On this day throughout the world, most firehouses take advantage of this day by holding special ceremonies. Most of them conduct a “Sound Off” at noon which involves fire alarms going off for 30 seconds followed by 1 minute of silence. This is a tribute to pay respect to all firefighters who have passed or sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Family and friends show their support on this day by proudly wearing the IFFD red and blue ribbon. Internationally recognized as representing emergency services, the color of this ribbon represents the two main elements that firefighters deal with; red representing the fire and blue symbolizing the water. These yearly rituals are extremely important to show our support and gratitude for our firefighters. Hit Trophy would love to take part in helping to honor your firefighters with our selection of amazing firefighter gifts that are priced just right, and in turn provide them with a long-lasting personalized keepsake. 

One of these items is our bronze firefighter statue, Item # RFB059. This 12” bronze-toned statue features a fully dressed firefighter with hose in hand, headed out to save the day. It has a black base where our skilled design team will personalize up to 5 lines of any inspirational or rewarding message for free. Another great route is to surprise your firefighter or your entire crew with one of our many great firefighter plaques. Our firefighter plaque, Item #P2793M, features the profile of a bronze fireman head along with a black brass engraving plate for any message to be engraved for free. Another option is our stunning bronze firefighter walnut clock, Item #AT35. This 24”high by 13”wide firefigher clock features a casted bronze fireman’s head, a squared black clock with bronze accents, and a black engraving plate. The shipping as well as the engraving on this item are both free. It would make a great gift to honor the service of your firefighter or would make the perfect addition to any firehouse wall as an award for the entire crew. We have something special for every firefighter. Whether full-time or volunteer, rookie or soon to be retired, be sure to take this opportunity to say thank you for all their hard work by placing your order today!

Two of the most heart dropping and suspenseful events that you never want to see happen at a NASCAR event came true this year at it's biggest race, The Daytona 500. The first came about with the untimely and unrelenting rainstorm. Nothing is more frustrating to drivers and their teams, sponsors, and fans that work so hard in anticipation of a race and then lose that focus because of a little rain. Rain delays have only happened 8 times at Daytona, but have never before caused it to be completely moved to another day. Although the race suffered a substantial loss in attendance and ratings, the race was run the very next day where Matt Kenseth took the victory in the last lap and by doing so he stole the victory away from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Once this race started it was not without other setbacks however. With only 40 laps to go, racecar driver Juan Pablo Montoya lost control and drove into a jet-dryer truck causing a massive explosion and fire. The accident created another 2 hour delay to clean up the wreckage and the over 200 gallons of fuel that spill onto the track.  Luckily no was injured in this crash or any of the other minor crashes within this race. This race happened fairly early into the season, and gives those not on top of their game or had wiped out for this race, more chances to come back.

So this particular race may just have become NASCAR's most bizarre, and is sure to be memorable for its many fans. It creates the perfect opportunity to give your NASCAR fans one of our personalized NASCAR prints. Choose from among some of the most popular racers of the day such as Jimmy Johnson, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and many more! Hit Trophy will incorporate any fans name magically into the preset autographed message and place their last name on the back of a pit crew member's jacket for free. These prints are matted with a 3" black border and framed in a beautiful black frame that measures 23" wide by 19" high. Place the order for your NASCAR print today for the fan you know so they can treasure and remember this exciting 2012 season.  

We however can also all do our part because every little bit counts. In our everyday lives we can reduce, reuse, recycle, clean parks, carpool, ride bikes more often, or opt for the more earth friendly products. We are able to assist you here at Hit Trophy in this area as some of our products are made of bamboo, a renewable resource, and leave you feeling good about doing your part this Earth day. One of these gifts is our personalized genuine bamboo wine box gift set. This bamboo wine box comes with 4 essential stainless steel tools and once filled with a preferred wine bottle is perfect to surprise to the environmentally conscience person in your life. Another item is our genuine bamboo plaque that is available in 2 sizes; an 8x10 or 9x12. The personalization of these 2 particular products as well as all of our products is always free.

Also perfect for Earth Day are the numerous gifts and awards we offer that incorporate a world or globe within the design. Some of these great examples include our stunning team building crystal globe trophy, our colorful prismatic world crystal award, or our smoked glass desk set with crystal globe. There is a vital need to thank these individuals and groups that volunteer to clean, preserve, and improve our world and for their importance to inform us all of our responsibility to do the same. Be sure to always be mindful of your part especially during this upcoming Earth Month. Hit Trophy would be pleased to assist you by providing some amazing products ideal for celebrating, rewarding, and recognizing this important issue.  

Take for instance these fantastic awards that can also provide multiple purposes. Our crystal heart paperweight and acrylic star paperweight are two great items that once engraved with an encouraging message of recognition not only are a great reward, they also then have a practical purpose for daily use around the office for years as a paperweight. Another unique option is the stunning and almost gravity defying look of our crystal cube award which also can be utilized as a paperweight. These three items are all a great option as well as an incredible value, especially if ordering for multiple nurses.

