Jerry B. Peters Sales has been in the business of making names for clients for almost 50 years. With promotional products and logo apparel, the Bristol company has also made a name for itself in the community. “My father, Jerry Peters, started the business in 1973,” co-owner Kim Warren says. “I grew up in the business and started helping out as a teenager. Originally, the business focused on promotional keychains and pens for customers, like car dealers. It grew from there.” The Jerry B. Peters product line expanded extensively over the years. Upon the death of their father, Kim and her sister, Tammy Peters Jackson, took over the business. 

It continued to grow until the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread closures. When educational and service events shut down and the company was facing a loss in booked sales, Kim and Tammy wisely turned to the Virginia Highlands SBDC. “We had started working with the SBDC about ten years before that,” Kim says. “Cindy Fields, Center Director of the Virginia Highlands SBDC, worked with us to develop lists of items to market to surrounding businesses. She has been very helpful, especially during the pandemic.”

As COVID-19 continued to spread across the area, it was apparent that businesses would need items related to personal protective equipment (PPE). The Jerry B. Peters product line increased accordingly, with personalized face masks, hand sanitizers, and digital thermometers. “One event the SBDC had was especially fabulous,” Kim notes. “Representatives from a number of local industries were there, and being able to speak to representatives from all those industries resulted in about $25,000 in new business for us.”

As the pandemic evolved, the Virginia Highlands SBDC kept Kim and Tammy informed about emergency financial relief. Jerry B. Peters Sales received a PPP loan in the early funding round, which allowed the company to keep its employees working and to broaden promotional offerings to businesses. “We’ve expanded our social media presence with regular posts on Facebook and Instagram,” Kim reports. “We also held regular promotions, highlighting our products and also those of our customers. My daughter, who graduated from Virginia Tech and worked in public relations before starting a career in teaching, has helped us with our social media.”

Kim credits the SBDC for guiding her business. “I keep in touch with Cindy every few weeks,” Kim concludes. “The SBDC has been a great partner to us for so many years. We consider their services invaluable in today’s changing world.”