News / Business
Inland Empire's Top Promotional Products Company Celebrates 28th Anniversary
“I’m very proud of what this company has become,” said founder and president Chris Arranaga. “We’ve survived recessions and downturns and are still a positive force in the community.”
The company’s origins can be traced to 1979 in a UCLA dorm room. There, then-freshman Chris Arranaga began selling printed t-shirts and decorated items to fraternities, sororities, and campus organizations. By the time he completed his undergraduate degree, he had expanded to other neighboring colleges and companies.
Arranaga continued to build the business while working on his MBA at UCLA. He rented his very first office space – just 1,800 square feet in size – in 1985. That year, he also formally incorporated the business. The company experienced steady growth in the following decades and now employs 22 people in a 12,000 square foot office and warehouse.
Arranaga said the key to his success is attentive, responsive customer service. “We try to treat our clients like family. That makes us happy and it makes them happy. It also encourages repeat business and referrals, and that’s the main way we’ve grown.”
“Some of our customers started out ordering jackets for their college club sports team,” Arranaga explained. “Now they’re out in the professional world, and they come back to Gorilla Marketing for promotional items. That lets us know that we’ve done a good job servicing them and they trust us.”
Gorilla Marketing is a promotional products and ad specialty firm based in Riverside, Calif. Their full product line, from t-shirts to tradeshow giveaways, can be searched at their website.