For an extra unique, colorful, and slightly more artistic gift, the impact from any of our hand blown glass art awards is sure to please. One item in particular to recognize the special achievements of exceptional nurses is with our twisted body art glass award. The design of this award is the likeness of a human figure reaching upward; a perfect and relevant gift to represent any great nurse's high striving standards, attributes, and accomplishments. Another option to acknowledge stand out nurses on this special day is with a star trophy. Choose from several designs of star trophies that feature gold or silver metallic stars with a wooden, glass, crystal, or black base and ensure your nurse knows their importance and value in what they do. 

If these specific items are not quite what you had in mind and were thinking of going a different route, any one of our endless designs of glass, acrylic, or wooden plaques would also work great. Find the price that's right for you and choose from a traditional plaque style to the more unique and modern designs from among our expansive selection. As always, Hit Trophy's design team will engrave any one of these items that you choose for free with any message, nursing symbol, medical symbol, or institutions logo. Be sure to show support and admiration to the certified nurses in your life by ordering your personalized gift in time to honor them on their special day.

Speaking of awards, gifts, and the Super Bowl, Hit Trophy has some awesome gifts available that any Giants or Patriots fan would love. We have a beautifully framed Tom Brady autographed print that can be personalized to look like he signed the print just for you or a loved one.  Just to show that we are fair here at Hit Trophy, we also offer the opposing quarterback from the Giants, with an Eli Manning autographed print.  We also have a Lucas Oil Stadium Print that can be personalized just for you! These photos measure 13 3/4" by 11 3/4" and are beautifully matted and surrounded with a black frame which altogether measures 23" by 19". The 2 quarterback prints hang vertically and the Lucas Oil Stadium hangs horizontally. We will make anyone feel like their team's #1 fan by incorporating their name for free into the preset message of these prints. Any true diehard fan never gives up on their team whether they win or lose, so regardless the outcome of this year’s Super Bowl these prints are the perfect gift to surprise them with to help commemorate their beloved team's successful season.

Of all of our military awards, it is our selections of eagle statues that are by far the most popular.  When it comes to our eagle statues we have close to 20 different styles to choose from.  They also come in 3 different colors such as gold, silver and bronze.  All of our eagle statues have a base that they sit on and this base is perfect for an engraving plate that can be personalized with your choice of text and/or logo.  These eagle statues have been used by the military for recognition awards, veterans awards, eagle scout awards and many other patriotic gifts.

Another style of patriotic gifts that are popular on our website is our collection of military statues.  We currently have 11 different styles of military statues to choose from, but we continue add more all of the time.  If you’re looking for a certain branch of the armed forces we do offer branch specific statues for Army, Marines, Navy and the Air Force.  Of these it is our marine statue that is the most popular statue that is purchased.  There are also more generalized solider statues that you can choose from that pertain mostly to Army and the Marines.

If you’re not sure what sort of award you want to give our or if you have a lot of text and a logo that you’d like to fit on an engraving plate, then perhaps you should view our military plaques section.  There you’ll find an array of different patriotic plaques that include eagle plaques, flag plaques and other stars and stripes plaques.  One of our newest items to this section is our USMC Marine Plaque.  This plaque is made with a smooth and glossy piano finished walnut board, a black brass engraving plate and a casted marine logo.

Lastly, for our veterans and the relatives that they have left behind we have our flag display cases.  If you have regular 3’ x 5’ flag that you’d like to display in a case, then we have both rosewood and walnut cases for you to choose with.  We also have display cases for the larger memorial flags that measure 5’ x 9’ in size.  All of these cases can be personalized on the side of them with your choice of a black brass, gold brass or silver aluminum plating. 

As you can see, it really doesn’t matter what patriotic holiday that you’re celebrating, Hit Trophy most likely will have something for you to reward your soldier or veteran with.   We appreciate our soldiers and the work that they do for us each and every day.  On this upcoming Veterans Day we will gladly show our support and gratitude for what they have done for us.  Thank you veterans!  

If you’re not in that big of trouble, then let us suggest our crystal heart paperweight.  On this heart you can have us laser engrave it with any momentous date that you’ve had in your relationship throughout the years.  The date that you first met, day of your first date or your engagement dates are all good additions to this crystal paperweight.  But if you’re not sure what date to go with, then feel free to just put the vintage “Your Name + Her Name” as that always seems to be a good engraving that women enjoy.

If you feel as though that you might be in a little bit bigger trouble than normal because you missed this Sweetest Day, then let me direct you to our Tree of Love Print & Frame.  We’ve all seen the classic photos of a heart carved out of a tree with two names or two initials carved into the center of the heart, right?  This personalized print is a play on that as it gives you the ability to add your name, her name and your date of choice to what appears to be a hand carved inscription into a tree. 

