THE BLACK ROCK STORY
Built from the
ground up.
Built to make business simpler.
“It was bootstrapped from day one. Built, not bought.”
Before Black Rock Branding was a multi-million-dollar branding and procurement company, it was a MacBook, an iPhone, a kitchen table, and about 20 cold calls a day.
A competitor
at heart.
Founder Joey George came to business with a competitive streak. From 1998–2002, he pitched for Newberry College, serving as the Indians’ closer. While still in college, he began working in the warehouse at Magneto & Electric in 2000. He worked his way through the company and became General Manager by 2004.
When the company closed and its property was sold in 2007, Joey found himself looking for what was next.
His best friend, Steve Williams, was working in the commercial printing industry—forms, envelopes, labels and other printed materials. Joey spent a week with Steve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, learning the business firsthand. That experience opened a new door.
In December 2007, Joey joined a Minnesota-based company selling commercial print. But over the next few years, he saw an opportunity for something bigger: helping companies manage not only their printed materials, but also promotional products, corporate apparel and ultimately their entire brand.
Built,
not bought.
So, on July 1, 2010, Black Rock Business Solutions was born.
There were no investors. No financial backers. No big line of credit waiting to fund the launch.
Just Joey.
He bought a MacBook and an iPhone, worked from his kitchen table, and started calling. Twenty cold calls a day. Every day. Win the business, do the work, collect the money—and put the profits right back into the company.
Eventually, the kitchen table gave way to an 800-square-foot garage in Cayce, South Carolina, converted into an office and warehouse. Inventory filled the shelves. Employees came aboard. Customers got bigger. And the business kept growing.
It was bootstrapped from day one. Built, not bought.
Clean. Strong.
Memorable.
Joey never wanted a company name tied to a city, state or region. The vision was bigger than that. He wanted Black Rock to be able to serve organizations anywhere in the country without being geographically painted into a corner.
The inspiration came from an unexpected place.
During his Newberry College baseball days, Joey and his friends often listened to O.A.R., and one of his favorite songs was Black Rock. The idea behind the song stuck with him: a place you could go, leave your worries behind and find some peace.
Years later, while eating lunch and trying to name his new company, it clicked.
Black Rock.
Clean. Strong. Memorable.
But the meaning behind it mattered even more.
Black Rock became a promise: when your brand is in our hands, you don't have to worry about it.
The name changed.
The promise didn't.
In 2015, Black Rock Business Solutions officially became Black Rock Branding, a name that better reflected what the company had grown to become.
Today, Black Rock serves organizations across the country with corporate apparel, promotional products, print management, online company stores, custom manufacturing and branded procurement solutions.
As Black Rock grew, so did the capital required to support that growth. Like many growing companies, we have used lines of credit and financing to invest in our people, equipment, inventory and expanding capabilities. But the foundation was built by winning business, doing the work and reinvesting what we earned—not by outside investors buying the company.
A lot has changed since that kitchen table in 2010.
The principle behind the name hasn't.
We take care of your brand so you can take care of your business.