Why Quality Merch Beats Trash Trinkets with Eric Turney

Former bartender and opiate addict Eric Turney hit multiple rock bottoms, including jail and failed treatment attempts, before a surprise wake up call changed everything. When he and his partner learned they were expecting their first child, Eric decided he was done burning bridges. He got serious about 12 step recovery and took a chance on a new life as an entry level sales rep at a small promotional products company. 

Today, Eric is the President and Sales and Marketing Director of The Monterey Company, a custom branded merch company founded in 1989 that creates premium challenge coins, lapel pins, belt buckles, hats, apparel, and more for brands like Google, Amazon, Target, Bentley, Lions Clubs, military units, and local organizations. After the founder offered employees the chance to buy the business, Eric and his partners stepped up and took it over. 

In this conversation, Eric and I dig into his journey through addiction and recovery, how he rebuilt his life and career, and why he believes high quality merch beats cheap “trash trinkets” every time. We talk challenge coins and club pins, wild custom projects like Bentley letter openers and ultra marathon belt buckles, the surprising subculture of lapel pin collectors, and how smart SEO and retargeting help The Monterey Company stand out in a noisy world. 

We also get hungry talking barbecue, smoked salmon, oysters, and crab mac and cheese, and we close with Eric sharing what people often get wrong when they look at his life now and why mentoring others in recovery has become a powerful form of therapy. If you care about second chances, small business, or branding that actually means something,

Join us in spreading holiday cheer and making a child's Christmas magical! 

Agape Projects is hosting a special fundraising drive for our annual Toy Run, aiming to brighten the lives of children in need. Your generous contribution will help us bring joy and laughter to little hearts this holiday season. Together, let's make a difference and create unforgettable memories for the children in our community. 

https://harfordcountyhealth.comYour Pet AuPair
Doing It for the Sits & Wiggles! At Your Pet AuPair our mission is to give your pets the same

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript

Wendy & Rich 0:00
Hey, everyone is Rich Bennett. Can you believe it? The show is turning 10 this year. I am so grateful for each and every one of you who've tuned in, shared a episode, or even joined the conversation over the years. You're the reason that this podcast has grown into what it is today. Together, we've shared laughs, tears, and moments that truly matter. So I want to thank you for being part of this journey. Let's make the next 10 years even better. Coming to you from the Freedom Federal Credit Union Studios. Harford County Living presents Conversations with Rich Bennett. 

None of, no, it's just who it is. 

Rich Bennett 1:00
My guess is the president and sales and marketing director at the Monterrey Company. A place that's been creft and custom merchandise, patches, pins, apparel, and more since 1989. What's fascinating is he didn't parachute in at the top. He joined as a sales rep back in 2017 and through grit, strategy, and a deep dive into SEO, branding, and digital marketing, he's helped push Monterrey's reach and revenue to new heights. Over the years, he has had the privilege of working with big names like Google, Amazon, and Target to deliver custom branded products that tell stories and make impressions. And beyond the boardroom, he's a family guy married with three kids, and you often catch him cheering on, all right. you're 

Eric Turney 1:56
If 

Rich Bennett 1:56
here in Baltimore, don't get upset. He'll be cheering on the Seattle Seahawks or the Oregon State Beavers. But you know what, I have Eric Toney on the show. You know, it's not the Pittsburgh Steelers, so you're 

Eric Turney 2:10
That's 

Rich Bennett 2:10
fine. 

Eric Turney 2:10
right. Yep. That's my dad's team. 

Rich Bennett 2:13
Yeah, and we have family at the Seattle, so it's okay. Seahawks, you could cheer them on. 

Eric Turney 2:18
That's 

Rich Bennett 2:19
not a problem. 

Eric Turney 2:20
I like the Ravens, though. We took your defensive coordinator, so we're Mike McDonald. We're happy. And we don't have to get into that. I could talk forever. 

Rich Bennett 2:28
I never understood why the hell the Seahawks got rid of Russell Wilson. 

Eric Turney 2:36
Yeah, that's 

Rich Bennett 2:36
good 

Eric Turney 2:36
a 

Rich Bennett 2:37
source. Is that a source subject? 

Eric Turney 2:39
Yeah, exactly. He's too many long nights there. 

Rich Bennett 2:42
Hey, he's what? With Pittsburgh now, Aaron Rodgers is with 

Eric Turney 2:45
He's 

Rich Bennett 2:46
Pittsburgh. 

Eric Turney 2:46
giants now. I think 

Rich Bennett 2:48
Is he? 

Eric Turney 2:48
he, uh, yeah, I believe so. Yeah, he was, I loved him so much. 

Rich Bennett 2:53
my friend. 

Eric Turney 2:53
He was 

Rich Bennett 2:53
Oh, a lot of people did. 

Eric Turney 2:54
Mm-hmm. I guess it 

Rich Bennett 2:57
was the salary cap. I don't know. 

Eric Turney 2:59
Salary, yeah, I think there was some internal stuff. I was I was so mad I took my Russell Wilson Jersey and gave it to goodwill. And then it was so funny. 

Rich Bennett 3:10
Wow. 

Eric Turney 3:11
We came back months and months later and there was like 10 of them all in a line. All Russell's in Jersey. So I think I wasn't though. 

Rich Bennett 3:19
Oh, wow, yeah, the funny thing is because when we had Flacco, which is the last time, 

Eric Turney 3:25
oh yeah. 

Rich Bennett 3:26
Superball. A lot of people here kept getting down on Flacco because he he didn't really show like he'd never got pissed off. You know, 

Eric Turney 3:37
the passion. 

Rich Bennett 3:37
And now, yeah. So he retired and then he came back with the jets, I think. And then now I think with Cleveland 

Eric Turney 3:46
Browns, 

Rich Bennett 3:47
and just like walks on to field and says, okay, let's go kick 

Eric Turney 3:51
ass. Yeah, exactly. I'm 

Rich Bennett 3:53
Although they didn't kick our ass when they were here. So all 

Eric Turney 3:57
sick. 

Rich Bennett 3:57
right, I want to. Before we start talking about what you're doing now, how is it that you because 2017's when you started there, right? 

Eric Turney 4:09
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 4:10
What were you doing before then, especially like after high school, was it always like marketing that you wanted to 

Eric Turney 4:17
No, not at all. It was a wild ride. I would say, after high school, I graduated in 2005 and did road construction for a little while went to college, went to Oregon State, often on the beavers. There's such a bad football team too. We don't have 

Rich Bennett 4:35
get into? 

Eric Turney 4:35
to get it terrible. You know, I, to be perfectly transparent, I got into partying a lot back in the after then, which kind of trumped everything in life. You know, that that 

Rich Bennett 4:51
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 4:51
became my number one thing too. I was was drinking and in just parting and 

Rich Bennett 4:58
starting college. 

Eric Turney 4:59
That's really honestly. It started when I was about 16. 

Rich Bennett 5:03
It 

Eric Turney 5:04
was a 

Rich Bennett 5:04
high school. 

Eric Turney 5:05
Still in high school. Yeah, drinking smoke and pot, doing 

Rich Bennett 5:09
Right. 

Eric Turney 5:09
doing that kind of thing. And then it, you know, it changed and got worse and worse and ended up with with opiate medications and then. 

Rich Bennett 5:19
Oh shit. 

Eric Turney 5:20
Yeah. And I was listening to a few of your pods. I mean, that's a common topic. Well, in the United States in general, it's an 

Rich Bennett 5:26
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 5:26
epidemic. So. 

Rich Bennett 5:30
Oh, big time. Big time. In fact, the. Well, because September, so those of you listening were recording this October 2nd and September, we just did a podathon for recovery. Um, and to hear these stories. But the one thing that gets me and I, I don't understand is because when it came to come to opioid medications, a lot of people are prescribed them because of some type of injury. 

Eric Turney 5:57
Right. 

Rich Bennett 5:58
Yeah, I know doctors have to know that this can lead to addiction. There's got to be something better to do. 

Eric Turney 6:07
Definitely. There is a hundred. I mean, even, I be profan. Tylin. All is. 

Rich Bennett 6:13
Or even a holistic approach. 

Eric Turney 6:15
Right. Mm-hmm. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 6:17
I know if pain like with me, um, because I got arthritis. I got bone spurs and everything. I got to be like on the brink of tears before I even pop a motor. 

Eric Turney 6:28
Right. 

Rich Bennett 6:29
But what, but what helps me is a chiropractor. 