But if you’ve been married for quite some time and you have yet again forgot another romantic holiday, then let me suggest that you go straight for the most meaningful day of your lives together, your wedding day.  We have a beautiful black and white wedding frame that you can fully personalize with your names and your wedding date.  If you get a copy of your wedding photo and add it to this frame, then it should be able to get you out of any amount of trouble that you may be in.  Add a little, “I just wanted to remind you of how amazing this day was for me,” and you should be home free.  ;) 

We have other picture frames, crystal awards and personalized gifts that would be a perfect “make up gift” for your significant other as we include free engraving on all orders.  So feel free to add whatever loving message that you would like to any of our awards or gifts that we have to offer at HitTrophy.com and get your butt out of trouble today!

While we’ve been in business for almost half a century now, it wasn’t until 2007 that we decided to join the Better Business Bureau.  Sure, all of our local customers knew that we provide great plaques, awards and trophies along with excellent customer service, but how would someone from San Francisco, Dallas, Chicago, Miami or New York know that?  The fact is, the best comfort that we could give our internet customers prior to their first orders with us were a few online testimonials from other internet customers.  We would have people call our business all the time just to make sure that we were for real.  Don’t get me wrong, we had absolutely no problem with the calls, but we knew that something had to be done to communicate our professionalism to future customers.  That’s when we decided to make the jump to the BBB. 

Since 2007 Hit Trophy has been a trusted member of the BBB.  Throughout our membership we have always received an A+ Rating from the BBB.  In fact, throughout our 4 years with them we haven’t even had a single complaint made.  The lack of a single complaint along with our A+ rating is a testament to our dedication to high quality awards and unlimited customer service.  We think that our BBB rating speaks for itself, but if you’re looking for further reviews or testimonials then be sure to check out our Testimonials Page today!  

Back in 2001 no one was real sure where this “internet” thing was going to go.  People thought that it might actually turn into something big, while there were skeptics who thought that the internet was simply a fad.  Fortunately for us we took a baby step onto the internet and hoped for the best.  Looking back at our original website, it is actually very comical how simple and generic our first website looked like.  Thanks to the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, we’re able to see exactly what our website looked like when we first launched it.  If you're in need of a good laugh, then click on this link to see HitTrophy.com.... the 2001 version.  The orginal website was really nothing more than a reference website

While we always had an online presence with our website since 2001, we really didn't get into the ecommerce side of the internet until 2008.  That's when we completely restructured our website so that anyone in the United States could buy from us right from the comfy confines of their home.  Not only did we add ecommerce to our website, but we also changed our color scheme and added hundreds of new engraved awards, trophies and plaques to our website for customers to choose from.  To view the 2008 version of HitTrophy.com, just click on the link.

We always loved the 2008 version of HitTrophy.com as it served us and our customers well, but there always just seemed to be something that was missing.  The joke around the office was that the 2008 version of our website was a lot like a "2002 Honda Accord"; sure it was very functional and reliable, but it just didn't have any "shock and awe" to it.  In 2011 that's when we got the "pop" to our website that we had been looking for.  To see this version you don't need a link from the Wayback Machine, you can just click on the Hit Trophy logo in the top left hand corner.  You can see that we moved up from our "2002 Honda Accord" to a "2011 Cadillac" with this updated version.  So far things have been great with this new version of our website and hopefully it will continue to be a great asset for us and our loyal customers.  We look forward to the future and whatever it may bring when it comes to plaques, trophies and awards.

Happy Birthday HitTrophy.com!

By far, bar none our biggest sellers during the months of November and December come from our selection of desk name plates.  Last year during this time we only had about 15 desk name plates to choose from, but we have increased that number to 25 to give you, our customers a larger selection to choose from.  On our desk name plates page you’ll find numerous styles and fashions of name plates to choose from and I’m going to give you an idea of which ones are our best-selling.

The clear favorite that our customers choose the most is the Personalized Glass Desk Nameplate.  The contemporary look of the glass base, glass name plate, the silver accents on the edges and the low cost price of $34.90 have made this the most purchased item at HitTrophy.com to date!  At Hit Trophy we like to joke around by saying that the glass name plate also has a “cousin” which is the Smoked Glass Desk Name Plate.  These two look very much alike, but the latter is made of a thicker glass that is tinted, which gives the item a “smoked” look.  The smoked item is also one of our better selling items and it comes in at $54.90.

Two other of our better selling desk plaques consist of our Rosewood and Silver Desk Pen Set and also the Desk Set with Pen, Clock and Crystal Globe.  Both of these deluxe pen desk sets come with pens, clocks and name plates.  The 2747C comes with two silver pens and a business card holder, while the BC545 comes with a crystal globe that actually spins!  Both of these top selling items come in at $64.90 each.

If you’re not sure what to buy this Christmas for the business executive, teacher or organization president that you know then let me suggest that you have a look at our full line of name plates that come with free laser engraving or personalization!

