CORP AMERICA / MARCH 2017 83 , Bri Smith tells us more about Picnic Time Family of Brands and how she took over the business following her father’s retirement. Life’s a Picnic Picnic Time Family of Brands is an innovator in the outdoor leisure and indoor entertaining product categories. The firm’s products are on the shelves of major retailers like Macy’s, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Bed Bath & Beyond, target.com , amazon.com, and more. It also sells decorated products in the promotional products market, holds several major league sport licenses, and has recently licensed Disney, Marvel, and Lucas for use on its products. Picnic Time Family of Brands is the umbrella of four sub-brands, segmented by product category. The four sub brands are PICNIC TIME, TOSCANA, LEGACY, and ONIVA. The product categories are picnic, serve ware, beer/wine/ spirits accessories, and outdoor/ tailgating products respectively. Bri Smith is one of two Managing Partners and manages business development and internal oper- ations, while the other partner manages operations and logistics “I started as Managing Partner in 2011 after my father (one of the co-founders of the company) took on the initiative to pass the torch of the business,” says Bri. “The company started out of a garage and has grown to be a company of over 100 people with more than 15,000 unique product skus, and our own product development and graphic design team. Although I hadn’t originally intended to take over the family business, it was incredibly important to all of us that the business would be in good hands after my father retired. Picnic Time has been a part of my life since day one, so I was familiar with the business and its history. This, paired with my passion for business and experience in strategic consulting, made it the perfect match.” Being a second generation owner of a family business came with its fair share of challenges for Bri. “Since day one, I have felt the need to prove my commitment to the company through my actions,” she explains. “I am not shy to roll up my sleeves and get into the details of all facets of the business. There is no better way to get a pulse on the business than by being fully immersed in the day-to-day operations. This approach proves to be a tremendous help when it comes to making higher level decisions that affect multiple aspects and divisions of the business.” Culture is incredibly important to Bri and the staff at Picnic Time. “We’ve worked hard to implement a set of core values from which we base our work and how we treat each other. As a company we sat down to discuss what characteristics where important to embody as a Picnic Time employee. Our eight core principles were chosen to be collaboration, productivity, integrity, service, passion, fun, innovation, and growth. “We attract and hire people who embody these core principles, who are kind, easy going, hardworking team players. We are a family business and it is of utmost importance that our employees feel like family. I treat my entire staff as equals. By showing them respect and putting my trust in them, they, in turn, develop a greater sense ownership and passion in what they do.” The founders of Picnic Time, Mario Tagliati and Gustavo Cosaro (Bri’s father), were innovators from day one. Bri tells us that when people pointed out that something was lacking, they were the first to get to the drawing board to figure out a creative way to fix it. “Innovation has always been a key factor in our success. A key part of what makes an innovator is the ability to listen. We utilize an in-house product development team that focuses on creative new features, products that solve problems, new ways to think of things that have been in place for decades, and how to bring the luxury of the indoor entertaining- outside. When your products make sense to the consumer and solve their problems, you don’t have to push the product. It sells itself.” With regards to the future, Bri believes that the sky is the limit for the company. “For a 35 year old company, having so much opportunity for growth ahead is a blessing. We are passionate about giving people a chance to spend quality time with friends and family. Whether it is at a campsite, a tailgate, or even a dinner party, our ultimate goal is to facilitate the making of great memories. We want our brands to be household names when it comes to picnic, serve ware, barware, and outdoor leisure.” K Company: Picnic Time Family of Brands Contact: Bri Smith – Marketing Manager Address: 5131 Maureen Lane, Moorpark, CA 93021 Email:
[email protected] Telephone: 1-805-529-7400 Website: www.picnictime.com 1701CA61