When news of the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread and her customers started cancelling events and activities, Donna Wheeler of Pinnacle Marketing & Advertising knew it was time to realign her company’s offerings to meet market demands.
Thankfully, Pinnacle already had an e-commerce website.
Through the site, customers could shop for products, place orders, and pay for purchases all online, no in-person shopping required. This was a pivot necessary for many small businesses when the pandemic struck, as consumers were not comfortable shopping in-store.
Wheeler soon realized that the typical promotional items her Jonesboro company normally sold to organizations would no longer be in demand. Soon, it became clear what people wanted: PPE products.
“We realized our customers needed these products to continue their safe operations,” Wheeler said.
Pinnacle started selling personal protective equipment such as face masks and hand sanitizers with company logos on them. As Wheeler foresaw, there was a big demand.
Due to challenges with international supply chains, Pinnacle also began carrying more USA-made products on its site, and they sold well, too.
Through it all, ASBTDC was there.
“We had to re-evaluate our business plan,” said Wheeler. “We came to the A-State ASBTDC for information about COVID-19 funding assistance. We ended up participating in the 2020 Smart Growth Accelerator program, and we credit using the tools available from the ASBTDC with playing a large role in our ability to meet and exceed our revised goals, despite the pandemic.”
Wheeler said she had known that the Arkansas State University ASBTDC existed but was unfamiliar with the assistance available. COVID led her to find out, and the center helped Pinnacle develop a strategic plan to survive and to grow.