Eric Turney 6:32
Chiropractor 

Rich Bennett 6:34
care. I even helped with my headaches and everything. I'm sorry. Go ahead, Eric. I could talk all day about 

Eric Turney 6:38
I know, yeah, 

Rich Bennett 6:39
the. 

Eric Turney 6:40
exactly. Yeah. So when. 

Rich Bennett 6:42
Right. So the party. So the party 

Eric Turney 6:45
and everything. Party and everything got it got out of hand, you know, every, every addict ends up, you know, hitting their bottom, eventually. I think I hit about five of them, you know, I bounced off and then bounced again and bounced again. Um, it was a, you know, number of treatment centers that I that I went to and, you know, I ended up ended up in county jail a handful of times, which yeah, which that's not a very fun place to, to go to vacation to, um, 

Rich Bennett 7:14
Hey, look at, look at the bright side, though, it was jail and not prison. 

Eric Turney 7:19
Right. Yeah, exactly. 

Rich Bennett 7:21
Big difference. 

Eric Turney 7:22
Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. Um, and eventually it, uh, I had felt enough pain from my addiction that I really wanted to change in my life. I had felt that I had burned enough bridges and hurt enough people in my life that it was time to. Time to change. And that was, you know, coincidentally, right around the time I started at Monterey company, it was 2016. 

Rich Bennett 7:50
Oh, 

Eric Turney 7:51
Right in there. And in part of that, I had worked in bars, mostly 

Rich Bennett 7:57
right. 

Eric Turney 7:57
bartended, served, done, um, construction done, very, uh, not recovery friendly jobs to say. 

And then my wife now, back then, she wasn't my wife, we were expecting our, our first child had a, and that I scared scared the bijesus out of me. To say the least it was I was excited and scared and I, you know, I had screwed up so much I didn't want to screw this was like this is the big, this is big leagues now we're not in the, 

Rich Bennett 8:34
yeah, 

Eric Turney 8:34
we're not in the. It's 

Rich Bennett 8:36
a wake up call. 

Eric Turney 8:37
It really was, it was a, it was enough of a catalyst to push me towards, um, quitting everything, joining. 

Rich Bennett 8:45
Right. 

Eric Turney 8:46
Recovery groups 12 step recovery groups and really changing my life and I got this job here at the Monterey company is like the fifth sales rep in the, the low man on the total pull or fourth sales rep. So I was the, uh, I was the bottom dog there and, um, yeah, crawled my way way up. 

Rich Bennett 9:07
What made you decide to apply for the job there? Because that's a big switch from what you were doing and then going into sales. 

Eric Turney 9:14
Yeah, great question. I just, people told me that I would be good at sales 

Rich Bennett 9:21
Right. 

Eric Turney 9:21
and I was like, ehm, you know, whatever. And uhm, I like working at a bar. This is funnier to me. 

Rich Bennett 9:29
In away your, ehm, the bartender in away your salesperson, but you're also like a 

Eric Turney 9:35
well. 

Rich Bennett 9:35
therapist as 

Eric Turney 9:36
Exactly yep. Therapist buddy, it's yeah. 

Rich Bennett 9:41
Uh-huh. 

Eric Turney 9:42
And so I applied for a number of sales jobs and I got offered like a car sales job that, uhm, which seemed attractive and then there was, I was selling windows. It was, uh, yeah, I can't remember the Robinson windows, but anyway. And uh, Monterey company offered me the job and I met with the owner and it was a small business then and me and the owner just connected. I was like, I liked this guy. He seems to have a good path forward and, uh, you know, the rest was kind of history from there, I guess. But it did, it involved a lot of hard work in late nights. 

Rich Bennett 10:25
Now, did the owner know about your addiction at the time or 

Eric Turney 10:29
he didn't, 

Rich Bennett 10:30
he didn't, okay. 

Eric Turney 10:31
Yeah, no, I was very reserved back then about and I would say up until about year five. I really didn't want to bring it into any of the business life at all. It 

Rich Bennett 10:44
Right. 

Eric Turney 10:44
was something and it just recently I've started becoming more open with it. My co-workers knew because 

Rich Bennett 10:51
they, yeah, 

Eric Turney 10:52
they will, you know, I wouldn't drink at the Christmas parties or anything. So it was, it was, you know, they knew but Paul, he and he was never a drinker by any means. 

Rich Bennett 11:06
right 

Eric Turney 11:06
So it never was really a really a problem. But, but yeah, yeah, it was and it was a good atmosphere here. It was really good in early recovery to be in a place that was safe rather than bartending. 

Rich Bennett 11:24
They had your back. 

Eric Turney 11:26
Yeah, exactly. He had my back and and it was fun. We had, you know, and that's, we try to develop a, develop just a really strong culture here too, where we come and have fun at the office. I mean, I've, I'm with my co-workers more than my kids, so it might still have fun feeling it. 

Rich Bennett 11:43
I've always said, if you want to make money, sales is the best way to 

Eric Turney 11:49
go. Yep 

Rich Bennett 11:50
and people will look at you like your nuts, 

Eric Turney 11:53
but I 

Rich Bennett 11:54
mean, it's true. I mean, I, I was in auto sales for a long time, loved it, jumped into the IT field. 

Eric Turney 12:02
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 12:05
And did it make as much money as when I was selling cars, and then I left that company and was selling copiers and started making money again. It's just something with sales. 

Eric Turney 12:14
I agree. 

Rich Bennett 12:15
You gotta have the person now you to do it. And you also have to be able to take criticism and learn how to accept no. 

Eric Turney 12:25
Yep. and a lot of them. 

Rich Bennett 12:28
Yes, Yes, and eventually you'll get that yes, but yeah, you, you have to be able to accept them than those. Alright, so with, so this is technically your first sales job. And only, 

Eric Turney 12:40
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 12:41
Right. 

Eric Turney 12:42
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. First and first and last. 

Rich Bennett 12:45
Yeah. First, 

Eric Turney 12:46
that. 

Rich Bennett 12:46
I like Well, considering your position now, I would think so. 

Eric Turney 12:50
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 12:51
And what was the owner's name? 

Eric Turney 12:52
His name is Paul, 

Rich Bennett 12:54
and he, I take it. He retired. 

Eric Turney 12:56
He did. Yeah. So he retired in 2022 and he approached me into other employees and was like, hey, you know, before I go sell this thing to some our competitor, do you want, do you guys want to explore the option of buying it from me? I'll give you a good deal. If you want, because I'm in my 60s, I'm ready to cash out. I've put in a lot. He was a founder. So 30 

Rich Bennett 13:28
Right. 

Eric Turney 13:29
plus. And the business. So he was ready to hit the beach. So. And so 

Rich Bennett 13:35
he didn't stay on as a partner at all. 

Eric Turney 13:38
He, he still has a minority. Yeah, like class B. So he doesn't. He has 10% right now. But he's, he's not as involved much anymore. He was for our first year when we were really figuring out all the ins and outs and 

Rich Bennett 13:56
being like a mentor. 

Eric Turney 13:57
Right. Yep. For six months to a year, but then he was, he was ready to move forward, which is, hey, that's the dream right there is 

Rich Bennett 14:06
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 14:07
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 14:08
So he, he's like the, I guess you can see the Phil Roberts- the way Phil Robertson was with Duck Commander. Yeah, duck dynasty. 

Eric Turney 14:17
Oh, right, yeah, 

Rich Bennett 14:18
Yeah, 

Eric Turney 14:18
yep. 

Rich Bennett 14:19
because he stepped down and Willie took over, he said just give me a paycheck. 

Minerate company, explain what exactly it is that you guys do. 

Eric Turney 14:39
Sure. Yeah, we are a custom branded merch company. Yeah, founded in 1989, Brick and Mortar originally started in San Diego. 

Rich Bennett 14:48
Oh, 

Eric Turney 14:48
And 

Rich Bennett 14:48
wow. 

Eric Turney 14:50
it was, um, different businesses, B2Bs would come to us and they want to outfit their team with cool t-shirts and polos and lapel pens and coins and all kinds of, you know, really cool custom products. We're not the, there's a saying in our industry that's trash trinkets. So it's like all the junk that you see at trade shows that they give away that ends just ends up in a landfill. We've 

Rich Bennett 15:20
Right. 

Eric Turney 15:20
kind of moved away from that. 

Rich Bennett 15:24
Good. 

