What Baudville does

Baudville, Inc. is a privately held employee recognition and corporate gifting company founded in 1983 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan, operating under the parent name Baudville Brands and a multi-brand portfolio that includes Baudville (core awards), RecogNation (digital recognition), Delightly (curated corporate gift kits), ePraise (free digital employee eCards), and Add Your Logo (branded swag and promotional products). The company sells custom and stock trophies, plaques, lapel pins, certificates, crystal/acrylic/wood/metal awards, engraved gifts, branded merchandise (drinkware, apparel, tech accessories from name brands such as Apple, Nike, Stanley, Hydro Flask, JBL, and Thule), living plant kits, and health-and-wellness items, plus on-site Pop-Up Store services for workplace recognition events. Its technology stack is built on a Shopify-powered self-serve e-commerce storefront augmented by a proprietary digital eCard template platform (ePraise), with no disclosed APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML capabilities.

Baudville serves a hybrid customer base that includes enterprise HR and People Operations teams, individual managers, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, and non-profit organizations, with named enterprise customers including Google, Disney, and Zillow alongside a long tail of SMB and individual buyers reached through direct online ordering. Revenue is generated almost entirely through one-time physical product purchases (trophies, awards, branded swag, Delightly kits) with ancillary revenue from engraving and customization services, supported by volume-based quantity discounts, a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and free shipping on orders of $200 or more. ePraise operates as a freemium engagement layer designed to drive downstream product purchases rather than as a standalone revenue stream.

Go-to-market is multi-channel: customers can self-serve online, place orders by phone Monday–Friday through an inside sales team, or engage dedicated enterprise account managers for custom trophy quotes, branded swag programs, and custom Delightly kits. Marketing combines content (Baudville Ideas blog), email, organic social across Instagram/Facebook/LinkedIn/Pinterest/YouTube/X, SEO-optimized category pages, and physical catalog distribution. The company is led by President and CEO Brad Darooge, has between 11 and 50 employees, is not venture-backed (no funding rounds disclosed), and has never indicated IPO, acquisition, or restructuring activity.

Name

Baudville

Legal name

Baudville, Inc.

Website

https://baudville.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Baudville is a privately held Grand Rapids, Michigan company founded in 1983 that sells custom trophies, awards, branded merchandise, and curated corporate gift kits — alongside a free digital eCard platform (ePraise) — to HR teams, managers, schools, healthcare facilities, and non-profits for employee recognition and corporate gifting programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Employee Recognition Products

NAICS

Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Miscellaneous Shopping Goods Stores (5940), Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Branded Merchandise & Corporate Gifts (BPAFAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Trade Show Giveaways & Event Premiums (BPAFAMAG), Gift, Novelty & Souvenir Variety Stores (CRAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Employee recognition products
• Custom trophies and awards
• Corporate gifting kits
• Branded promotional merchandise
• Digital employee ecards

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Trophy and Award Sales: One-time purchase of custom and standard trophies, crystal awards, acrylic trophies, wood trophies, and metal trophies for employee recognition.
2. Branded Swag and Promotional Products: Sale of branded merchandise including drinkware, bags, apparel, tech accessories, and office supplies with company logos for corporate gifting and employee appreciation.
3. Delightly Gift Kits: Pre-curated gift kit collections (Relax at Home, Welcome to the Team, Inspired Leader) with customization options, sold as complete gift packages.
4. ePraise Digital Recognition: Free digital eCard platform providing templates for employee recognition. Drives engagement and may lead to additional product purchases.
5. Customization Services: Engraving services, logo customization, and custom product design for personalized recognition items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Baudville designs, customizes, and sells employee recognition products — including custom trophies, crystal/acrylic/wood/metal awards, branded swag (drinkware, apparel, tech accessories), pre-curated Delightly corporate gift kits, engraved keepsakes, and free ePraise digital eCards. Offerings are sold directly to HR teams, managers, schools, healthcare facilities, and non-profits through a Shopify storefront, phone sales, and quote-based enterprise ordering.

Product overview

Baudville is an employee recognition and corporate gifting company founded in 1983, operating as a multi-brand platform under Baudville Brands. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of physical and digital recognition products organized across distinct product lines: Custom Trophies (crystal, acrylic, wood, metal, glass awards with engraving), the full Awards Collection (certificates, lapel pins, trophies, plaques, clocks, paperweights), Branded Swag (name-brand merchandise with logo customization), Delightly Corporate Gifts (pre-curated custom gift kits), ePraise (free digital ecards), and specialized Employee Onboarding collections. The platform provides multiple personalization options including logo addition, engraving, and custom packaging, serving businesses, schools, healthcare facilities, and non-profit organizations for recognition programs spanning new hire welcome to retirement celebrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Delightly: Custom corporate gifting kits featuring curated gift sets for various occasions including onboarding, celebrations, and appreciation moments
• RecogNation
• ePraise
• Add Your Logo

