Partner in Excellence Award: Hallmark

Hallmark began here in Kansas City over 115 years ago. And it began here because my grandfather, who lived in Nebraska, had heard from somebody who came into the town talking about the Kansas City spirit. That spirit of community and caring and it inspired him to think more expansively about helping people connect emotionally with each other. But even more importantly than that, it left such an impression on my grandfather that he felt it was an obligation of the company to add to that Kansas City spirit.

When Joyce Clyde Hall stepped off the train in 1910 with nothing more than two shoeboxes of postcards under his arm, he had no idea of what the industry would become. The Hall family is not just about hallmark and what they have done with this international brand, but they are a part of the very fabric, the civic fabric of Kansas City.

The Hall family has been a part of it from the very beginning. They've helped form what Kansas City is today. I've loved always Hallmark, and I love that it's a local organization. Of course, they're known around the world, but it's a local business, and I love the fact that we've partnered with this local organization to have the hallmark in our lobby.

I just think they have great products. They have great services. They have great people.

What I remember most about the opening of the first Gold Crown Hallmark store at the 39th and Rainbow Campus, was the excitement that came with having something so recognizable and familiar in the hospital. Everybody knows the name hallmark. It's a Kansas City brand, but regardless of where you're from, wherever you're coming into our hospital, you know the hallmark name.

What was interesting about this idea of associating our brand in a caring environment, and KU hospital exhibits that sense of purpose and caring, and that's certainly been the success of hallmark, of having a sense of purpose. But KU hospital also has a tremendous sense of purpose in this community. I walk by it all the time, and I see people in that hallmark store almost at any hour.

They're open. It's just filled with people, with patients and family members and visitors and staff and physicians. Everybody loves having this hallmark store, and I think it's also a little bit of a reprieve for people. You could walk into the hallmark store and go, just take a deep breath because it's the hallmark store. As you know, our place can be a very serious place, and I think they bring some joy and relief to our folks as they walk through their stores.

Part of their DNA, part of their culture, is to translate caring and healing into action. So what a perfect fit for our culture. Hallmark truly is a partner in excellence to the health system. The brand that they have, what they represent. It's similar to what the health system represents. Wanting to be the very best at what you do.

And when our customers, when our patients, when our visitors are coming through our hospital and they see that gift shop, they see that as a part of us and that represents us well. I love walking by the store because you look in there and you see that the customers, people shopping, our patients, they’re families of patients and surprising to me how many people from KU hospital, I thought it would be something that only the patients would avail themselves to, but it shouldn't be a surprise because this is such a caring place.

The gift shops are wildly popular. The bulk of the cash register rings are our employees. 90 plus percent of the actual revenue volume comes from our own employees. So it's almost more of an employee benefit than it is a retail shop for outsiders. I have to admit, the hallmark store has been a bit of a benefit for me personally.

I no longer have an excuse to say to my wife, I didn't have time to go get you a card because she knows we have a hallmark store and I pass it every day on my way out. I've been a hallmark fan for a very long time. There's just this great resource that we have. I want KU hospital to know how deeply grateful we are to not only receive this honor, but most importantly, grateful for what you do every day.