Last updated on January 28th, 2022 at 01:17 pm
Business owners, non-profit directors and office managers can effortlessly spend thousands of dollars on advertising without seeing a substantial Return on Investment (ROI). They place ads, run email marketing campaigns and order promotional products because they know they need to, without necessarily understanding the rationale behind their purchases. Garuda Promo & Branding Solutions’ founders Swire and Shirley Ho make it a point to educate their clients about every marketing dollar they spend, so the ends always justify the means. What’s more, they rely on their 30+ years of combined experience and attention to detail to advise customers about everything from promo product options to suit virtually any budget, to the importance of logo resolution, stock paper choices, image placement and color palette selection.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Shirley arrived in Los Angeles in 1994 as an exchange student. She graduated from UCLA with a B.S. in Computer Science. She worked in software engineering and IT consultation for five years after graduation, eventually meeting and marrying Swire in 2003, when she joined him at Hellman Production. The company focused on CD/DVD manufacturing, duplication, and distribution services to corporations and government agencies. An avid networker, Shirley has crazy-creative ideas for clients, excellent project management skills and is an expert in printing techniques. She and Swire offer ideas for non-profit clients relative to merchandising, fundraising and branding, and are helping their 13-year-old son’s marching band raise money for a 2020 New Year’s Day parade performance in London, England. Swire and Shirley also have a nine-year-old daughter, who attends another school in the Claremont School District. Since Shirley owns 60 percent of Garuda, the business is a certified women-owned business.
Also born and raised in Hong Kong, Swire migrated to Los Angeles in 1996. He is a proud Chinese American who speaks Cantonese, Mandarin and English. He trained as a sound engineer, working at recording studios and entertainment agencies before starting his own firm, Hellman Production, Inc, 2003 in Los Angeles. Swire and his team successfully produced attractive, personalized DVD and CD cases and custom merchandise like T-shirts, earning a Score award in 2009, for small business success. His business eventually grew so popular, he decided to sell Hellman Production in 2013 to focus exclusively on the promotional product industry. He holds several government certifications: SBE, MBE, WBE, LSBE, and DBE and is well-versed in government contracting.
The Ho family relocated to Claremont, California earlier this year. Swire is eager to serve his new community in the San Gabriel Valley, recently joining the Claremont Chamber of Commerce and Route 66 BNI in Glendora. With strong ties to Los Angeles, he is a 2016 graduate of Team Beverly Hills, and an ambassador and active member in the LA Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the referral network meeting.
The Ho’s enjoy health and fitness, which they incorporate into their company, advising firms when fitness-related merchandise fills the bill promotional-products-wise. Swire is a three-time finisher of the Los Angeles Marathon, 50 miles Ultra Finisher and has trained for SFG I Certification as a kettlebell instructor. Shirley practices yoga and enjoys reading and travel, movies, music and personal development. She loves volunteering in her children’s schools and has lots of associated experience with Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) and other non-profits, often advising them about print and communications’ design.
Led by a team of skilled professionals with years of experience in promotional items and advertising specialties, Garuda features a sourcing platform which includes more than 3,500 vendor partners. We offer manufacturing capabilities that cover any custom products imaginable. We serve companies large and small, with a mission to market our clients’ businesses with fun, out-of-the-box promotional products. Our experience enables us to imprint many promotional products right here in Los Angeles! Our policy of being on time, reliable and solving crises will help take your company to the next level. For holiday gift ideas or more information, call today (323) 379-4887 or contact us online.
