PBN Manufacturing Awards 2024
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP: Dave Marquis, co-owner and president, ChemArt Co.
AFTER ALMOSTY 40 YEARS working in manufacturing, Dave Marquis is still in awe of how Rhode Island’s manufacturing community continues to build things.
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And Marquis, co-owner and president of ChemArt Co., knows this firsthand given that his company – which grew from humble beginnings nearly a half-century ago – has garnered national recognition for the work that it produces in supporting a myriad of worthy causes.
The Lincoln-based ornament and keepsake manufacturer was launched by Richard Beaupre, a U.S. Navy veteran, in 1976. At that time, it was something of a mom-and-pop operation, Marquis says. The company was doing well but needed organization and team building skills.
Headquartered in Lincoln, the 55,000-square-foot ChemArt facility, which makes custom designs primarily focused on serving philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, is split into Beacon Design, a custom and wholesale ornament division; BLuxe, a luxury product packaging department; and ChemTec, which creates precision parts for various industries. Of the roughly 100 employees, some 40% have been with the company for more than 10 years.
When Marquis joined ChemArt in 1994, he’d already been a plant manager at Regal Press, overseeing day-to-day operations at two facilities. Before that, he spent 12 years as production manager at Paramount Greeting Cards, where he managed prepress, press and finishing operations, developed supervisor training programs and worked closely with the company’s design department.
The new ChemArt position, initially as operations manager, was right up Marquis’ alley. His role was to make improvements by working to integrate design and sales and drive customer satisfaction.
“We had strong niche skills. We’ve avoided large retailers such as Walmart Inc. or Target Corp. and retail is a smaller part of our sales,” Marquis said. “Instead, we’re focused on helping nonprofits raise funds for their cause.”
ChemArt may be best known as the creator of the iconic White House Christmas ornament, dating back to 1981. Then-First Lady Nancy Reagan wanted an ornament created for the annual Christmas tree, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit White House Historical Association.
The first iteration was simple, an angel in flight, and ChemArt produced 1,500. Since then, it’s become a collector’s item, recognizing a different American president each year. In 2008, for example, ChemArt made more than a million such keepsakes; Marquis says the average is 500,000-plus a year. This year’s ornament, honoring Jimmy Carter and his career in the U.S. Navy, is in the shape of an anchor.
“Creating that first [White House ornament] gave us credibility,” Marquis said. That eventually led to working with other organizations – many nonprofits – on similar ornaments.
Today, ChemArt’s designers create approximately 1,500 to 2,000 designs a year for clients that range from small churches, where the keepsake could be a 3D rendering of a stained glass window, to the R.I. State Police. One design for the U.S. Secret Service depicts Santa Claus on his sled with elves brandishing candy canes to protect the sleigh.
“Some designs are playful,” Marquis said. “We work with a client’s price point to help us stay competitive.”
Being a niche company has pluses and minuses, he says, but business remains good. Marquis and his company’s profile haven’t gone unnoticed.
“People should know Dave’s passion for manufacturing and for helping people,” said Dave Chenevert, executive director of the Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, which Marquis provides support for the association’s awards programs.
“I’ve never heard him say no when I’ve asked him to do something for the organization. We need more of that.”
Marquis also serves on the board of Polaris MEP, an advisory group that supports Rhode Island’s manufacturing sector with expertise from end to end.
“He’s learned the art of listening, which is so important in running an organization,” Chenevert said.
In working with smaller nonprofits, Marquis puts an emphasis on helping promote these groups with uniquely created, hand-assembled keepsakes.
“I get worried at the idea of replacing the human element,” he said. “It’s important that people are respected and have a chance to be creative. I’m proud of Rhode Island’s history and our state and how we can be a world leader.”
