BIA Membership Has Lifted Me Up

Southern California Builder: Tell us a bit about C9 Balloons.

Rick Rodriguez: If you’ve been to BIS, we’re the crazy balloon company that built the giant 60-foot hanging spider at Pechanga and built the house out of balloons at Anaheim. Our products increase visibility which equals increased foot traffic for all of our clients. We have giant, inflatable spheres that say any message a client wants up 100 feet in the air in addition to the vibrant balloon decor that is very good for wayfinding. We also do other kinds of wayfinding, like bootleg lawn signs, signspinners – anything temporary that can be put out on a Saturday morning and taken down on a Sunday evening to build traffic.

SCB: How long have you been involved in BIA?

RR: We have been serving the building industry for over 25 years but were its best-kept secret because we were a subcontractor to probably every ad agency, event company and marketing company in the industry. About five years ago, we realized that we needed to come out from behind the shadows and join BIA and the GSMC (the Greater Sales and Marketing Council) and build our own visibility and relationships directly.

SCB: Has your involvement in GSMC been important to C9 Balloons?

RR: I joined the GSMC so I could make the connections directly with sales and marketing decision-makers, and about a year later I was nominated to sit on the GSMC board. That has been invaluable because it has made it possible for me to sit with my clients, make decisions with them and work with them, developing very strong relationships with everyone from marketing coordinators to vice presidents of sales and marketing. It’s invaluable.

SCB: How has your membership in the bigger BIA organization benefitted you?

RR: I wish I had done it 25 years ago because it’s made a huge impact on our company. We’re a family-owned small business, so I don’t have a million-dollar marketing budget or 35 sales reps, so we have to work smarter, not harder. Joining the BIA lets me do exactly that, allowing us to be exposed on a higher level than we were before. We also sponsor our fair share of events in all four chapters so people will see our logo and our balloon décor.

SCB: What advice would you give to new members?

RR: You only get out of something what you put into it. I don’t know if everyone would have the same experience that we have, because we jumped in with both feet at BIASC and all its chapters. We are everywhere, to the point that some people must have thought I had a clone, but to get the benefit, you have to work it – and at BIA there’s no shortage of opportunities to interact with potential customers and partners. Be involved, volunteer, be visible. You can’t just sign up, go to a couple events a year and expect miracles because it doesn’t work that way. BIA provides so many opportunities, so you need to do all you can to maximize the benefits they afford. 