Designer Greetings, one of the largest greeting card companies in the country, recently moved its world headquarters from Staten Island, N.Y., to Edison Township in order to fulfill its everincreasing need for additional space. The firm celebrated its move to its Executive Avenue warehouse and office with a ribboncutting ceremony on Nov. 12.
Designer Greetings employs 163 people at its Edison headquarters, many of whom are bused in every morning from around their old New York location, and has been in Edison since September. One of the company’s co-presidents, Steve Gimbelman, said the move has been going very well so far.
"We’ve been very lucky. We haven’t had any problems with the move. The Edison community has been extraordinary in their help for us securing permits and the necessary inspections to be able to proceed," said Gimbelman.
The company was founded in 1982 by Jack and Vickie Gimbelman, the parents of Steve and his sister and co-president, Fern Gimbelman. At that point, the firm had only three employees. The company’s gradual expansion to 120 employees led them to move their offices to a bigger building in 1990, and they eventually rented out three large warehouses in the area as well.
In time, the company grew so large and required so much space that another expansion was needed. But there was no building available in the New York City area that could accommodate the needs of Designer Greetings, Steve Gimbelman said, so they began looking in Edison.
"We were frustrated at trying to find office warehouse space in New York City. To keep our employees, we wanted to remain in Staten Island, but there were no warehouses and offices available for expansion. Edison was the perfect location with the access to major highways and interstates, and the Heller Park industrial center was a perfect spot for us to be able to be with other businesses like ourselves," said Gimbelman.
The company, now settled into its 120,000-square-foot headquarters, which includes offices, a showroom and warehouse, offers more than 20,000 different greeting card titles to the public, which ship all over the nation. Many are retailed by Card$Mart stores, which Designer Greetings acquired in 2006.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony brought together multiple generations of the company’s family owners, including Vickie Gimbelman, who was presented with a plaque of appreciation from the firm’s longserving employees.
"This [move] is a culmination of a dream, and as you see, dreams do come true. So, success to everyone, and again, welcome," said Vickie Gimbelman.
Steve Gimbelman noted that there would be many challenges to the company in the future, but said the values laid down by his parents, combined with the hard work and dedication of the company’s employees, would see them through for many years to come.
"There are many challenges Designer faces in the future," he said. "With the state of the economy and competition, we have a lot of work to stay ahead of the curve. We have tremendous opportunity and growth potential, as well as the competitive edge to really break through and move ahead in the coming years."
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