How We Started

JrBadges.com was formerly J. Gardner & Associates, L.L.C. but actually started as Gardner & Associates, by our father Jack Gardner, Sr.

In the 1960's our Father was a school teacher who also sold Advertising Specialties for extra income to support his family of five.

My brother and sister and I grew up doing things like:

   Stuffing envelopes

   Blowing up orange balloons for the local Halloween parade

   Refolding 100's of t-shirts that he thought were folded wrong

 


Dad would always do what ever it took to keep his customers happy & we were his crew, his helpers and his assembly line, but he always made it fun for us and he would always end it with ice cream and a movie.

Dad finally quit teaching after he started to make more money selling Ad Specialties. He built up his clientele to approximately 300 small, medium and large businesses around Southern California.

Dad was forever trying mailings to different industries, (hence the stuffing of envelopes) looking for a niche, and then in 1991 he finally hit it….

Law Enforcement Agencies! They were in need of generating good-will with the children in their communities.
He offered these items with a hand written letter and a hand written envelope, then he would follow up with a personal phone call.                                All of this contained his wit and charm that I know started this ball rolling.

He knew where I got my gift of gab from, so he brought me along once again.

Dad nurtured his project until it became all he did and now it is 100% of all we do.

In 1998 Dad passed away but did live long enough to see his project grow into that Niche he searched for his entire life. We are so glad he got to see it grow. It has grown to Fire Educators, Sheriff Offices, University Police, Rail Road Police, Animal Control and even Security Companies.

When we incorporated in 2004 we had to change our company name so we chose “J. Gardner & Associates, L.L.C"  in honor of our Father Jack!
The best salesmen, business partner and the best Dad ever!

It is our goal to carry on in his program with all of his determination to do what ever it takes to keep our customers happy.

Sarah J. Gardner – McArthur
President