Products and services

• Custom Trophies Customizable trophies for employee recognition in crystal, acrylic, wood, metal, and glass materials with personalization including logos, names, dates, and messages; sold to HR teams, managers, schools, and non-profits via custom quote and standard catalog.
• Awards Collection Comprehensive recognition awards catalog covering trophies, certificates, lapel pins, engraved gifts, plaques, paperweights, clocks, and desk accessories for multiple recognition occasions.
• Branded Swag (Promotional Gifts) Branded merchandise including drinkware, bags, tech accessories, apparel, and office supplies with logo customization from name brands such as Thule, JBL, Nike, Stanley, Hydro Flask, and Apple.
• Delightly Corporate Gifts Pre-curated gift kits for corporate occasions including onboarding, executive gifting, work-from-home packages, celebrations, and thank-you gifts, with customizable branding via logo and messaging.
• ePraise Digital eCards Free digital employee recognition ecards with hundreds of templates for birthdays, work anniversaries, motivation, thanks, team welcome, and nurse appreciation, designed for managers and HR teams to send quick peer-to-peer recognition.
• Employee Onboarding Collection Gift sets and products designed for welcoming new hires, including appreciation cubes, onboarding kits, and branded items to create strong first impressions.
• Appreciation Plants and Plant Kits Living plant gifts including Growing Gratitude Plant Kits in themes such as Commit-MINT, Thank You Zinnia, and Grow Stronger Lavender, plus Appreciation Plant Cubes for recognition occasions.
• Engraved Gifts Personalized keepsake items with engraving for names, messages, and dates, including pens, journals, and desk accessories for meaningful recognition moments.
• Drinkware Collection Bottles, tumblers, mugs, and coffee tumblers in stainless steel, ceramic, and eco-friendly materials ranging from 11oz to 32oz+, available with logo customization for branded gifting.
• Pop-Up Stores Customizable pop-up retail store service for corporate events and workplace recognition programs, enabling on-site gift shopping experiences for employees at conferences or company gatherings.
• Health & Wellness Gifts Wellness-oriented gifts including massage guns, travel pillows, and health-focused items used for employee well-being recognition programs.
• Clearance Collection Discounted employee gifts and recognition items including drinkware, awards, plants, and gift sets, with prices starting as low as $2.

Quantifiable outcome

• 79% of employees work harder when they feel appreciated

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ThuleminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerProduct brand partnership where Baudville offers Thule-branded products (travel gear, tech accessories) as part of their branded swag and promotional products catalog.
• JBL (Harman)minorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerProduct brand partnership offering JBL audio products (speakers, headphones) as premium branded merchandise options.
• StanleyminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerProduct brand partnership offering Stanley drinkware (tumblers, water bottles) as corporate gift options.
• Hydro FlaskminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerProduct brand partnership offering Hydro Flask premium drinkware as branded corporate gift merchandise.
• AppleminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerProduct brand partnership offering Apple accessories as premium tech gift options.
• NikeminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerProduct brand partnership offering Nike apparel and gear as branded merchandise options.
• Solo StoveminorOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerProduct brand partnership offering Solo Stove outdoor fire pits and accessories as premium corporate gift options.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• 4imprint: One of the largest North American direct distributors of promotional products and branded merchandise. Directly comparable to Baudville's 'Add Your Logo' branded swag and corporate gifting offerings, with overlapping enterprise customers and similar custom-logo value proposition.
• HALO Recognition: Direct competitor in the employee recognition and corporate gifting space, offering branded merchandise, awards, and recognition programs to enterprise HR teams. Closely aligned with Baudville's recognition awards and Delightly kit offerings.
• Terryberry: Specialized provider of employee recognition programs, service awards, and corporate gifting solutions. Directly comparable to Baudville across service anniversaries, milestone awards, and recognition platform offerings.
• Crestline Promotional Products: Major North American distributor of promotional products and corporate gifts, with a comparable custom-logo imprint business and similar SMB-to-enterprise customer mix. Directly comparable to Baudville's branded swag catalog.
• Marketing Solutions Group (MSG): Mid-sized distributor of branded merchandise, promotional products, and corporate apparel. Comparable to Baudville across custom logo merchandise and corporate gifting for enterprise and mid-market customers.

Broad incumbents

• O.C. Tanner: Large incumbent in employee recognition offering awards, custom jewelry, and the Culture Cloud recognition platform. Overlaps with Baudville in physical awards and service milestone recognition, but operates at much greater scale with deeper software capabilities.
• Workhuman: Enterprise employee recognition software platform provider with social recognition, service awards, and rewards marketplace. While primarily a software vendor, it directly competes for the same enterprise HR recognition budgets that drive Baudville's trophy and gift kit revenue.

Emerging players

• AwardCo: Cloud-based employee recognition platform that integrates with HRIS systems and offers a global rewards marketplace. Represents the software-led evolution of recognition, increasingly competing with Baudville's trophy and gift kit offerings for enterprise HR budgets.
• Swag.com: Tech-enabled branded merchandise and corporate swag company offering a curated e-commerce platform for company stores. Comparable to Baudville's branded swag business with a more modern, software-first approach.

Regional players

• Edible Arrangements (Corporate Division): While primarily a consumer gift brand, Edible Arrangements has a substantial corporate gifting business that overlaps with Baudville's Delightly corporate kits in the employee appreciation and client gifting segments.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/baudville
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@BaudvilleInc
• Facebookfacebook.com/baudville-67211631186
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/baudville
• Instagraminstagram.com/baudville
• Pinterestpinterest.com/baudville

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Baudville