IKECHI NZEAKO
Mr. Dennis Iheadiri is the founder and chief executive officer at Excellence Awards International, a company that produces award plaques, souvenirs and gift items for Nigerians and people in other parts of the world.
He speaks with Daily Independent on the offerings and activities of the company.
He stated that he established the company to promote the culture of excellence in the workplace.
According to Iheadiri, “Human beings like to be recognised; they like to be rewarded for their contributions and hard work and when they are recognized, they do more and this leads to increase in productivity at the workplace. Awards motivate and challenge one to do more in whatever he or she is engaged in. So, the company was established to promote productivity and excellence.”
Speaking on the service the company provides he stated: “We have been operating since 2006 and with this experience in the award plaques, trophies, medals and branding business, we are confident to say that we are the best award plaque makers in Lagos, Nigeria.
“We help corporate bodies, schools and government agencies promote the culture of excellence in the workplace through plaques and recognition awards.
“Our production gallery comprises crystal award plaques, acrylic award plaques, wooden award plaques, 3D crystal cubes, sport trophies, sport medals, lapel pins, mugs, key rings.
“Our other services include the production and branding of souvenirs, promotional products, T-shirts and face caps, conference bags and folders, diaries, roll up stands, umbrellas, neon signs, and car branding.
“If you are looking for where to buy award plaques, trophies and medals at reasonable and affordable prices, in Lagos, Nigeria, look no further.”
He added that the company has made giant strides over the years and has become one of the best producers of plaques and gift items in the country.
On the journey and challenges the company has faced over the years, the founder and chief executive officer at Excellence Awards International said that it was not easy at the beginning, adding that the company devised different marketing strategies like printing and distributing flyers and word of mouth advertising and other primary advertising and proposal writing.
He stated that the company has ventured into digital marketing and social media to project her business.
“Now we use the internet and its many features to project our business; people without knowing where we are, can do business with us by going to our website, which is friendly and easy to navigate. The experience has been wonderful; it has been awesome.” Iheadiri stated
Highlighting some of the challenges in the business, he said that many materials used in the production of the plaques and gift items are imported and that it takes a long time to import them.
He stated that most of the materials used for production of plaques and gift items are imported from China, adding that it is not easy to import goods from that country. Sometimes, he said, it takes three more three months to arrive. He, however, said that there are ongoing efforts to source some of the materials from Nigeria.
Speaking on the reason he has remained and is thriving in the business, he told Daily Independent that passion is pushing to continue and thrive in the business.
“I have passion for producing the items; I love it when I see the joy on the faces of people when they are recognised for their hard work. I love marketing and I love telling people about the business.”
Dwelling on the qualities that one needs to thrive in the business, Iheadiri posited that one must have passion for the job, adding that one also needs to be skilled in graphics design and must be able to work hard.
He insisted that one must possess a good measure of intelligence to thrive in the business.
“You must be able to interpret what the client wants and deliver the message he wants to pass across,” he asserted.
Assessing the Nigerian business environment, he asserted that the environment is difficult, adding that entrepreneurs need to be innovative in their business practices to thrive. He posited that there are opportunities in the country and tasked young Nigerians to acquire skills that will help them to thrive in the country.
He, however, insisted that the environment has been good to his business, saying that his company has thrived and has grown despite the challenges in the environment.
He said that one of the challenges that the company faces is insufficient supply of electricity, adding they have had to spend huge sums of funds to buy generators and diesel and service the generators.
He asserted that the instability in the foreign exchange regime in the country has negatively impacted the operations of the company.
He said: “The Federal Government should instill a measure of stability into the foreign exchange regime in the country. The current regime is too unstable and entrepreneurs and other stakeholders cannot plan and this makes it difficult for them to predict.
“An entrepreneur or any other person can only plan and predict if there is a measure of stability and predictability in the foreign exchange regime. A situation in which the value of the naira is unpredictable is not good for business,”
He argued that the inflation currently being witnessed in the country is caused by the high rate of the dollar to the naira.
He disclosed that he has trained other people who are thriving in the business.
On the quality of the products and services the company delivers to clients, Iheadiri said, “We are Excellence, we live our name. We promise a great business relationship. We promise quality service delivery. And we promise quality products founded on the hallmark of excellence. We have been in business since 2006 with enough samples of work done to back it up.”
He added that the vision of the company is to be the best awards and souvenirs provider in Nigeria and beyond
He stated the company wants to provide award plaques, souvenirs and gift items to Nigerians and people beyond the shores of the country.
Speaking on the awards that the company has won over the years, he said that in May 2013 Excellence Awards International won the Most Popular Business of the Year Award in Nigeria given by Vconnect Global Services Ltd.
The founder and chief executive officer at Excellence Awards International charged young Nigerians to work hard and avoid crime in order to safeguard their future.
He disclosed that he plans to make the company an international brand that people around the world will want to do business with. He added that the company is planning to deploy laser cutting technology in its operations.
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