SymbolArts taps religious market

Full story at Applicant of the Week: SymbolArts

After splitting the business down the middle with a previous partner, SymbolArts makes a name for itself in a new market.

By: Meredith Maines Published June 2009
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This is no ordinary pocket angel. SymbolArts, an Ogden, Utah-based company that graced the Inc. 5000 list in 2007 and 2008, started out in 1986 manufacturing custom rings and "Armor of God" coins under the name Ringmasters.

The coins, which feature a specific New Testament scripture, sold to 4,000 Christian outlets across the country, crossing denominational lines. But the company's current customers rarely hear of its previous involvement in the religious market, recognizing it now as a provider of badges, patches, buttons and rings to public safety officials and military personnel.

"We picked low-lying fruit," Leatham explained of the company's business strategy before digging into event marketing. "We found a niche, [which became] kind of a fad."

Not one to be pigeon-holed, when Leatham and his business partner split in 1998, he sliced their customer list down the middle, keeping for SymbolArts the portion of the client base without religious affiliation.