Grandpa Beck's Games™ is a unique way for us to make a personal connection between our family and yours.
We are a game playing family. We believe time spent playing games is time spent building relationships. Whether winning or loosing, life lessons are learned, and good times are had.
With our five kids, we not only played games, but we always found ways to improve on them. Creating Grandpa Beck's Golf ™ has been quite a journey. Going from game concept finished product has been no small task. First, we had to work out the details of the game and then play it often, until we had it just right. Finding a graphic artist with game creation skill and experience was also a big challenge.
At first we thought we would have a game on the market in a few months. In the end, the whole process has taken years. Even naming the game was a challenge. We ended up having to change the name three times due to trademark challenges. Finding a production source was also very difficult. Our designer recommended a factory in China. #Eight months after I thought we would receive the first shipment, it finally arrived. Our celebration was short lived as prior to starting our marketing error it was discovered that the cards were defective. The first 5000 games were defective, and the factory would not stand behind their work. This was a major test for us. After a year and a half of effort and thousands of dollars lost,it was hard to have to go back several steps - to game name selection and product design.
To go forward I had to find a better production option. After much consideration, but with confidence in the quality of the game itself, we decided to give it another go. To avoid trademark conflicts we eventually personalized the brand name. Grandpa Beck's Games™ and Grandpa Beck's Golf™ were finally selected and registered! In the end these names best communicate the very real family basis of our company. At the time of production in 2010 I enjoy the blessing of six very cool grand children, by whom I love being "Grandpa Beck."
With the new name came a new logos and designs for the box and card back. We are very pleased with the end result. The current box is designed to be great for portability, shipping, and home storage. I sought and eventually received bids from production facilities or brokers in China, India, Brazil,Canada, New York, Texas, and Kentucky. I had a order of games produced by the United States Playing Card company and was able to start marketing. When I discussed details for a re-order I was told that there had been an error in pricing, and that now the cost to re-order would be nearly twice as much. This price would make it impossible to sell at a reasonable price. So, the search for a production source was on again.
Through several layers of contact and referral, I found a man named Joe, who is from Boston, but who lives in China and works as a Printing consultant and Printing Broker. After weeks of searching, Joe found the same factory in China that the US Playing Card Company uses for their off-shore production. They use the highest quality "black core" playing card material and produced higher quality packaging than I had received from my USA source. I was also able to add a very nice 12 pack display for retail use.When it is time to print, Joe goes to the factory and makes sure the printing is consistent and of high quality.
I now have a source for production that provides consistent level of quality and ability to fill demand. Now I can meet the demand for both our first game, Grandpa Beck's Golf(R) as well as our exciting new game, Grandpa Beck's Cover Your Assets(TM!) With these two great games we are starting the real marketing efforts in 2012 by attending three toy industry trade fairs to meet with store owners and distributors.
After much effort I am pleased to have accomplished the following:
- We have high quality playing cards.
- The game is sold in a beautiful and sturdy box with a base and a lid.
- We are able to offer the game at an affordable price.
- We will only sell games that we love to play to play with our own family.
Thank you for the interest and we hope you enjoy playing our games as much as we have.
Brent Beck
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