Eclipse Awards International Inc is a boutique trophy shop that provides personalized trophies and awards. They provide a wide selection of personalized trophies and awards that are unique, creative and even eco-friendly. We spoke with Toby Barazzuol, Dream Leader at Eclipse Awards International Inc. to learn more about them!
What is your business called and what does it do?
Eclipse Awards – maker of fine custom trophies. We make customized awards, plaques and trophies to help you recognize the special people in your community. We do all design and production in-house to control the quality and lead times.
What made you want to do this work?
Before starting Eclipse Awards, I worked at a small export company where my boss had a side business of making crystal awards and trophies. There I learned how to design and sandblast awards to bring them to life, and found that I really enjoyed using my hand to make beautiful things. Over time, after attending dozens of award ceremonies to watch our awards being presented, I began to notice that most award recipients were overcome with happiness, often crying tears of joy upon being recognized and appreciated! It was always such a positive, powerful and uplifting experience that I decided I wanted to help bring more of that into the world, so in 1998 I started Eclipse Awards.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
When most people think about awards and recognition, they think of gold stars or tin trophy cups. However, those things aren’t very meaningful, so they don’t convey a true message of gratitude or appreciation.
Incidentally, this is why so many recognition programs fail. So instead, I wanted to create beautiful crystal awards and eco-friendly trophies that people would covet and cherish for a lifetime. We design awards that will amplify your message of gratitude and appreciation, and we always ensure they are delivered on time.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Many types of organizations value their people and working relationships enough to recognize them, so our clientele ranges across all industries. In particular, though, we work with a lot of companies, non-profit organizations, professional associations, universities, and green accreditation programs. We also make a lot of custom deal toys for merchant bankers.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
We make money by designing and creating custom recognition awards and trophies, as well as financial tombstones, signs and wall plaques. Everything we produce is personalized for the client ordering and their event, nothing is generic. Clients pay us for our design and personalization services, the quality of our awards and trophies, and our guarantee that we will deliver everything safely and on-time for their event.
Where in Vancouver can we find your profession?
Though many trophy stores have closed in recent years, you can find us at 614 Alexander Street in Vancouver, BC. Our virtual showroom is online and our physical showroom is available by appointment.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
When comparing service providers, ask if they design and manufacture in-house, or if they outsource these services. It’s better to choose an award and trophy company that produces things in-house, like Eclipse Awards, because they’ll always have better quality control and more flexibility with lead times.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part is hearing the stories of how happy people are when they receive one of our awards. The stories and photos of people who are uplifted and overjoyed upon being recognized with a beautiful award, never get old. The worst part, and thankfully it’s only happened a handful of times over the past 20 years, is telling people that their awards will not arrive in time for their event. So we go to great lengths to ensure this never happens, no matter what the cost.
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
“Oh no, is that a spelling mistake?” 🙂
What are your social media channels?
Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Website
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another Vancouver business that you love?
We love the good people at Sunrise Market in Strathcona and visit them almost every day!