Eric Turney 15:24
Yeah, and more into the higher end branded merch stuff that gets resold a lot and retail gift shops and then cool employee gifts like, you know, we've been working with quick and loans for, for a number of years and they do for their top sales performers, they give them cool coins. So every month they put in a cool 

Rich Bennett 15:47
Challenge 

Eric Turney 15:47
coin. 

Rich Bennett 15:48
coins. 

Eric Turney 15:48
Yeah, exactly. 

Rich Bennett 15:49
Oh, wow. Okay. Yeah, I love that because I'm well being a marine, of course. 

Eric Turney 15:56
Yeah, I was going to say 

Rich Bennett 15:57
love the challenge 

Eric Turney 15:58
that 

Rich Bennett 15:58
coins. Yeah, which is where it all started was the military and now it's like. All the companies have them 

Eric Turney 16:06
only do, yep. I mean, here this was just one on my desk. 

Rich Bennett 16:09
Oh, that, you got to send me a picture of this. I could put in the show notes. 

Eric Turney 16:13
Yeah, I'll send it. Send me your address. I'll send you a bunch of cool ones. So 

Rich Bennett 16:16
those of you listening, 

Eric Turney 16:19
it 

Rich Bennett 16:19
was. Yeah, TP. 

Eric Turney 16:21
Yeah, it's a patchy company. It's, it's a military base. It's in the shape of a TP with a hatchet. It's all three dimensional with an animal color and 

Rich Bennett 16:34
That 

Eric Turney 16:34
it's. 

Rich Bennett 16:34
is while. 

Eric Turney 16:36
Yeah, this is just one that was sitting on my desk. This is just one that we did recently. So there's. 

Rich Bennett 16:41
That is cool. I like that. That is cool. What is it with? I guess you could say you guys are a promotional company. 

Eric Turney 16:50
Exactly. Yep. 

Rich Bennett 16:51
I, what is it with promotional companies and maybe it's just here because I've been trying to find a company that wants to do like a swap for advertising and just create shirts or whatever for me. Is that like something that companies are afraid to do? 

Eric Turney 17:11
Maybe that's a good, that's a good question. As far as an exchange for, for advertising, I mean, we're always down for that, especially if you're an influencer with a big 

Rich Bennett 17:21
right. 

Eric Turney 17:22
You know, shout us out. We do free stuff for people. We just did some cool hats for a tackle company. And they, um, is it pretty cool like they're Halloween themed ones. 

Rich Bennett 17:33
But. I like that. 

Eric Turney 17:34
Yeah. But yeah, they, we just did a social media collab because they had a big social media following. So, um, I think a lot of businesses are afraid to branch out into more non traditional ways of advertising. 

Rich Bennett 17:49
Right. 

Eric Turney 17:49
When it's, you know, a new world and there's, there's AI search. There's, um, all these different ways that businesses are being found today. 

Rich Bennett 18:00
Yeah, and I'm glad you said the AI search because here's it, apparently you are very, very, very, very, very, very, very good at SEO. 

Eric Turney 18:10
I wouldn't say that. 

Rich Bennett 18:12
Well, who handles the SEO for your website? 

Eric Turney 18:14
It's myself. I head up a team. But there's three of us. It's kind of a three headed monster. 

Rich Bennett 18:19
Okay. Well, the reason I say that is so I went to your website earlier today this morning, checked it out and then I'm upstairs drinking my coffee or something. I can't remember what watching YouTube and then all of a sudden there comes a video add of your guy of you guys. 

Eric Turney 18:37
like, oh, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 18:38
I was That is so good as SEO, because I mean, I just looked at it online and here it is. The ads are popping up already. So you know what you're doing. But here's my question, because one of the things that, since you're in the SEO, do you ever follow Neil Patel? 

Eric Turney 18:58
Yeah. Yeah. He's like one of the goats of the 

Rich Bennett 19:02
exactly. and what has he been saying lately about S. O. and what's he call it with the AI? 

Eric Turney 19:10
G-O, they call it or, 

Rich Bennett 19:12
oh yes, 

Eric Turney 19:13
ehm, there's a ton of different acronyms, excuse me for it. 

Rich Bennett 19:17
But which is basically a big thing now. 

Eric Turney 19:19
Yeah, yeah, it's the new movement this, uh, this year for sure, cuz the rise of chat GBT and he's these cool AI tools. 

Rich Bennett 19:29
Oh yeah, well you look at, uh, okay, alright, you look at Lexi. I don't wanna say her name, 

Eric Turney 19:35
on. 

Rich Bennett 19:35
she'll come 

Eric Turney 19:36
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 19:36
you know, and even the Google one and, y'all, these smart devices too, and people talk into them and that's what you, it's coming up. You do a Google search now, you're not seeing the ads as much, because what, you're seeing the AI bring up stuff for- 

Eric Turney 19:55
Yeah, AI overviews, yep. 

Rich Bennett 19:58
Yeah, so have you guys started adapting that? Well you must have, because I mean damn your video ad, 

Eric Turney 20:03
Yeah, yeah, classic, yeah, that's a tool called retargeting that we do a fair amount so if 

Rich Bennett 20:09
right? 

Eric Turney 20:09
you visit our website then you get YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, you know, ads, there's a cookie that gets kind of grabbed to your IP address when you visit 

Rich Bennett 20:22
certain 

Eric Turney 20:22
sites and very cool, but yeah, with AI search it's, we've, it's very new right now, so there's, 

Rich Bennett 20:31
yeah, 

Eric Turney 20:31
I follow a lot of guys like Neil Patel and, there's a lot of different strategies to get found on it and some of them are, no one really knows if they're working though. So it's like 

Rich Bennett 20:46
oh 

Eric Turney 20:46
the 

Rich Bennett 20:46
yeah, 

Eric Turney 20:46
strategy changes a lot. 

Rich Bennett 20:48
But with your company, it correct me if I'm wrong, because you guys focus on the promotional items. 

Eric Turney 20:55
Hmm? 

Rich Bennett 20:55
At doing the web, web design and the SEO for companies, are you? 

Eric Turney 20:59
No, no, just the, just the product. 

Rich Bennett 21:03
Yes. Seriously, because I say that because you see a lot of these promotional companies and they'll do that. They'll say, Oh, we also offer web design, web hosting SEO, email, you know, it's like, taking on too much, 

Eric Turney 21:18
you're 

Rich Bennett 21:18
I believe. 

Eric Turney 21:19
Yeah, yeah, you got to know your niche and, um, and get really, really good at your niche. I found, because if you get spread too thin, if you try to do too many things, 

Rich Bennett 21:31
yeah, 

Eric Turney 21:32
so yeah, that's been, you know, Paul, Paul always talked about that is, is just stay in your lane and get super good at what you do. Don't try to, yeah, add this and add that and, you know, you end up losing sight of your true goal of being the best at promotions. 

Rich Bennett 21:52
So what with, cause you deal with a lot of companies, what, and branding is important, very important. What's one of the biggest things that you think companies are missing out on when it's, when they're trying to get their name out there? 

Eric Turney 22:10
Hmm. 

Rich Bennett 22:10
It's your seeing, working, you know, with one of the, some of the items that you guys are doing, you're seeing that's really helping those, yeah, other companies, 

Eric Turney 22:19
Yeah, no, that's a great question. I think prioritizing more of the higher end, uh, uh, merch, I think is, you see companies generating a whole new stream of revenue just by offering cool hats or 

Rich Bennett 22:36
right? 

Eric Turney 22:36
cool t-shirt, whether you're a brewery or a bar or, um, wherever you can have a whole other cool stream of revenue that you could just sit on your, on your shelves, it doesn't go bad, you know, it's, it's not gonna expire. And, uh, a lot of companies miss out on that. I mean, even like Harvard did it with their Harvard shirts and I mean, those were, those exploded, um, PBR, the beer company. I mean, they, they generated a massive stream of income by selling cool branded things. So, I think I'll, 

Rich Bennett 23:12
help say that they're pot, yeah. And that's it, that's the thing. I just, I never understood that because you hear, um, I, I think the, with my, when I was DJ and, and had my DJ business, 

Eric Turney 23:26
nice. One 

Rich Bennett 23:27
of the biggest promotional items that worked for us, because we were doing career day at elementary school, which I never understood why they do career days at 

Eric Turney 23:37
school. 

Rich Bennett 23:37
elementary 

Eric Turney 23:38
Yeah, yeah, that's a little young. Uh-huh. 

Rich Bennett 23:40
Yeah, but I mean, it was doing them all the time. But I kept, I asked all, you know, all the guys, the company, I said, guys, we need something 

Eric Turney 23:48
get 

Rich Bennett 23:48
to these kids so that you know, we can get more jobs. 