If you own a Smart Phone or a mobile phone with internet access, then you can now "Check In" at the Hit Trophy Facebook Page.  What exactly does the term Check In mean?  Checking In means that you are notifying your Facebook Friends that you are at Hit Trophy.  You can even elaborate on your Check In by letting your friends know what you’re actually doing at Hit Trophy.  You could say, “Picking up awards for my tournament” and then Facebook would fill in the rest with “at Hit Trophy.”  This is not only a great way to help us out, but you can also do some marketing for your tournament, event or awards ceremony as well.

So for all you “techies” out there who will order awards and trophies from us in the future, we ask that you please Check In when you visit our local store in Archbold, Ohio.  In the near future we hope to be able to give our customers discounts for them Checking In at our store.  We thank you in advance for your participation in this new social media aspect that we’ve added to Hit Trophy’s Facebook fan page.

If you’re fairly new to the trophy industry then you must be wondering what a pedestal trophy is.  More or less, it’s a large resin sculpture of a specific sport or category that is placed on top of a rosewood pedestal base.  The pedestal base also includes a large engraving plate that is perfect for any award that includes a lot of text and a school or business logo.  The resin sculptures that are mounted on these pedestals are made of solid resin and they come painted in full color. 

This new line is dedicated to mostly sports to choose from that include basketball, football and soccer to choose from.  Again, I want to reiterate that these trophies come in full color so the basketball is orange with black lines, the football is brown with white lines and laces, while the soccer ball is coated with silver and gold colors.  The sports awards are perfect for MVP awards, league championship trophies and they can also be given out to the coach for their hard work and dedication.  We also offer a Gold Globe Sculpture Trophy that features exactly that, a gold globe.  The Gold Globe Trophy is perfect for business sales awards or they could be given to the globe collector that you know for something different than what they have.  Be sure to check out our complete line of pedestal trophies that are posted in our Sports Awards section and also our Globe Awards section!

If you’re reading this article then you’re probably wondering why a plaques, trophies and awards company is commenting on this trial.  Well, on Monday June 20^th, Judge Belvin Perry who presiding over this case broke out his gavel and lectured both the defense and prosecuting attorneys for their actions in court.  At one point he even asked both attorneys what time it was.  One answered 9:25, while the other answered 9:26.  The Judge answered them with, “That shows the two of you will never agree on anything.”  He used his gavel many times as he scolded them about wasting the jury’s time and he finished by letting them know that they’ll be working a full day even on their day off, Saturday.

Judge Perry seems to be doing a good job when it comes to ruling over this very controversial trial and he is doing so with his gavel.  Hit Trophy has a huge selection of gavels to choose from and they include a wooden gavel just as Judge Perry is using in his courtroom.  Gavels are not only used in the courtroom, but they’re also given as personalized gifts for judges, lawyers and presidents of companies, organizations and universities.  They’re also often given out to fraternity members for their years of service or other recognition awards.  Be sure to check out our selection of gavels by browsing through our gavel awards, gavel plaques and gavel sets at HitTrophy.com today! 

Horse racing is one of the most unpredictable sports that gives us two to three of some of the most intense moments in our lives.  Because horse racing is such an unbelievable sport, Hit Trophy has added numerous horse statues and race horse statues for our customers to choose from.

We have two bronze horse statues that are dedicated solely to horse racing.  Those statues feature a race horse flying down the track with a jockey aboard the horse directing him where to go and when to make his move.  We also have a Sulky Racer Bronze Horse Statue for the people who love harness racing.  That horse statue depicts the horse pulling the cart and the jockey inside of the cart. 

If you are a lover of horse racing or maybe just a lover of horses, then be sure to check out our selection of horse statues!  Horse statues make for great awards for riding contest, horse shows and they even make for great personalized birthday gifts for the horse lover that you know.  Check them out today!

This Team Building Crystal Globe Trophy Award features a stylish black piano finish base.  On that base are 3 silver people working together to hold up a solid crystal globe.  This crystal globe award stands 10” tall and it’s also 3.5” inches wide.  We’ll add your choice of either a silver or black engraving plate.  If you choose a sliver plate then the engraving will be imprinted in black, but if you choose a black plate then your imprint will be laser engraved in silver.  This award’s black and silver theme, along with the solid crystal globe makes it one of the most contemporary trophies that we offer at HitTrophy.com.

If you’re the coach of an athletic team then perhaps you’ll be able to inspire better team unity by giving out this team building award to the best “Team Player” on your team.  Just the same, if you have an employee who has gone out of their way for the good of your company or another employee then this would be a great award for them as well.  There’s no doubt that this Team Building Crystal Globe Trophy is a great award for many different situations.  

There are few things that represent the United States more than our National Bird and our American Flag.  That’s why we put together this gorgeous Bald Eagle Statue With American Flag.  This bronze eagle statue comes in three great sizes which makes this item a very versatile award.  Not only can it be used as a first, second and third placing’s in tournaments or competitions, but the different sizes also gives our customers the ability to give this item as a small reward or a grand reward.  These eagle statues range anywhere from 10” tall to 14.5” tall and their wingspans range from 7” to 12” wide.

