A Culture of Caring

Primitives by Kathy celebrates 25 years of passionate creativity and philanthropy

{Sponsored} If you ask Kathy Phillips what makes her company, Primitives by Kathy, a success, she doesn’t talk about sales numbers or awards and recognition. She talks about her employees and the company’s philanthropic efforts — driven by her heart for giving back.

“Combining our passion for creativity with our culture of caring, that’s our mission statement,” Phillips said. “Our culture of caring goes beyond our employees, it reaches to the roots of our beginnings, caring deeply for people with varied abilities that helped to launch Primitives by Kathy.”

The founder and CEO points to the very early days of her company when she wrote so many orders at her first gift show that she didn’t know how she’d fill them. Enter Goodwill Industries. Kathy was able to lean on the team at Goodwill industries to help produce product for the first 5 years of business. In her first five years of business, she was fully manufactured with upwards of 150 trainees, all who had varied disabilities. “If Goodwill wouldn’t have taken on my challenge, PBK wouldn’t be here!” Kathy said. “It was just amazing to be all American-made by such a special group of people,” she said. “It was such a special time, some of my favorite days, those first five years. That’s what brought me to be forever philanthropic, always supporting people with varied abilities.”

Now 25 years later, 10% of the company’s employees are people with varied abilities, assisting in many different departments. The closest initiative to Phillips’ heart? Kathy’s Circle of Friends. Founded in 2017, this 501(c)3 nonprofit organization is supported by Primitives by Kathy, generous donors and thecompany’s employees who share the same passion for giving back. Themed events are held twice each month, encouraging socialization, friendship, and a sense of community for adults with disabilities that bring together upwards of 300 members.

“It is just amazing to see the growth of our members … how they’re able to socialize and make new friends each event” Phillips shared. “It’s really, really special to me … we know their names, they know ours. It really enriches their lives and ours as well.”

By encouraging employee involvement in the philanthropic efforts of the company, Phillips knows it gives a communal sense of pride and helps to buildthe community of caring within the walls of the company.

That also carries through in the way the company engages its employees.

As she talked about celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary in 2022, Phillips said she’s proud of the fact that they design 95% of what they sell.

“We have a wonderful group of artists that drive our art, and a whole product development team working in a building called the Idea Factory that drive all of our products. That really differentiates us from the competition.”

What’s more, the Primitives by Kathy team challenges itself to reinvent the product line 30% to 40% every year. “This way, our retailers don’t get tired of us, we’re constantly bringing something fresh and exciting to them.”

Despite the ongoing challenges of the last few years within the industry, from the COVID-19 pandemic to current supply chain issues, Primitives by Kathy has been able to react quickly and adapt as needed.

While she knows some companies are not in the same position, Phillips said her hope for the industry is “that we can all hang in there, weather this storm and see how this changes consumer buying patterns.”

Primitives by Kathy is preparing for the winter show season. They’ll be attending Atlanta Market, Dallas Market and Las Vegas Market. Expect to see celebrating in the company’s showrooms as they mark the company’s 25th anniversary.

“It’s really fun to celebrate and commemorate our anniversary” Phillips said.

“From the start to where we are today, it’s the giving back that’s really important; the product is just the tool that gets us to where we want to be in our mission of giving.”

Learn more about Primitives by Kathy and its culture of caring, visit www.primitivesbykathy.com/25Years.

Learn more about Kathy’s Circle of Friends at www.kcof.org.