Eric Turney 23:54
Uh-huh. 

Rich Bennett 23:55
And somebody suggested a calendar. I was like, well, calendars are nice, but it's only good for a year. Or not, then it's gone. Somebody else suggested Pat said, eh, yeah, eh. We need something where we give it to the kids. The kids are going to fall in love with it, but the parents need to touch it because kids aren't gonna book us. It's gonna be the parents. 

The kids love it because whenever they poured liquid into it, it changed colors. 

Eric Turney 24:33
Oh, they, I've seen those, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 24:35
And the parents had to wash it. 

Eric Turney 24:36
Yeah, there you go, 

Rich Bennett 24:38
So, 

Eric Turney 24:38
genius. 

Rich Bennett 24:40
yeah, so that was, I think we got more jobs from that than even my jackets. 

Eric Turney 24:46
Yeah, I believe it. 

Rich Bennett 24:48
Shirts, but it's, I haven't been able to find those cups ever since. 

Eric Turney 24:53
I think we, I can, I could probably help you with that. I'm 

Rich Bennett 24:56
Oh, 

Eric Turney 24:57
sure. 

Rich Bennett 24:57
duh, don't tell me you. 

Eric Turney 24:59
If not, I could probably, I probably knows a vendor that, um, 

Rich Bennett 25:03
Wow. 

Eric Turney 25:04
that can, in worst case scenario, what's cool with, with us is we, uh, no, we source a lot of custom products overseas. So we do, I mean, if you have an idea for something, we've done some really wild things. I'm trying to think, 

Rich Bennett 25:21
right? 

Eric Turney 25:22
Oh, here's, uh, here's a, um, letter opener that we did for Bentley 

Rich Bennett 25:28
uh, 

Eric Turney 25:28
and, 

Rich Bennett 25:28
oh, that is awesome looking. 

Eric Turney 25:30
Yeah, this is a cool, 

Rich Bennett 25:31
I said, those of you listening, it's a typical letter opener, but it's got the logo on the top with the Wings, the B and the Wings. That is bad, 

Eric Turney 25:41
eh? That's a cool one. Yeah, I keep 

Rich Bennett 25:43
that. It is. I 

Eric Turney 25:44
that. Use 

Rich Bennett 25:44
like 

Eric Turney 25:44
it too. It's got, it's, it's used. 

Rich Bennett 25:47
Yeah. Man, that is wild. 

Eric Turney 25:51
Yes, so that they came to us with an idea of, you know, are, they're obviously luxury brands. They 

Rich Bennett 25:57
luxury, 

Eric Turney 25:58
wanted to 

Rich Bennett 25:58
right? 

Eric Turney 25:58
Product and custom and unique and something that you don't see anywhere and our design team worked hand in hand with them, and we can't, and I thought it was super cool. We did some really cool keychains form too, and yeah, it was there. That was fun. 

Rich Bennett 26:14
And people knew that logo. 

Eric Turney 26:16
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 26:17
Yeah, but it's a brand new company. It credit me if I'm wrong, but if you're a new company, I'll start up. You have to have something, of course, your logo is important, but you have to have something that's going to have your either your, I guess your website or QR code. But QR, it credit me if I'm wrong on this QR codes don't work on everything. Do they? 

Eric Turney 26:39
If they're not printed, right? They won't. It should work as long as there's an area that you can print on. I mean, yeah, definitely certain products, or just too unique. Like really couldn't on the Bentley letter opener. There's really nowhere you could put a QR code. So, 

Rich Bennett 27:00
right. 

Eric Turney 27:00
Correct. Yes, some products you can't. We do them a lot for different companies. To be honest, I don't know really how effective they are. We've done them ourselves and kind of track how many people actually 

Rich Bennett 27:13
Right, 

Eric Turney 27:13
scan. it's a low percentage. But yeah, you can do those. I mean, just having people see it. I mean, especially keychain, you just it's always in your pocket. 

Rich Bennett 27:26
And the reason I bring that up, we just recorded our 750th episode and I 

Eric Turney 27:32
Congrats. 

Rich Bennett 27:33
wanted to do something to be able as a giveaway. So, I ordered coffee mugs, but yeah, I ain't going to mention. 

But the first batch that came in, the QR code didn't work. So, I kind of, you know, just my saying is always join the conversation. And on the back of the coffee mug had the QR code. People scan it, you know. So, I kind of typed it then and oh my God. Back and forth are like, well, the website wasn't added to the QR code. I said, "boosh it." It was because the QR code's on the back of the business card you sent me 

Eric Turney 28:12
Right. 

Rich Bennett 28:12
and it's fine. So, after back and forth, they decided to do it again with no charge. So the second batch of cups came in, same problem. 

Eric Turney 28:23
Oh. 

Rich Bennett 28:24
They still won't scan. Now, I'm looking at it. I'm wondering if it's because the ceramic coffee mugs and it's got that glossy finish and it's got… 

Eric Turney 28:36
A 

Rich Bennett 28:36
The 

Eric Turney 28:37
curve. 

Rich Bennett 28:37
QR code's not technically fat, it's curved, yeah. So, I don't know if that's the reason or what, but I tell you what. I learned the hard way. I'm not doing that again unless it's just, maybe put the QR code on the bottom 

Eric Turney 28:50
people. 

Rich Bennett 28:50
of 

Eric Turney 28:50
Right. 

Rich Bennett 28:50
the Drinking your coffee and holding it up so people can 

Eric Turney 28:53
yea, 

Rich Bennett 28:53
scan. 

Eric Turney 28:53
there you 

Rich Bennett 28:55
go, yea, you can got it, but, 

Eric Turney 28:56
Oh, I was 

Rich Bennett 28:56
but the fuck- 

Eric Turney 28:56
just 

Rich Bennett 28:57
Go ahead, 

Eric Turney 28:57
saying, you could put it on the inside too bottom or we've seen 

Rich Bennett 28:59
yeah. 

Eric Turney 29:00
that as well, that's kinda cool on so when you're done, there you go, oh there it is. 

Rich Bennett 29:04
I 

Eric Turney 29:04
that- 

Rich Bennett 29:04
like 

Eric Turney 29:05
That's kind of cool. 

Rich Bennett 29:06
I like that. I think the biggest 

marketing thing that worked well for me for the podcast with the QR code. I had a shirt and this is with my old look at it, it just said CWRB. It said that on the front and on the back, it said 'scan this' and a giant QR code on my back. Which- It was working. Um, my wife didn't like it if we- Public because it looked like people were taking a picture of my ass or something 

Eric Turney 29:41
but I mean- Yeah! Better years than hers, right? [chuckles] 

Rich Bennett 29:44
Oh yeah, we had problems in- But I mean, it- It was working, but I know there's gotta be better things to do than silly things like that. I like the idea of putting the QR code in the bottom of the 

Eric Turney 29:56
you. 

Rich Bennett 29:56
cup on 

Yeah, 

Eric Turney 29:59
yeah, that's a fun one. We've done a few- Styles like that. I think anything like that that's just different now to the box and not your standard, 

Rich Bennett 30:09
Yeah, 

Eric Turney 30:09
is- Is Jean just putting a big one on the back of a t-shirt? That's just genius, free people. You don't see that everywhere. The unique ones I swear are the ones that just do the best with the cool unique idea and then a company who's willing to try it, and 

Rich Bennett 30:27
right. 

Eric Turney 30:27
you know, you can- that guerrilla marketing strategy of giving out items and promotional products and- that stuff works, it's wild. 

Rich Bennett 30:39
You're listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. We'll be right back. 

Meet your pet opair, your pet care partner, Bel Air Maryland. They're not just pet lovers. They're certified professionals, dedicated to giving your pets the best care while you're away. Worry about leaving your furry friend, the neighbor, with your pet opair, worry no more. They offer peace of mind with their bonded, insured and background-check team trained and pet first aid and CPR for your pet safety and comfort. Communication? They've got it covered. Quick and easy because your pet opair knows your time is valuable. Starting this simple, review the services, get a quote, and schedule meeting greed. Visit bellairopair.com. That's B-E-L-A-I-R-A-U-P-A-I-R dot com, and let your pet opair be there for your pet when you can't be. Your pet opair, doing it for the sits and wiggles. All right, what's one of the strangest requests you've 

Eric Turney 31:46
had? Oh man, we've had only fans, influencers, doing stuff we've had, know, like radical groups reach out to us to do products that we've had to be like, no, we can't do that. Unfortunately, 

Rich Bennett 32:05
you 

Eric Turney 32:06
we've had 

very sexually explicit content that we go, whoa, that's, we can't do that. 