Another great feature to this patriotic eagle statue is the fact that it has been electroplated with a metallic coating.  This coating gives the eagles’ wing and claws some extra strength that helps protect them from chipping or breaking off.  These eagle statues are super strong and will not break during the shipping process! 

Finally, like all other awards from Hit Trophy, there is a place for an engraving plate to be placed on the base of this eagle statue.  You can personalize this award with up to 4 lines of text.  Feel free to use this space to reward a military member that you may know or recognize a truly patriotic person.  This eagle statue represents everything that is great about America and if you know someone that has dedicated their life to our country then surprise them with one of these patriotic gifts!

2 of our most popular glass art awards are the Tear Drop Shaped Art Glass Award and the Egg Shaped Art Glass Award, both of which come on black glass bases.  Both of them measure in at over 7” tall and feature numerous colorful designs on the inside of them.  One of the biggest reasons they’re so popular is thanks to their low cost prices.  Both of these glass art awards come in at $29.90 and that price includes the cost of laser engraving.  If you’re looking for some of the best “bang for your buck” awards, then look no further than these two glass art trophies.

One other popular glass art award that we offer is our Unity Glass Art Sculpture Award.   This award stands tall with its 12.5” x 5.5” frame and like all awards from HitTrophy.com it comes with free setup and free personalization.  With its separate blue and burnt orange colors “uniting” as one at the top of this award, it makes for the perfect wedding gift or anniversary gift.  If you want to make a great impression to any bride and groom this summer, then consider ordering this inspiring award.

There are many other glass art trophies on our website to choose from and we’ll be adding more and more as the year goes on.  So please be sure to stop back at HitTrophy.com to keep up to date on all the new glass art awards.  These awards are perfect for just about any occasion so keep them in mind for any event that you have coming up!

One of the best things about Hit Trophy’s Customer Service is the fact that we have a receptionist (yes real people!) who answer the phone, not a computer program.  So the next time you call Hit Trophy during business hours you’ll be greeted by a friendly customer service representative, not an answering service instructing you to push one, two or three.   Don’t believe us?  Try us!  Give us a call anytime between 8:30-5:00 EST at 419-445-5356.

HitTrophy.com has a wide selection of military awards to choose from and one of the most appropriate gifts for Memorial Day that we offer would be one of our Flag Display Cases.  We have 5 different memorial flag display cases to choose from that are made from either rosewood or walnut wood.  One of our most impressive flag display cases would be our Memorabilia & Memorial Flag Display Case.  This item gives its recipient the opportunity to display both the American flag and also any medals or awards that they received during their time of duty.

We also offer many other patriotic gifts to choose from that include eagle statues, military statues, eagle plaques, military picture frames and other patriotic plaques to choose from.  These military awards can be personalized with a loving message, which makes them a perfect way to remind yourself of the ones you’ve lost or for the current soldier that’s in your family.  This Memorial Day we encourage you to attend a memorial service and show your appreciation for the ones who have given their lives to defend our country and our freedoms. 

Whatever your thoughts are on Facebook, I think we can all realize and admit that it has changed the way we communicate with each other and in some cases how we do business.  As I mentioned above, Hit Trophy does have their own Facebook Page where we list updates on almost a daily basis.  We keep our customers up to date on our new items, our discounted items and other major updates from Hit Trophy.

Another great feature that we have added to HitTrophy.com is the Facebook “Like” button.  If you’re browsing HitTrophy.com and you come across an item that you’re impressed by then we would love to have you “Like” that item.  Likewise, if you’ve ordered awards and trophies from us and you’re impressed by the quality of the item, then we would again encourage you to “Like” that item.  By doing so, it will give your friends and other shoppers at HitTrophy.com the knowledge that someone else is impressed by that item.

Facebook is all about connecting with one another and spreading information to your friends and family.  We encourage you to become part of the Hit Trophy family by “Liking” us at our Hit Trophy Facebook Page today!  We don’t want to give too much away, but there are rumors of a Facebook Contest coming to our Facebook page sometime in the near future and you won’t want to miss out on it!  Join us today!

The item that I saw is our Bronze Eagle Statue on a Black Base.  This item comes in three great sizes to pick from and the sizes range from 8” x 11.5” all the way up to a monstrous 15” x 19.5”.  One of the great things about these eagle statues is the fact that they are electroplated, which means that they have been coated with a metal to make them almost unbreakable.  Sure, if you drop or throw the statue on the floor then there’s a pretty good chance it will break, but being electroplated makes it able to take a few bumps and bruises with breaking.

The episode that the Bronze Eagle Statue is featured in is from Season 3 and is entitled, “I’m an Awkward Enabler!”  The episode revolves Big Cat trying to come out of his shell and being more social with the world.  Maybe it’s better said that Rob was the one that was trying to get Big Cat to come out of his shell.  It ends with Big Cat giving a ceremonious speech at a new skate park that Rob & Friends helped design and create.  Even though Big Cat still has issues with his social skills, in the episode it appears that he overcame some of his fears of public speaking and being a project leader.

