susan Hahn, who is our Sales Manager, is probably the main reason for our growth and our success in this industry. We have the quickest shipping. Typically, we ship most orders in three days. We have the lowest minimums for free freight and the most competitive pricing in the industry. And we're sure we have the best quality.

EDSA/I: In this industry so many of the top officers of a company attend the trade shows. As vice president of Atlas, why do you think it is important for you to attend the shows?

BOB: First of all, I love the people in the industry. This is probably the nicest group of people of any industry we do business with. A lot of the people are ex-school teachers, as am I. Attending trade shows also helps me keep my finger on the pulse of the industry - to know what people are talking about, what they are looking for, and what other companies are doing. There's no substitute for one-on-one feedback. We hear good things, and we are big enough and strong enough to take criticism. If some dealers think we can do something better, they are not shy about giving us their ideas. And we listen. We try to respond and react to what the dealers want.

EDSA/I: We didn't know you were a teacher. What did you teach?

BOB: I taught 8th grade American History right after I got out of college. I was working on my Master's Degree and was able to take all the courses I needed at night. I needed some money and someone recommended that I take a teaching job. I never took an education course in my life-I'm a political science major. So I went down to the Board of Education the first day of classes and said, "I'd like to teach, here are my credentials." I happened to have a minor in psychology. As I recall, if you had a minor in psychology, you can get a temporary teaching certificate good for one year, you had to pass a National Teaching Examination. I got the job and I loved it. I think I learned more than the kids did. It was a great experience. I believe my teaching experience provided the impetus to work with the educational dealers.

EDSA/I: Where was that, Bob?

BOB: It was in Memphis. That's where I was living then. That's where I also met my wife, Susan. She was attending the Memphis State University.

EDSA/I: Do you have any children?

BOB: I have two boys. My oldest son, Brian, is 23 and graduated with an engineering degree from Cornell University. David, my youngest son, is a junior at Syracuse University majoring in communications.

EDSA/I: Are they planning to go into the business with you?

BOB: I don't know. I'm not putting any pressure on them one way or the other. I'm going to leave that entirely up to them. However, if they do want to join the business, I think I'll insist that they work somewhere else for a few years first.

EDSA/I: So they have a realistic idea of the world?

BOB: Right. We're very fortunate in that we have two great kids. They have never given us one day of trouble. They are both good students and motivated in their own ways. Whatever they decide is fine with me, and I'm sure they will do well.

EDSA/I: How do you feel about all the acquisitions in the industry, Bob?

BOB: It's not only this industry, it's business in general. It's the wave of the immediate future. I don't know if it's good, but it's the way of the world today.

EDSA/I: How do you envision the future of Atlas Pen & Pencil?

BOB: I envision Atlas maintaining its position as one of the dominant manufacturers of writing instruments in the world. Our goal has been to grow every year, and we have done just that! With the continued support and loyalty of our dealers, plus our potential for growth in national as well as international markets, I envision even a greater share of the marketplace. We will continue to keep our eyes and ears open in order to anticipate changes. Our ongoing goal is to meet our customers needs.

EDSA/I: We at EDSA/I appreciate all the pencils you supply for the workshops and seminars at the trade shows. We've always been grateful for your generosity.

BOB: We're more than happy to supply EDSA/I with pencils for the trade show workshops. We appreciate everything EDSA/I has done for us - giving us a forum to present our products to dealers.

EDSA/I: There will always be a need for pencils, regardless of computers or other electronic ways of communication.

BOB: That's exactly right.