Rich Bennett 32:17
Why, me, you mean people like when they're brand on sex toys? 

Eric Turney 32:21
No. 

Rich Bennett 32:22
Oh, okay. 

Eric Turney 32:24
That might be a thing actually. You know me right that down. 

Rich Bennett 32:28
just, 

Eric Turney 32:29
No, I'm 

Rich Bennett 32:33
it 

Eric Turney 32:34
was 

Rich Bennett 32:35
like, is 

Eric Turney 32:36
that a market, let me look, it was like, like anime, I know recently we had like an anime company wanted to do very, like sexually reverse, like almost like, yeah, it was just tasteless anime. So I don't even know what that's 

Rich Bennett 32:55
I 

Eric Turney 32:56
called. understand. 

Rich Bennett 32:56
can 

Eric Turney 32:56
You know what I mean? 

Rich Bennett 32:58
Yeah, and I can understand why you want to, when to do that, because it's still, even though it's their name, you're still putting your name behind it. 

Eric Turney 33:05
Totally. Yeah, as the manufacturer and kind of the middleman in between it, you definitely are, and it's anything along those lines, we just shut down. I mean, there's been, there's been a lot of stuff. It doesn't happen all the time, but, you know, 

Rich Bennett 33:21
yeah, 

Eric Turney 33:22
I mean, it's neo-Nazi groups and stuff like that we've had reach out to us. And sometimes they do like, we won't recognize the, I can think of one instance, we didn't recognize. No one in the team recognized what that meant until, you know, eventually it came to our attention that this was a, you know, white supremacist group and we had to just shut that down 

Rich Bennett 33:47
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 33:47
immediately. So, occasionally stuff slips through the cracks here and there, 

Rich Bennett 33:51
but...

That's gonna happen. 

Eric Turney 33:53
Yeah, uh, but weird, I mean, funny stuff. We get the fun, we get, oh man, do I have that like, office, the office, the show, the office, like...

Rich Bennett 34:01
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 34:02
Meams and stuff, or like, Chris Rock, when Chris Rock slapped Will Smith, there's a whole bunch...

Rich Bennett 34:07
You mean when Will Smith slapped 

Eric Turney 34:09
Oh 

Rich Bennett 34:09
Chris 

Eric Turney 34:09
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 34:09
Rock, 

Eric Turney 34:09
yep, 

Rich Bennett 34:10
yeah! 

Eric Turney 34:10
sorry, yeah, I had that backwards. You know, a bunch 

Rich Bennett 34:12
Are 

Eric Turney 34:12
of 

Rich Bennett 34:13
you? 

Eric Turney 34:13
fun stuff. 

Rich Bennett 34:14
Alright, what were people putting memes on? 

Like 

Eric Turney 34:17
shirts, and key chains, and like, uh, just, um, yeah, the one that I could think of was actually some patches that they did. They put on a hat just to, um, you know, kind of get the like, oh, factor, and then you see their, their brand on it, so. 

Rich Bennett 34:33
Okay, okay. So what's one that really surprised you, a promotional item that a company came to you for, and you're like, "I don't think that's gonna work, but then..."

You were really floored because it worked very, very well. 

Eric Turney 34:48
That's a good question, um, one of our biggest clients, um, that's, where do we go? That's... There's been a number of them. I mean, lapel pens, in general, 

Rich Bennett 35:04
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 35:04
surprised me with the, uh, they almost have a cult like, following a people who collect them, and we worked with, uh, Fox to do like, some Simpsons ones, and some, we worked with Marvel to do like, some Ninja Turtles, and a whole bunch of cool, and I was going, "Man, these are..." I was like, "How is this gonna work?" And they sold amazing, I mean, they, and then I started to kind of get into that world, like, into Reddit 

Rich Bennett 35:35
Uh, 

Eric Turney 35:35
groups, and whole subculture. I don't think people know about, but the lapel pen and Amel pen culture out there, it's really cool too. I mean, crazy cool designs, and they retail for a bunch, and...

Rich Bennett 35:48
Yup. 

Eric Turney 35:48
You know, they're getting, you know, 80% profit margin on the, on a retail lapel pen and... They are flying off the shelves, that, that's one that just flaws me every time. 

Rich Bennett 36:00
I, so I'm, like I mentioned earlier, I'm in the Lions Club here, 

Eric Turney 36:04
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 36:04
and I've been in... Oh my god, 26 years. Lions...

Clubs have been around for over 100 years. 

The pins are a huge thing. There are people, not even members of the Lions, that collect these things. And 

Eric Turney 36:23
Totally. 

Rich Bennett 36:23
every year, every president, all the way up from local clubs are not... But the districts, all the way up to international, they all have their own pen designed. 

Eric Turney 36:33
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 36:34
Oh, man, you got to get in touch with Lions Club International. 

Eric Turney 36:37
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 36:38
I mean, you might have a...

Eric Turney 36:40
Yeah, there we 

Rich Bennett 36:40
But 

Eric Turney 36:40
go. 

Rich Bennett 36:40
yeah, it's, it's funny, they, I mean, all of these pins, we have... jars. 

Eric Turney 36:47
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 36:47
A clubhouse. Just load it with them. And I, I'd like the idea of the Challenge Coins better, 

Eric Turney 36:54
Mm, 

Rich Bennett 36:54
but 

Eric Turney 36:54
me 

Rich Bennett 36:54
that...

Eric Turney 36:54
too. 

Rich Bennett 36:55
That's just me. 

Eric Turney 36:56
Yeah, I love Challenge Coins there. 

Rich Bennett 36:58
Oh, so do I. So do I. I, I love, I just love collecting them. Um... It went right out of my head that fast. 

Eric Turney 37:05
We do a lot for the different Lions clubs, moose lodges. 

Rich Bennett 37:11
Oh, really? 

Eric Turney 37:12
Yeah, over the, I mean, I'm thinking some cool, uh, what's the, uh, the Masonry group. 

Rich Bennett 37:18
Oh, yeah, the Masons. 

Eric Turney 37:19
Just, yeah, that's it. The Masons, isn't 

Rich Bennett 37:21
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 37:21
that the Masons, I mean, it's right. 

For, they, they always come with really fun, fun, unique designs too. And, yeah, over the years we've done a bunch of, a bunch of those clubs, it's very fun. 

Rich Bennett 37:36
Oh my God. Alright, those of you listening, I'm gonna tell you right now, go to minireacumpti.com. You have something on there that, je, uh, I don't know of any other company that does this. You guys do belt buckles? 

Eric Turney 37:51
Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's a, that's, that's been a super hot item. It's, um, they're so cool too, I don't have any floatin' around my desk, but, yeah, customized belt buckles, the minimum's only 25, so those are really popular lately for businesses that, that give them its gifts to their employees. 

Rich Bennett 38:13
I, 

Eric Turney 38:14
mm-hmm, 

Rich Bennett 38:15
I, I, cause I, oh, well, back in the day, I used to wear the different belt buckles all the time. And I started, it's like, out of order, it's like, yeah, let me just wear regular belt. Now I'd be gettin' the ratchet belts. 

Eric Turney 38:29
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 38:30
That you could change the belt buckles on. 

Eric Turney 38:32
Right. 

Rich Bennett 38:33
Um, so you guys make them too? 

Eric Turney 38:36
We don't, not uhm, we've, 

Rich Bennett 38:39
So, 

Eric Turney 38:39
we've looked into it though. Um, yeah, that's, we've had customers ask about that and I'm going, 'Man, what is that? That is so cool.' So, uh, definitely something we want to, because that is a growing, uh, the 

Rich Bennett 38:54
yeah. 

Eric Turney 38:54
ratchet belts are super cool growing uh, item. Very 

Rich Bennett 38:57
cool. Oh, it, it helps when you, when you start losing weight the way, 

Eric Turney 39:02
I, 

Rich Bennett 39:03
I cine) Because 

Eric Turney 39:04
mean. (Mal 

Rich Bennett 39:05
now, all my other belts, it's like, up, they're almost looping twice around as like. 