The photo attached to this blog shows Big Cat in Rob’s office as they discussed the fact that Rob was putting Big Cat in complete charge of designing and promoting a new Safe Spot Skate Spot Park in North Hollywood.  Big Cat looks a little worried about the task that Rob is giving him.  On the left side of the photo you can see the Bronze Eagle Statue on the desk.

What’s one of the first thing that people think of when it comes to spring?  Golf!  That’s why have added a gorgeous Crystal Golf Ball Award With A Colorful Green Crystal Base to our Promotions Page for the month of May.  Not only is this crystal golf award a simply stunning award, but it also comes in 3 great sizes that makes it perfect for a golf tournament that awards first, second and third places.  This award includes free laser engraving and it also comes packaged in a deluxe gift box for added presentation value.  If you have a golf tournament coming up then be sure to consider this stunning crystal golf award.

What’s something else that people look forward to in May?  Memorial Day!  Sure, everyone loves getting the day off of work, but the heart of Memorial Day revolves around remembering and honoring our Armed Services members from both the present and past.  That’s why we’ve added our best-selling Eagle Resin Statue with a Rustic American Flag.  Nothing represents patriotism than a bald eagle flying through the air with “Old Glory.”  If you’re looking for a great patriotic gift for a current solder, veteran or any patriotic person, then be sure to personalize this eagle statue with a loving or patriotic personalized message.

And finally, the third item that we’ve added to our Promotions Page is one of our top selling desk name plates, which is the Smoked Glass Desk Set with Crystal Globe.  This engraved award is perfect for any person who has a contemporary desk at home or at the office.  It comes with a silver pen, a silver name plate, a silver business card holder and a solid crystal globe that actually spins for full effect.  Be sure personalize this item by adding either just their name or both their name and business title.  The recipient will be glad that you did. 

Keeping customers happy in the engraved awards industry can be a very challenging thing to do.  Unlike other businesses, almost 100% of our items are personalized.  We have to be very precise in almost everything we do because one wrong letter, number or even scratch and the award is completely ruined at our expense.  Because of this our ordering process at HitTrophy.com is extremely meticulous, yet it’s something that’s very easy for our customers.

The first part of the order process is the customer placing their order and adding their text and/or logo(s) to their order.  When we receive the order it gets sent directly to our art department where a professional computer artwork designer produces a digital proof that is emailed to the customer for their approval.  If the customer likes the design that our art department has come up with, then they simply email us back with their approval.  If they would like to make any changes to the setup, then they can email our art department with their requests.  The point of the matter is that we don’t produce the award until the customer is 100% satisfied with their digital proof.  Only then do we send it into production and laser engrave their awards.  Customer service and 100% satisfaction is what Hit Trophy has been built on and we continue to carry out that same great customer service on a daily basis.  If you have some free time then be sure to check out our Testimonials Page where you will find comments from our customers about their experience with HitTrophy.com.  We appreciate our Hit Trophy customers and if you have any issues what so ever with your order, just call or email us at 419-445-5356 or sales@hittrophy.com and we’ll be sure that you’re 100% satisfied!

Chants of “USA! USA! USA!” rang out all over the nation including Times Square and numerous military bases that are placed all over the world.  This information has instantly raised our nation’s moral and people are very excited about the work our military is doing around the globe.  If you’re one of those patriotic people or if you have a military soldier in your family, then we suggest that you take a moment to check out our Military Awards and Patriotic Gifts category.

Our Military Awards and Patriotic Gifts include one of our most popular sub-categories, Military Statues.  There you’ll find a wide selection of Army Statues, Marine Statues, Navy Statues and Air Force Statues.  These military soldier statues are perfect appreciation awards for the solider that you know.  We also have an Eagle Statues category that offers over 19 different styles of bald eagle statues to choose from.  We also have many other patriotic gifts to choose from such as military picture frames, patriotic plaques and military flag display cases. 

We at Hit Trophy appreciate and recognize the amazing service and dedication that our service men and women put in on a daily basis.  We understand that our patriotic gifts will never give military soldiers the recognition that they deserve, but hopefully a personal message on one of our military awards will give them a small token of a heart filled thanks for everything that they continue to do for our country.  God bless our troops and God bless the USA!  

As a reader of Hit Trophy’s “Hit Topics” blog, you must be wondering why we’re commenting on these storms that didn’t even take place in our region of Northwest Ohio.  The reason we’re commenting on the destruction that these storms have produced is because there is a chance that the shipping of our HitTrophy.com orders could be delayed.  Anyone who has ordered awards farther south than Kentucky should expect an extra day or two for their awards to arrive.  UPS even made an official comment stating that, “Severe weather in Louisville, KY, last night caused significant disruption to operations at Worldport, UPS's main hub in the U.S. As a result, some shipments may experience unavoidable delays.  
The UPS Service Guarantee does not apply when transportation networks are disrupted due to conditions beyond our control.” 

