New Ownership Brings New Look to Desperate Enterprises

By Susan Mease

Desperate Enterprises has a new president/owner, Shane Robinson, but he’s hardly new to the business. The founder of the business, Robert Secrist, was a childhood neighbor of Robinson’s who started doing odd jobs for him at age 9 or 10. He’s been an “official” employee for 27 years, starting as a packer of orders during college. When Dan Hutchings, the most recent owner of the company, decided to retire, Robinson led an employee buyout with seven silent partners so no jobs would be lost.

Robinson had been focused on management and marketing before the change in ownership, and says he is learning licensing as he goes. Desperate Enterprises currently has over 830 unique images, a number Robinson is growing. He says that “all the licensors know I’m new and have been very gracious.” One significant new license is Lee Keller art from a suggestion by his college-age daughter. When she was decorating her dorm room, she told him his signs were for boys. She came home with a Lee Keller picture to show him that she liked. Now Robinson is finding he has to reorder Keller’s pictures of llamas, pigs, Highland cattle, and dogs every week. Robinson says he will hire freelance artists of all ages, races, and genders to broaden the appeal of his products; he is always on the lookout for what will appeal to the next generation of buyers and he welcomes suggestions for new ideas and images.

Desperate Enterprises has changed to a new manufacturer and is having phenomenal success with their