Sep 21, 2016

Eric & Christopher receives national recognition as 2016 Outstanding Encore Entrepreneur from The SCORE Foundation

Eric & Christopher, LLC., the home accents and accessories company based in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, received the prestigious 2016 Outstanding Encore Entrepreneur Award on Thursday, September 20^th at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. The award was sponsored by Frannet and given by The SCORE Foundation whose mentors serve America’s small businesses (over 350,000 annually). The awards program celebrates excellence and small business leadership from select clients. Eric & Christopher is one of the 28.8 million small businesses in the U.S. (sba.gov), and were honored for demonstrating unique vision, innovation and achievement as an Outstanding Encore Entrepreneur Small Business.

Eric & Christopher is most famous for their whimsical farm animal pillows, totes and wall art that they design and make in Bucks County, Pa. With over 550 retailers obtained in just four years of business, below are some of their key successes:

2012: Eric Fausnacht and Christopher Kline make the first “Eric & Christopher” pillow. Eric Fausnacht sells them at local craft fairs in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Within six months of creating the first pillow, they sell 1,000 pillows.

2014: Eric & Christopher move into a 7,000 square foot warehouse in Bucks County, Pa after working out of their basements and dining rooms to design, screen print and sew the pillows. Martha Stewart names them a finalist in the 2014 American Made Awards.

2016: They are currently selling their adorable farm animal pillows, tote bags, wall art and pillow ornaments to over 550 retailers throughout North America. They also do custom designs for small and large companies including Pine Cone Hill, L.L. Bean, The White House Historical Association, The Plaza (NYC),  Beekman 1802, Elm & Iron and many more.

“We are thrilled to be recognized nationally for our hard work and achievements. Our success boils down to our enjoyment in being creative and developing new products, our passion for animals and art, and listening to our customers. We consistently ask for feedback on our products, and take action to improve upon them based on those conversations. Out of the hundreds of SCORE clients, we are simply humbled and grateful that we were selected for this award,” says Eric Fausnacht, co-founder, Eric & Christopher.

“We thank our spouses, our families, our friends, our SCORE Bucks County

Mentors (Tim Fielder, John Small and Ken Haldeman), and of course, our loyal customer fan base. We wouldn’t be here today without all of you,” says Christopher Kline, Co-founder, Eric & Christopher.
SCORE CEO Ken Yancey said, “SCORE is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of its outstanding small business clients, as well as the individuals and organizations that support entrepreneurship nationwide. Through their courage and determination to make their dreams a reality, these small business owners are investing in their own bright futures, and profoundly impacting our nation and its economy.”

David R. Bobbitt, President of the SCORE Foundation, said, “This year’s SCORE Award winners and American Small Business Championship finalists epitomize the positive impact of the 55,000 new businesses that SCORE mentors help to create each year. These main street businesses enliven their communities, create jobs and inspire others to pursue their goals. We congratulate these honorees, and indeed all small business owners who take the leap and follow their dreams.”

Read more about the SCORE Awards.