Eric Turney 39:09
(Laughs) 

Rich Bennett 39:10
Let me get that ratchet belt that works a lot better. And they're not, the belts themselves are not that, 

Eric Turney 39:15
(Clears throat) No, yeah. And even the belt buckles themselves aren't too bad, really, I mean. They, uh, in a lot of companies retail them too and the, the, the surprising thing to another, a niche thing is the ultra marathons like the guys who run like 100 miles or, the, that's the big thing. 

Rich Bennett 39:36
They're the nuts. 

Eric Turney 39:37
They're their wild, yeah. That's, 

Rich Bennett 39:39
(Laughs) 

Eric Turney 39:40
that's, that is not me at all. 

Rich Bennett 39:42
(Clears 

Eric Turney 39:43
throat) They'll do, um, that's their gifts. So you, a ton of those ultra marathons, that's like the, they give belt buckles. That's their thing. So we've done some like 10 inch, I mean, Mondo, huge bad boys in there. Um, but yeah, they're very cool item. Those are, those are always a fun one. 

Rich Bennett 40:04
My God, I'm, I'm just, I'm going through the website now. And the stuff you guys do, and I'm looking at the challenge coins again. 

Eric Turney 40:12
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 40:13
But I mean, it's just amazing in the hats. Oh no, you even do the bucket hats, straw hats too? 

Eric Turney 40:22
Yeah, yeah, all kinds of fun, fun hats. That's, yeah, such a, especially for a bald, bald guy like me, hats, uh, hats. 

Rich Bennett 40:31
Hey, uh, Eric, 

Eric Turney 40:33
you. 

Rich Bennett 40:33
I'm there with 

Eric Turney 40:34
Yeah, there you go. 

Rich Bennett 40:36
And it's, look, it's like I tell everybody, it's because we are so smart, we just push our brains grow, 

Eric Turney 40:43
exactly. 

Rich Bennett 40:44
Push all our hair out. 

Eric Turney 40:45
I, it's, I couldn't say it better. That's the exact truth, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 40:50
All right, so what was the original owner's 

Eric Turney 40:53
name again? His name is 

Rich Bennett 40:54
hmm. Paul? 

Eric Turney 40:55
Paul. Mm 

Rich Bennett 40:56
Paul. Okay. So what would you, what has, since Paul has retired? 

Eric Turney 41:00
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 41:01
What's been the biggest change with the company so far or has there been a change yet? 

Eric Turney 41:06
Yeah. Yeah, there's been a, uh, a fair amount of change, um, within the website, got completely redesigned and we're continuing to redesign pages. The sales process has really, really changed, um, from how we quote, different quoting tools to our customer service tactics. And in all, all, all the whole sales process has changed 

Rich Bennett 41:30
it, 

Eric Turney 41:30
is 

Rich Bennett 41:30
right? 

Eric Turney 41:31
We switch to a different accounting system. We've really doubled down on, on more paid marketing and different marketing strategies. And, um, um, yeah, in two years, we've, uh, it's been a lot and lots of change. The, the, the customer probably won't see it as much except for you, 

Rich Bennett 41:50
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 41:50
they'll, they'll see more touch points along the way from when they place their order or contact us. They'll be more, um, more touch points in there, but other than, we still, you still the same great product. I mean, the, and that's what he led with 

Rich Bennett 42:06
was, right, 

Eric Turney 42:07
was, have a awesome product to start and then the rest is, is easy. 

Rich Bennett 42:14
I, I, I don't know of any other companies that's offering the stuff that you guys are offering. 

Eric Turney 42:20
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 42:20
And like I told you in the beginning, I've been looking for promotional companies and it's just, you guys are doing it, I think the smart way, because you're not offering too much 

Eric Turney 42:33
right. 

Rich Bennett 42:34
Like I said, the websites and everything, you're, but you're offering the important things and making people's brands stand out even more. That, that letter operator kicks us. 

Eric Turney 42:45
Yeah, that's a cool 

Rich Bennett 42:46
that 

Eric Turney 42:46
one. 

Rich Bennett 42:46
thing's, 

Eric Turney 42:47
That's, 

Rich Bennett 42:47
that thing is just awesome. The hats, all the different hats you offer. Now, here's a scary question for 

Eric Turney 42:52
you. Uh-oh, here we go. 

Rich Bennett 42:54
If you didn't apply for that sales position, what do you think you'd be doing now? 

Eric Turney 43:00
That's a wonderful question. I probably would have taken that job doing auto sales and, um, because that was really torn. And I had a buddy who, uh, who essentially got me the job and he was, uh, he was really pushing for me to work there. and I probably would have taken that job. And he now is the general manager of a Toyota, a Kindle Toyota here in Oregon. And, you know, I may have followed in the same footsteps as him. I, who knows I, that's a, that's a good question. But that's probably where it would have, I would have gone down that path. 

Rich Bennett 43:42
And the scary thing is with that car sales are hitting miss. Because it all depends on the economy, whether or not you're going to be selling a lot, whether or not you are, but or aren't. But with what you're doing now promotional items, businesses need them. 

Eric Turney 43:59
True. 

Rich Bennett 44:00
Stay alive. They need them. 

Eric Turney 44:02
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 44:03
Simple. 

Eric Turney 44:04
Yeah. Yeah. So, a lot of times, you know, it does get cut off the budget at first with bigger corporations. But it doesn't ever go away. I mean, we, Paul talks about the economic turn in 2008, 2009. And he wrote it through. And we do have a lot of big, uh, named military contracts that we, that we've. Accumulated over the years and government jobs that we do. And those really keep the keep the lights on really at the end of the day, they, that has never gone away. For us, the, there's a lot of, a lot of funding involved in those stack 

Rich Bennett 44:53
yeah. Things, 

Eric Turney 44:54
so, um, but yeah, yeah, you're right. And we've had some downturn months for sure. with when the economy swings on us. But it never, it's never terrible. It's never too 

Rich Bennett 45:10
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 45:10
bad. It's never something that we can't recover from. I don't, I wouldn't say we're economy proof, because you never know with 

Rich Bennett 45:18
Nothing 

Eric Turney 45:18
the 

Rich Bennett 45:18
is 

Eric Turney 45:18
world, yeah, exactly. 

Rich Bennett 45:19
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 45:21
But it's, but it's nice to know that we can. That that we have safe and especially for our employees, like they, they really are the heartbeat of the, the business. 

Rich Bennett 45:33
Alright, so tell everybody, no matter where they're located, why it's business owners, especially and nonprofits, and baseball teams, football teams on it, why it is so important that they use monetary pop and what makes you guys stand out from the other companies. 

Eric Turney 45:56
Yeah, totally. I love that question. We are very customer service focused. We are a, you know, a midsize business, but we have that very small, small business feel, when you contact us, you have a, a rep immediately, and you can work that rep forever. If you want to, they, very, very customer service focused where other competitors of ours like the like the mug order, I'm sure it was customer service. It was kind of probably a nightmare to work with I. 

So at our core and our values as a business, we, we prioritize more than anything, the customer customer service and delivering a good product. I'll be honest, we're probably not going to be the cheapest guy in town. There's going to be lesser expensive options out there, but where we win is, is a great product and making it easy for the customer. We want you to come in and feel, feel good about your 

Rich Bennett 47:05
Yeah, 

Eric Turney 47:05
purchase. that you, that you're not going to get a QR code that doesn't scan because, When we get a QR code, we run one and test the QR code. 

Rich Bennett 47:14
which is important. 

Eric Turney 47:15
That's, yeah, exactly. Yeah, basically. And yeah, because that's that you don't want to have to have that that scenario. So that's 

Rich Bennett 47:26
win. 

Eric Turney 47:26
where we 

Rich Bennett 47:26
Yeah. That's sucked. 

Eric Turney 47:28
Yeah. Yeah. It's even in our Google reviews. What are we at now? We're at 700, close to 700 Google reviews. And we've had all five star reviews. We've had, we have one or two bad ones out of the out of the mix, but I mean, customer service is so big for us. 

Rich Bennett 47:52
Well, you're, I mean, your customer services right there, too, right? 

Eric Turney 47:55
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 47:56
I mean, when somebody calls, they have a problem. They're getting somebody that's right there with not somebody that's somewhere. Oh, 

Eric Turney 48:04
right. Yep. 

Rich Bennett 48:05
And that's important. All right. So I gotta ask you something here. 

You're ready for this, man. 

Eric Turney 48:13
Uh-oh. buckle up 

Rich Bennett 48:15
ready 

Eric Turney 48:16
I'm 

Rich Bennett 48:16
alright so because you love the cook 

Eric Turney 48:19
I do, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 48:20
All right, so in the kitchen or outside? 