We at Hit Trophy just wanted our customers to be aware of these situations and the reasoning behind the delays that your awards may have.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to our friends in the South as they try to piece their lives back together at this time.

The biggest and most memorable award that we have produced for a high profile person was back in the late 80’s.  President Reagan came to speak at Bowling Green, Ohio one afternoon and the city wanted to recognize him for making a stop in their city.  That’s where Hit Trophy came in.  We produced an award plaque that welcomed President Reagan to Bowling Green and it also had the city seal personalized on it.  The plaque was given to President Reagan by the then Mayor of Bowling Green Edwin L. Miller.

More recently we produced a contemporary black acrylic award for President Obama’s former Green Jobs Czar Van Jones.  Van Jones was given the Maurice Sugar Voice for Justice Award which was sponsored by the Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice. 

And just last month we produced a flame glass award for the Mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson.  If you don’t know, Kevin Johnson is the former NBA All-Star who played 14 years in the NBA, 13 with the Phoenix Suns.  Mayor Kevin Johnson was receiving the flame glass award for participating in the Journey to Success Event.  This event was sponsored by Women’s Team Member Network.

As you can see from this blog article and also our list of former customers on our main page at HitTrophy.com, we work with many large organizations and high profile people.  If you’re looking for engraved awards that you can be sure will be produced exactly to your specifications, then be sure to order with Hit Trophy as we have 47 years of experience with personalized plaques, trophies and awards. 

Whether you love Coach Tressel, hate him, think he should keep his job or think he should be fired, there is one thing that should be clear to anyone in sports, he has a great coaching record.  He’s won 1 National Championship and played in 7 other BCS Bowls.  He has 7 Big Ten Championships and an overall record of 106-22.  By winning all those games he has created crazed Ohio State fan base that has filled Ohio Stadium with sellout crowds. 

If you happen to be one of those loyal Ohio State Buckeye fans, know of one or perhaps you’re married to one, then be sure to check out our NCAA Personalized Prints.  There you’ll find an Ohio State Locker Room Print that can be personalized with your last name to make it appear that you’re part of the team or played for Ohio State in the past.  Or maybe you’re more of a person who just loves the atmosphere that Ohio Stadium has on game day?  If so, then check out our Personalized Ohio Stadium Print & Frame that can be customized to look like there was a game day where everyone in the stadium honored you!  But finally, perhaps you just not a fan of Ohio State at all?  If so, that’s fine too because we have a large selection of NCAA Personalized Gifts and chances are that we offer the school that you cheer for!   Whatever the case, be sure to browse our NCAA Gifts section as they are perfect Groomsman gifts, Anniversary gifts or Birthday Gifts for any fan that you know! 

The first one can be found in our eagle statues category.  There you’ll find three eagle statues that come with glass engraving plates.   Eagle statues are often used for military or patriotic awards and the glass engraving plate gives our customers the opportunity to add the military logo of their choice to these eagle statues. 

Another place where we have implemented the glass engraving plates is with our new Bronze Firefighter Statue with glass engraving plate.  Again, the glass engraving plate allows you to add your firehouse logo or any other firefighter logo along with any words of recognition, without running out of room.

One final place that we offer resin statues with glass engraving plates is on our new Bronze Police Statue with glass engraving plate.  The same goes for this guy as you can add a police badge logo along with any words of appreciation and not worry about the information being smashed together.  If you’re in the market for some resin statues and you have both verbiage and a logo, then we would strongly advise you going with our new resin statues that come with a glass engraving plate.

If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck when it comes to golf trophies, then be sure to check out our Crystal Golf Trophy with a 3-D Golfer inside of it.  This crystal golf trophy is made of optical crystal and it features a crystal golf ball on top with the 3-D golfer inside of the crystal.  A crystal trophy for less than $35?  It doesn’t get any better than that.

If you’re looking for something that’s a little larger and has a bit more prestige to it, then check out our Crystal Prism Golf Trophy.  This golf trophy stands 12” tall, comes in a deluxe gift box and includes free laser engraving and free shipping!  This item is perfect for any corporate or university golf outing.

And lastly, if you're always wondering what to get your business executive husband for his birthday or your Dad for Father’s Day, then consider one of our many Golf Desk Name Plates that we offer at HitTrophy.com.  They range in price from $29.90 up to $69.90.  Be sure to check out our complete collection of golf trophies, golf awards and golf desk name plates on our Golf Awards page sometime this spring!

The first “green” products that we added to HitTrophy.com were our Genuine Bamboo Plaques.  Bamboo is a renewable resource so that makes it a perfect alternative to regular wood plaques such as walnut, rosewood and oak plaques.  To keep them 100% green we don’t add metal engraving plates to them, but rather we just laser engrave your text & logos directly into the bamboo plaque.  These green plaques are perfect recognition awards for any environmentally conscious organization or company. 

