Today we’d like to introduce you to Courtney Wright.
Courtney, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
A born go-getter and a type-A personality, Wright had her first job as a sales rep at Schwarz Paper Company in Morton Grove. Then, in 2006, she founded CDW Merchants (now called CTC Visual), a resource for large chain and specialty retailers to develop custom visual props, decorative cases and packaging to boost their brand identity. At CDW, Wright worked with fashion heavies like Kate Spade, Sperry’s and Club Monaco, to name a few—and expanded her Rolodex. Looking for a new challenge, she sold her company in 2012 to Bunzl, a multinational, publicly traded company based in London. Then, after running businesses for them for a few years, she left and bought Gemini (geminibuildsit.com), which had been a supplier to CDW Merchants. In two short years, Wright has made Gemini one of the Midwest’s most successful manufacturers known to big businesses for its custom framing, giclée printing, and fabrication of museum-quality acrylic and custom display cases. They lead with speed and creativity, which Wright calls her “secret sauce.” Gemini too counts some pretty major and interesting clients see in like the Art Institute of Chicago, Getty Museum, Harley Davidson Museum and St. Louis Museum. Gemini, which works out of a 50,000-square-foot space in Elgin, employs 50 master craftsmen who help bring its display visions to life. “We have an immensely skilled workforce and are proud to be an American company,” says Wright. “Everyone here is a custom framer or custom acrylic finisher or cabinet-maker. They make vitrines and cases that are in almost every museum in the United States. We specialize in specialty woods like poplar and maple, and all kinds of specialty laminates and acrylics that are UV- and scratch-resistant. And we have some seriously cool finishing machines for printing on all kinds of roll stock like canvas, watercolor paper and fabrics, and for precision etchings on wood, acrylic, Sintra and more.”
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Heck no…..When you have a company, you have people….When you have people, you have ‘people problems”…People’s lives ( babies, deaths, relocations) all can get in the way of your master plan. You need to anticipate, plan for, recruit and always have a bench that can line up with the growing needs of your business. I would also say that entrepreneurship is lonely. You have these challenges and problems that you cannot talk to your team about. You feel alone. The greatest business decision I made was to join Vistage (a peer to peer CEO group) to work on my own personal and professional development.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Gemini Builds It story. Tell us more about the business.
Gemini one of the Midwest’s most successful manufacturers known to big businesses for its custom framing, giclée printing, and fabrication of museum-quality acrylic and custom display cases. They lead with speed and creativity, which Wright calls her “secret sauce.” Gemini too counts some pretty major celebs as clients. Beyoncé called on the company to display a favorite that she had worn on tour. They developed a creative UV acrylic and antique barn-wood showcase for Bobby Dorr’s storied horseshoe at The Park at Wrigley’s Lucky Dorr Many companies work in one or two substrates. We work in multiple which make us the ‘go-to’ supplier choice for businesses with décor needs.
Do you feel like our city is a good place for businesses like yours? If someone was just starting out, would you recommend them starting out here? If not, what can our city do to improve?
Yes, the work ethic of the people here is outstanding. People are family focused here so you have people who have a drive to do great work AND to get home to their families. There are lots of businesses here to call on and lots of access to Chicago (from Asia and Europe) so we feel fortunate to be here. The taxes and mismanagement of our local and state governments are a concern for us long term.
Contact Info:
- Address: 2755 Spectrum Drive
- Website: www.geminibuildsit.com
- Phone: 847-844-4000
- Email: holly@geminibuildsit.com
- Instagram: @geminibuildsit
- Facebook: Gemini Builds it
- Twitter: #geminibuildsit
Image Credit:
Kevin Kneeland ( Gemini Builds it)
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