Eric Turney 48:25
That's a great question. I think it's, I think I'm going to give a terrible answer, but it's a split. It's a split. 

Rich Bennett 48:33
I saw a terrible answer. I'm the same way. I mean, I love barbecue. 

Eric Turney 48:36
Me too. 

Rich Bennett 48:38
But I mean, I love cooking inside too. 

Eric Turney 48:41
Me too. Yeah. No, I And I love smoking. 

Rich Bennett 48:45
Oh, 

Eric Turney 48:45
With the trigger and with, 

Rich Bennett 48:47
yeah. 

Eric Turney 48:47
uh, yeah. I'm 

Rich Bennett 48:48
bitch. 

Eric Turney 48:48
thinking of a 

Rich Bennett 48:49
All right, you had me till you said trigger, 

Eric Turney 48:51
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 48:51
man. 

Eric Turney 48:51
I 

Rich Bennett 48:51
Just, 

Eric Turney 48:52
know. yeah, 

Rich Bennett 48:53
Nah, 

Eric Turney 48:54
pig. 

Rich Bennett 48:54
I'm seriously looking to the getting one of them because it, I love the idea where you can't beat smoke. 

Eric Turney 49:02
Right. That flavor 

Rich Bennett 49:03
of the idea where you could, yeah, you could just go out there. You could turn it on and then walk in. 

Eric Turney 49:08
Mm 

Rich Bennett 49:10
hmm. But would I do, I do love doing the offset to 

Eric Turney 49:13
me too. 

Rich Bennett 49:14
But that's a whole, a whole day affair. You're out there the whole time. 

Eric Turney 49:18
You got to tender it. 

Rich Bennett 49:19
And yeah, but you get the guys over it. What's sit there will do extra one or 

Eric Turney 49:25
yeah, 

Rich Bennett 49:25
or whatever and have a good time. 

Eric Turney 49:27
Exactly. 

Rich Bennett 49:27
Doing it. All right, so what's your favorite thing to cook then? 

Eric Turney 49:30
Good question. Lately, I've done my kids are seven, five and 15 months. So it's been a 

Rich Bennett 49:39
Oh, 

Eric Turney 49:39
lot of 

Rich Bennett 49:39
wow. 

Eric Turney 49:40
chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese over here lately. But, uh, I love, I mean, it's probably smoking different with the offset smoker. I've used some, uh, barrel smokers in the back, but good brisket or good set of ribs is always fun. Um, pulled pork. I mean, that's, uh, that's an easy one to feed a, feed a ton of people. Um, but seafood probably is the second favorite. I love good fresh seafood. So 

Rich Bennett 50:10
yeah, 

Eric Turney 50:12
I lived in Alaska growing up. So I was spoiled 

Rich Bennett 50:16
um, 

Eric Turney 50:16
up there. The good 

Rich Bennett 50:19
don't tell me you live by Dutch Harbor. 

Eric Turney 50:21
No, no, that's right in the middle of nowhere out there. I lived in Valdees of all, of all places, which is there's the, yeah, Exxon Valdee, the big oil spill and the 80s. And oh, yeah, lived there, but, uh, great. I mean, phenomenal, see fresh, halibut, fresh oysters, fresh, great salmon. The salmon is just, 

Rich Bennett 50:43
you cannot beat salmon. 

Eric Turney 50:45
I agree. 

Rich Bennett 50:46
I just got to come from there. 

Eric Turney 50:47
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 50:48
It's got to come from there. I said, did the mac and cheese have each? 

Eric Turney 50:53
No, I have. Well, no, I did, I did once. Uh, I didn't turn out, I'll be honest. It didn't, didn't have that, that flavor profile with that good rich smoke on it. But I should, I have a feeling that my kids would be like, Dad, this isn't craft. What are you doing? What do you? 

Rich Bennett 51:12
That's the way my wife 

Eric Turney 51:13
Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 51:13
is. 

Eric Turney 51:14
exactly. This isn't spongebob. 

Rich Bennett 51:18
Yeah. Ew. yeah, 

Eric Turney 51:19
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 51:20
try that and even add some crab meat to it. 

Eric Turney 51:22
Oh, now we're, now we're talking. 

Rich Bennett 51:27
Uh, my nephews place here, they make a kick ass crab mac and cheese. They don't smoke it, 

Eric Turney 51:34
mm hmm, 

Rich Bennett 51:34
but, 

Eric Turney 51:35
that should. 

Rich Bennett 51:36
Oh, no, because the chef there, he, 

he is awesome. He does a brisk get that kicks ass too. 

Eric Turney 51:44
Nice, that's a, 

Rich Bennett 51:45
he, 

Eric Turney 51:46
that's top of good brisk. I mean, good, you guys get great in Baltimore. I mean, you get a good lobster. You get crab. What's, 

Rich Bennett 51:55
Well, we get 

Eric Turney 51:55
what 

Rich Bennett 51:56
the 

Eric Turney 51:56
else 

Rich Bennett 51:56
good 

Eric Turney 51:56
is big? 

Rich Bennett 51:56
crabs. The best lobster's going to come up from 

Eric Turney 51:58
main. Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 51:59
main. Yeah, but we, you can't beat our oysters. 

Eric Turney 52:02
Mm hmm, I love oysters. Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 52:06
me too. Yeah, me too, especially raw, but on 

Eric Turney 52:09
right, me 

Rich Bennett 52:09
the 

Eric Turney 52:09
too, 

Rich Bennett 52:09
grill. 

Eric Turney 52:09
shooters. Yeah, we're fried. Oh my, I'm 

Rich Bennett 52:12
All 

Eric Turney 52:12
getting hungry now. Let's. 

Rich Bennett 52:13
Hey, baby. Eric, I'm going to put you on the spot here now, man. I said, 

Eric Turney 52:18
Let's 

Rich Bennett 52:18
you 

Eric Turney 52:18
do 

Rich Bennett 52:18
mentioned you 

Eric Turney 52:19
it. 

Rich Bennett 52:19
love raw oysters. 

Eric Turney 52:20
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 52:21
Can you eat 'em? 

Eric Turney 52:22
Shooter with lemon juice 

Rich Bennett 52:24
So 

Eric Turney 52:24
cocktails. 

Rich Bennett 52:24
you just shoot it sucker 

Eric Turney 52:27
right down? Sucker 

Rich Bennett 52:28
right down. Oh, no. 

Eric Turney 52:29
yep. On this half shell, too. 

Rich Bennett 52:31
Yeah, 

Eric Turney 52:31
Got it because if they come. 

Rich Bennett 52:33
I was that. 

Eric Turney 52:33
no. And a glass. I go, I don't know 

Rich Bennett 52:36
Uh, 

Eric Turney 52:36
how old this is. Yeah, exactly. 

Rich Bennett 52:39
Yeah, you don't want them out of a can either. 

Eric Turney 52:40
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 52:42
I was, I was the same way. And maybe it's because the oysters here. And we have the oyster farms, NASA. Where you get them from the bay? They're either going to be salty or sweet or. 

Eric Turney 52:53
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 52:54
But I stopped using cocktail sauce, lemon juice, all that. I just like to chew them up. 

Eric Turney 52:58
Mm hmm. 

Rich Bennett 52:59
It'll get that full flavor, you gotta try it at least once. If you don't like it that you go back to 

Eric Turney 53:04
shoot. 

Rich Bennett 53:04
doing 

Eric Turney 53:04
Right. 

Rich Bennett 53:04
the 

Eric Turney 53:06
I'll 

Rich Bennett 53:06
Oh. 

Eric Turney 53:06
try it. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 53:08
Can't beat and smoke salmon. 

Eric Turney 53:10
Oh, that's the best. 

Rich Bennett 53:12
Okay, so you have done that, kind 

Eric Turney 53:13
Oh, 

Rich Bennett 53:14
of. 

Eric Turney 53:14
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 53:14
Here it is getting near lunchtime. Why are we talking? 

Eric Turney 53:16
[laughter] 

Rich Bennett 53:17
So my other question for you because I'm getting hungry. Favorite stand-- Favorite stand up comedian? One of your favorite stand 

Eric Turney 53:25
comedian-- 

Rich Bennett 53:25
up 

Eric Turney 53:25
Oh, man. That's a good one. Right now, Shane Gillis is my favorite. I think he's super-- I've seen him three times now, uh, but I like Bill Ber. He's-- 

Rich Bennett 53:37
Yeah. 