Another green friendly product that we offer at Hit Trophy is our WBX31 Bamboo Single Wine Box with Tools.  Again, this item is made from Bamboo which makes it an alternative to other wine boxes that are made from slower growing woods such as walnut or rosewood.  It comes with 4 tools to help you manage your wine bottles and it is lined with black velvet to ensure that your wine bottle doesn’t get scratched or damaged.  To keep with the green theme we don’t add an engraving plate to this bamboo wine box, but rather we laser engrave your information directly into the top of the wine box.

Those are two quick examples of green alternative items that we currently offer at HitTrophy.com and more will surely be on the way.  When new green products arrive at HitTrophy.com you can be sure that we’ll write about them here, so be sure to stay up to date with our Hit Topics Blog!

The first item is our Red Accented Flame Series Acrylic Award.  This award is brand new to the awards market as of January of this year.  That means if you’re looking for a completely unique acrylic award that no one has ever received and probably hasn’t seen, then this award could be for you.  It comes with a clear back ground that can be laser engraved with a frosted white color.  It’s accented by the red base and red edges all the way around the award.  This item is perfect for a school, business or organization whose logo or colors have red in them.  This engraved award has been discounted a whopping 19% for the month of April.  

The next award is our Flame Series Black Acrylic Award.  This item was also released in January of 2011 and is brand new to the awards industry.  This item has the classic rounded flame-look to it and it includes a black engraving background and a black acrylic base.  The contemporary look of this item makes it most useful for corporate awards and organizational awards.  You can purchase this acrylic award for 16% off it’s regular price.  Both of these acrylic awards can be found on our colored acrylic awards page.

The last item that has been discounted this April is one of our best-selling plaques at HitTrophy.com.  The PG4470 Rosewood Gavel Plaque is used for many awards ceremonies, but they are predominately ordered for Fraternity Awards and other educational awards ceremonies.  This gavel plaque has been marked down 8% for the month of April.  Check all of our discounted items out at our Promotions Page today!

We encourage you to browse our “Frames For Her” section and there you’ll find numerous picture frames designated just for mothers.  All of our mom picture frames come in an array of spring colors and all of them can be personalized with a short loving message that is just for her.    If colorful picture frames isn’t something that your mom would be interested in then we would suggest that you check out our Custom Frames page.  There you’ll some of our glass picture frames that have a larger engraving area to have a longer, more personable message to be laser engraved.  Have us laser engrave a short paragraph or even a poem to this frame and then all you need to do is add a photo of you with your mother for the perfect mother’s day gift!  There are many other picture frames such as our wood, metal, gold and silver picture frames to choose from.  Just take a quick moment out of your day to find the one that is just right for you mom and she’ll display her personalized Mother’s Day picture frame all year long!

Some police awards that are very popular at HitTrophy.com are our selection of police statues.  We have full color police statues, bronze police statues and one that comes with a glass engraving plate for extra engraving information or logo.  We also have a police plaque that is made of American walnut, a bronze casting officer and a black brass engraving plate. 

While we are not denying that our engraved police awards will never give the officers the full respect and appreciation that they deserve, we do think that these awards will be a small token of recognition that “our boys in blue” definitely deserve.  National Police Week 2011 is May 15-21.  Even if you don’t purchase an award from us, be sure to at least shake their hand and thank them for their service.

One of the major changes with our website is the additions of many new categories of awards.  Thus far we’ve added at least 5 more categories of awards and more will be coming soon in the future.  Some of the new categories that we’ve added are Horse Statues, Globe Awards, Glass Art Awards and Police Statues.  Of these new categories it is the Crystal Globes category that has been the most well received of the bunch.  On that page you’ll find quite the selection of different styles of Globe Awards and Globe Trophies.  If you haven’t seen this page yet, then be sure to check it out today.

One of the other major additions to our new website is our Promotions page.  There you’ll find items that have been placed on sale or they’re on clearance because they’re being discontinued.  If you keep an eye on this page long enough you’ll be sure to snag quite a steal.  The one item that is on a super sale right now is our 5 Piece Wooden Coaster Set.  This wooden coaster set comes with a laser engravable base, 4 wooden coasters and they’re all individually boxed for as low as $9.99!  Maybe this item isn’t exactly your type, but over the coming months we’re sure to have something that you will like so don’t forget our Promotions Page!

As you can see from our first Hit Topics post we have many changes that are taking place both at Hit Trophy and HitTrophy.com.  We’ll be sure to continue to update this blog and the rest of the website as time goes on.  Be sure to add this blog to one of your favorites to ensure you don’t miss any special offers or important news.  If you have a question about Hit Trophy, HitTrophy.com or one of our products then just email us your question to sales@hittrophy.com and we’ll be sure to blog about your question when we get a chance.  Have a great day!