The Logo Warehouse
- Aug 3
- 4 min read
As part of our program’s 10-year anniversary celebration, we’re spotlighting 10 clients. For August, meet the Louisville-based company that began working with the Kentucky APEX Accelerator in 2017: The Logo Warehouse.
The Logo Warehouse owner and CEO Leah Scott graduated from University of Louisville
with a marketing degree at a time when a recession was rocking the U.S. As a new graduate, she experienced five layoffs in three years while working roles in marketing, promotion, insurance and public administration.
After taking a role in sales, the feeling of not being in control of her professional destiny stayed with her. Scott loved marketing and already had the degree and hands-on experience from her time working in events promotion. She decided to invest her savings into building her own promotional products business.
In 2008, Scott launched The Logo Warehouse as a side business to supply graphic design services while she worked a full-time day job. Her designs were selected by Derby City Gaming Downtown to brand several downtown Louisville retailers. From there, an invitation to a grand opening quickly led to an opportunity with Churchill Downs. The Logo Warehouse became her full-time venture.
Today, the company offers creative design, screen printing, embroidering and engraving for a diverse range of promotional products including apparel, safety PPE, recycled totes, and signage such as event banners and window clings. Many best-selling products contain recycled content. With an academic and professional background in marketing, Scott deeply enjoys promoting her clients’ brands through unique logo-printed products and design.
COVID further expanded the business that caters to clients of all sizes and budgets. The Logo Warehouse’s fulfillment model is connected to a network of 3,000+ local, national and global suppliers that provide a wide variety of high-quality, safety-tested products. For example, a t-shirt supplier also had KN95 masks ready to ship in an already-established supply chain. While other U.S. vendors scrambled to procure personal safety items, Scott was able to fulfill orders that quickly expanded both the product mix and customer base. The Logo Warehouse still offers PPE such as safety goggles, bumper caps and face masks in printed and non-printed options.
The business model is guided by Scott’s values of leading with authenticity, building relationships and always doing the right thing. Scott employs a diverse workforce and maintains strong business relationships with local suppliers and shipping couriers. The staffing model leverages contract-based employees to strike the right balance for seasonal volume. It fits well with Scott’s value of flexibility tailored to the needs of the individual whether it’s adaptable hours or remote work.
Scott believes in the power of networking to be in the right place at the right time. That was how The Logo Warehouse became a client of The Kentucky APEX Accelerator. While looking to diversify her client base, Scott met the Kentucky APEX Accelerator Executive Director Nancy Brown. After becoming a client in 2017, the government procurement coaching and market analysis further expanded The Logo Warehouse’s business, starting with helping Scott build and polish a capability statement.
Scott said, “The Kentucky APEX Accelerator has always been a major advocate for The Logo Warehouse. Their support helped expand my clientele portfolio and opened completely new channels. When my company entered government contracting, we expanded our university business. In particular, Vincennes University has been very motivated to work with small minority-owned businesses like us.”
While universities make up The Logo Warehouse’s core business, they also work with K-12 systems like Fayette County Public Schools (Lexington), utility companies such as LG&E, landscapers, construction/HVAC companies, government entities and municipal service providers such as TARC (Louisville).
With connections through the Kentucky APEX Accelerator, The Logo Warehouse became certified with the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and holds a variety of other certifications including Small Business Enterprise (SBE), Woman-Owned Small Business (WOSB), Disadvantage Business Enterprise (DBE) and Minority and Women Business Enterprise (WMBE).
“Business certifications opened the door for The Logo Warehouse to join other networks that led to even more opportunities,” Scott said. “I constantly shout out the Kentucky APEX Accelerator because they cleared the path and provided the guidance for me to pursue those certifications.”
In the community, Scott stays close to her collegiate roots by serving as a mentor for the University of Louisville Student Athlete Mentor Program where area business leaders help advise students throughout their academic and athletic journey.
Scott added, “If you’re a Kentucky business owner who wants to grow, I highly recommend that you reach out to the Kentucky APEX Accelerator. If you’re already a government contractor, I also encourage you to consider ways for RFP bids to be multiple-awards or broken into smaller bids to help Kentucky small businesses win together.”
To learn more about The Logo Warehouse, visit thelogowarehouse.com.
To learn more about how the Kentucky APEX Accelerator team can help support your company in government contracting success, visit us at kyapex.com.