Business Profile: Forward Branding and Identity

Address of business: 34 May St., Webster
Years in business: 20
Employees: 16, including a freelancer, one at Kodak, and one now based in Jersey City, N.J., outside Manhattan
Phone number of business: (585) 872-9222
Website: www.forwardbranding.com

W. James ‘Jim’ Forward
Title: President
Age: 50
Hometown: Webster
Family: Wife Renee; three daughters, Jamie, Alexa, Marissa
Hobbies: Drawing (he just completed a class with one of his daughters this summer), hiking, collecting rocks

Why they’re in the news
What started in March 1990 as Forward Design, Inc. has evolved into Forward Branding and Identity, President Jim Forward said, because clients wanted the company to do more work for them. The company is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, the 10th at its present location in Webster. It previously was based at Main and Goodman streets in Rochester.

While the company still does a lot of packaging work, it also goes beyond that to look at a company’s whole identity, from logos to coming up with product names to preparing templates for various departments or divisions.

“We feel quite fortunate to have reached 20 years,” Forward said, adding that the plan is to celebrate at an annual clambake in the fall.

Q&A with Jim Forward
How did you end up in this line of work?
“A fantastic art teacher, Suzanne Brunner (a resident of Irondequoit), that I had in high school got me inspired. She just exposed me to all of the possibilities. And, I saw a commercial art magazine she had and it left a big impression.” (After earning a degree in visual communications from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, he worked in advertising agencies, then started his own firm by doing packaging design for local and regional companies like Kodak and Bausch & Lomb. It grew into doing logo designs and what he calls “identity systems,” or the overall look and feel of a client’s company.)

Has your family been involved in the company?
“My dad, John Forward, was my first employee, and my mom, Barbara, was my bookkeeper. Now, my brother, Jonathan Forward, is creative director; my sister, Julie Forward, is our senior designer and photographer; and my daughter, Jamie, just moved to Jersey City to begin growing some more business in that area.”

What are two memories from your career that stick with you the most?
“I guess our annual clambakes, which are like a rite of survival (laughs). Then reaching 10 years was significant; that brought the stress down some.”

What do you most like and least like about your work?
“What I like most is that I learn something new every day, and that so many of our former employees and our clients have become friends. I also like that technology has gotten cheaper and faster, and now it’s easier to get the machines we need. I don’t like worrying ... but it’s something I still do.”

What makes your business unusual?
“What makes us different is that we give clients the tools to manage their companies better. We give them the methods and how to use them ... and try to help them be more consistent. It’s really about selling (for the client)... but we also like to be part of the client’s team and help the client understand why we have the answers.” (He also noted that most of the company’s employees have been with Forward for 10 or even 20 years.) “We’ve all grown together. We have the most wonderful group here ... they’re smart, creative and client-oriented.”

What are your plans for the future?
“Maybe some expansion — we were close to expanding to Charlotte, N.C. (but that didn’t happen). Now we’re kind of pushing to grow again. A lot of people here want to do more ... but I think our base will always be here.”

What advice do you have for someone who wants to open a business?
“Be prepared to work hard, and surround yourself with good, smart people ... and try to have fun.”