Mark Abramoff, president and founder of Ralph Marlin & Co.
Inc., created a whole new industry in 1986 when, sitting in a
Milwaukee bar, he sketched the world's first fish tie on a
napkin. The crazy idea turned into $3 million in fish tie sales
that first year and spawned a $15 million worldwide business, not
to mention a new industry: conversation-piece neckwear.
Now celebrating the 10th anniversary of his fish tie and his
company, Abramoff is seeking to add another million in sales at the
wholesale level by producing a line of 30 of the coolest Olympic
ties on the market. His bold, beautiful graphic designs include
several different lines. One line of classic silk ties features
images of historical posters in homage to Olympics past, from the
1920 Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium, and the 1924 Winter Games in
Chamonix, France, to the 1960 Summer Games in Rome. The company
also offers American Olympics (silk), American Pride (microfiber
polyester) and Atlanta Games (silk) lines. For women, Abramoff
produces several lines of Olympic-design scarves.
"The Olympics are one of the highest-profile events in the
world," says Abramoff, a sports fanatic who can't wait to
see the Games in person. "This is a great opportunity for
exposure and for a company like mine to compete with the big guys.
We can't compete with them in distribution, but we can
outperform them when our products are side by side.
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"It's also a chance for us to build equity in our
company. When a small company like mine adds a high-profile
property like the Olympics, it improves our position in the
marketplace."
Adding the Olympic lines is another step in Ralph Marlin's
tre-mendous growth (1,500 percent since 1986). The company's
other lines cover more than 90 licenses and include all the major
U.S. sports leagues; Harley-Davidson; bands such as the Rolling
Stones and the Beatles; Hollywood-themed neckwear featuring the
likes of Marilyn Monroe, The Three Stooges and more; and an
assortment of neckwear related to cartoons, occupations, fine art,
hobbies and a dozen other categories. The collections are available
at department specialty stores; Ralph Marlin stores in New York
City, Minneapolis and Indianapolis; as well as through mail order
catalogs, home-shopping channel QVC and the Internet.
Advice:"Make sure you understand all the
elements of the Olympic merchandising deal-the amount you put up in
advance, who your competition is, how many people are licensed in
your category, etc. Find out as much as you can, and get as much
out of that as possible."
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