Eric Turney 53:38
Great one and Dave Chappelle and some-- I've-- 

Rich Bennett 53:41
Chappelle. 

Eric Turney 53:42
She's there. They're so fine. And I love going to the stand-up shows. Me and my wife love to-- because we know when I quit drinking, concerts were really hard to be-- they still are. Like, uh, it's just, uh, it's a weird environment to be in sober for me, at least, but comedy shows was a blast. 

Rich Bennett 54:03
Well, 

Eric Turney 54:04
So. 

Rich Bennett 54:04
you can-- comedy show you can sit there at the table. You go to a concert. You got people around you everywhere spilling drinks and all that. 

Eric Turney 54:11
Yep. Exactly. 

Rich Bennett 54:13
So smelling some weird 

Eric Turney 54:13
stuff. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 54:15
Yeah. You know, so it's like-- 

Eric Turney 54:16
Especially here in Oregon. 

Rich Bennett 54:18
Yeah. Yeah, it's like, yeah. No, nothing. For me. All right, so before I get to my last question and I have no idea what it's going to be, um, is there anything you would like to add? Besides, yeah, Rich, I'm hungry. 

Eric Turney 54:32
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 54:32
You should get something-- 

Eric Turney 54:34
It's 8 a. m. I need to-- I need a burger. Where's the-- [laughter] 

We're in the desert, so we don't get good seafood here. We got to travel, too. I don't trust the seafood around here, but. Um. 

Rich Bennett 54:48
Desert in Oregon? 

Eric Turney 54:49
There is. Yeah, we're right in the middle of Oregon, central Oregon. We're right on the border of desert and then a forest. We're right there. We're a river-- 

Rich Bennett 54:57
Oh, wow. 

Eric Turney 54:58
It comes through. It's a very-- It's awesome here. Don't tell anyone, but it's beautiful. It's. Um. Someers are amazing here in 

Rich Bennett 55:08
But 

Eric Turney 55:08
Bend. 

Rich Bennett 55:08
you just don't want the seafood. 

Eric Turney 55:10
Yes. You got to travel for the seafood, so. 

Rich Bennett 55:13
Well, yeah, I was going to say you could probably get clams, right? 

Eric Turney 55:15
Yeah. Yeah, there's a few spots you can 

Rich Bennett 55:18
Okay. 

Eric Turney 55:19
get. There's, uh, yeah, there's one in particular that has good-- Did I trust? I should say, but. 

Rich Bennett 55:26
I never realized there 

Eric Turney 55:29
was a desert. Yeah, 

Rich Bennett 55:30
Yes, 

Eric Turney 55:30
yep. 

Rich Bennett 55:30
I needed to travel more. 

Eric Turney 55:31
Yeah, come on out here. It's 

Rich Bennett 55:33
We're going 

Eric Turney 55:33
beautiful. 

Rich Bennett 55:33
back to school and take geography. 

Eric Turney 55:36
[laughter] Right? Those were the hardest classes I swear. I did terrible in geography. The-- 

Rich Bennett 55:42
Terrible 

Eric Turney 55:42
Oh. 

Rich Bennett 55:43
in everything. 

Eric Turney 55:44
I was-- 

Rich Bennett 55:44
It's my favorite. 

Eric Turney 55:45
[laughter] Me, too. My wife is, uh-- My wife's a nurse practitioner, and we are the exact opposite. She crushes school. She just, like, has a weird brain that she just-- I-- she's so good at school. And I struggled so much in school. Um, but yeah. She's-- it's-- What she lacks for, I think I am good at. What-- I think it creates a good team. I hope. [laughter] 

Rich Bennett 56:16
Yeah, I had the same-- I'm the same way. I'm the same way. All right, so pick a number, we'll-- Little, little, little, I'll 

Eric Turney 56:22
it. 

Rich Bennett 56:22
run 

Eric Turney 56:23
[laughter] 

Rich Bennett 56:23
Pick a number between one and 100. 

Eric Turney 56:27
[sniffing] 12. 

Rich Bennett 56:29
12. All right, so this is the last question for you. 

Eric Turney 56:33
That was a Seahawks reference, too, by the way, so, anyway. The 12s. Shout out. Anyway. 

Rich Bennett 56:39
Oh. 

Eric Turney 56:41
How'd you do it? 

Rich Bennett 56:42
Oh. [laughter] 

We're not going to 

Eric Turney 56:47
[laughter] 

Rich Bennett 56:47
talk for-- All right. What-- this is a good question. What's a misconception people often have about you? And what's the reality? 

Eric Turney 56:57
Oh, man, good question. Um, I get a lot of, uh, you know, uh, your life seems, uh, like, you know, like, I wouldn't say perfect, but you have such a nice family, who presents so well on Facebook and like, your wife's, you know, as a career, you have a career, like, people think that it was very easy for me. Um, the-- the come-up, I guess you could say. But there was a lot of-- a lot of struggles in there. And I-- I love helping, um, I love, you know, mentoring, younger guys who have-- who have been through that, too, and-- and helping them, you know, and sharing my experience and-- and what-- what I've been through, 'cause-- It was, uh, it was a lot of pain involved in some of those years of, uh, but, you know, it makes it so much better and I feel like, and honestly above the business stuff, above the, you know, right there with my kids and everything is I get the most joy from, from help and other people. 

Rich Bennett 58:09
Yeah. So, 

Eric Turney 58:10
it's just, I hate 

Rich Bennett 58:12
it's 

Eric Turney 58:12
to, 

Rich Bennett 58:13
rewarding, man. 

Eric Turney 58:13
So rewarding, I hate to say itself, too, 'cause I do it kind of for me almost 'cause I feel good when I'm doing that. 

Rich Bennett 58:20
It's 

Eric Turney 58:21
therapy. Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 58:23
Good therapy, don't feel selfish, there is nothing, I think more people need to do that. 

Eric Turney 58:29
Yeah, for sure, 

Rich Bennett 58:30
Well, and 

Eric Turney 58:31
yeah. 

Rich Bennett 58:32
how many 

Eric Turney 58:32
recovery? 

Rich Bennett 58:32
years, 

Eric Turney 58:33
Eight years. 

Rich Bennett 58:34
Eight years. 

Eric Turney 58:35
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 58:35
And I want to thank you for sharing that because I do believe more people need to, 

Eric Turney 58:40
Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 58:41
because you're helping others. 

Eric Turney 58:43
Mm-hmm. 

Rich Bennett 58:44
So, you know, Eric, thanks a lot, man. It's been a true pleasure and an honor and I have a funny feeling we're gonna be talking a lot more. 

Eric Turney 58:52
do it. I had a blast. This was like, I've done a bunch of business centered ones lately and this is just so refreshing. This has been the funnest 

Rich Bennett 59:00
Let's 

Eric Turney 59:00
one. Yeah. 

Rich Bennett 59:01
Well, thanks, and if you ever make it out this way, 

Eric Turney 59:03
Oh yeah. 

Rich Bennett 59:04
look me up in, I'll fire up the grills and-- 

Eric Turney 59:07
Let's do it. 

Rich Bennett 59:08
Barbecue. 

Eric Turney 59:09
I need some of that crab mac and cheese. 

Rich Bennett 59:12
You just need Maryland steamed crabs. 

Eric Turney 59:15
Yeah, yeah. 

Rich Bennett 59:18
Thanks a lot, Eric. 

Eric Turney 59:19
Thank you. 

Rich Bennett 59:20
Thank you for listening to the conversations with Rich Bennett. I hope you enjoyed today's episode and learned something from it as I did. If you'd like to hear more conversations like this, be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode. And if you have a moment, I'd love it if you can leave a review. It helps us reach more listeners and share more incredible stories. Don't forget to connect with us on social media or visit our website at conversationswithrichbent.com for updates, giveaways, and more. Until next time, take care. Be kind and keep the conversations going. You know, it takes a lot to put a podcast together, together. And my sponsor's helped add a lot, but I also have some supporters that actually help me when it comes to the editing software, the hosting, and so forth. There's a lot that goes into putting this together. So I want to thank them. And if you can, please, please visit their websites, visit their businesses, support them however you can. So please visit the following full circle boards. Nobody does charcuterie like full circle boards. Visit them at fullcircleboards.com. Sincerely, Sincerely Sincerely, so you're photography. Live in the moment. They'll capture it. Visit them at sincerlysoyer.com. The Jopitan Lions Club. Serve in the community since 1965. Visit them at jopitanlionsclub. org. And don't forget the E at the end of Jopitan because they're extraordinary.