He’s got a gift for promotion
San Gabriel, CA – When David Hornberger worked as a banker, he never dreamed that one day he’d be selling ideas for promotional goodies to corporations.
But now, long into what should be his retirement years, he’s banking on those goodies.
The 77-year-old San Gabriel businessman has parlayed his experience as a bank executive into a career as the owner of Hornberger Companies, which sells promotional gifts to corporations – the kinds of gifts firms hand out to market themselves.
Pencils, hats, key chains, greeting cards, crystal, badges, towels, jackets, calculators … you name it and Hornberger will figure out a way to get the name or logo of a firm, church, library or school emblazoned on it.
With a group of outside businesses – including seamstresses, engravers, screeners and printers – Hornberger has kept his business going for nearly 20 years.
The operation consists primarily of Hornberger and Jan, his wife of 38 years. For the past three years the couple has worked out of their San Gabriel home, so overhead is relatively low. That allows the business to better absorb hits from bumps in the economy, Hornberger said.
A typical day at the business consists of checking orders, researching and doing some bookkeeping. If he gets the chance in the afternoon, Hornberger will also do some mail and e-mail marketing.
“I could spend a whole day researching items that would qualify as handouts that people use for promotion,” he said.
It keeps him busy and satisfied, and it also helps Hornberger interact with people, he said.
“I’ve never been a person who can sit around twiddling my fingers,” he said. “But I enjoy people. I always have. This is perfect.”
Before he got into the promotional business, Hornberger spent 27 years in banking.
He was a founding officer of Omni Bank in Monterey Park and president of MidCities Bank in Bellflower before leaving the business in the mid-1990s.
Little did he know in the midst of his banking career that his financial experience would come in handy later on.
