The Acme Swag Team
Chris O’Neill
Founder & CEO
Chris’ entry into the promotional products business after a long tenure in the Wine Industry. In 2008, he led a team of investors who purchased a moribund winery known as Russian River Vineyards, and helped to turn the winery into the successful boutique winery that it is today. During his journey as a winery owner, Chris developed a deep and broad set of connections in the Napa/Sonoma wine region, fostering relationships with a broad set of both for-profit and non-profit entities that entered into various partnership structures with his winery. Along the way, Chris developed a clear picture of a marketplace in which community and business needs were not being met adequately, and he became interested in addressing those needs to bolster his community.
So like many serial entrepreneurs, Chris made a pivot to address a new opportunity. And Acme Swag was born. Chris believes that the “swag” market is ripe for improvement. So he created Acme Swag, a company designed to break the mold in the industry by delivering unprecedented levels of consultative service along with fair, value-based pricing.
Bruce Lippy
Creative Director
Bruce has always nurtured a variety of interests, some of which have become true passions. He received a B.A. summa cum laude in biology in the same year he won top prize in the Young Baltimorean Film Festival with his film, Attack of the Hog People (not coming to a theater near you). He then took courses in illustration, graphic design, and production from the Maryland Institute of Art. He worked as a graphic artist for the Maryland Division of Labor and Industry, along with participating in art shows with a series of humorous animal prints.
Bruce has combined a scientific background with his innate creative talents to create many interesting pieces of art, including his unique and whimsical illustrations featuring visual puns. With his penchant for balancing art and language, he provides critical guidance and creative direction to our clients.
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Pat Garvey
Marketing Consultant
Pat is a rare combination of creative marketer, seasoned business owner/manager, and technologist. As a marketer, he has a proven track record of creating “out of the box” marketing initiatives for major brands like Disney, Mattel, Mazda, and Sunkist. As a business owner/entrepreneur, he has founded his own companies, and participated in a number of start-ups in support of developing brand identity, positioning and messaging strategey. As a technology enthusiast and innovator, Pat has led large-scale development (including offshore) initiatives for web, social media, and digital marketing, and is a “hands-on” tech leader.
Pat also works part-time as a commercial photographer and videographer, and is also a licensed drone pilot.
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