Photos Provided
Owner, Tom Alderson.
By Cynthia Mudge
For the C-C Chamber of Commerce
For more than five decades, Alderson’s Awards West – Printwares has helped celebrate victories, milestones, and achievements throughout Southwest Washington and beyond. From youth sports trophies and school uniforms to branded corporate merchandise and online fundraising storefronts, the Centralia business has continually evolved while remaining rooted in community service.
The company’s story began in the early 1970s when Ralph and Linda Peel opened Ralph’s Trophies at 604 N. Tower Avenue in Centralia. In 1981, the business was purchased by Pat and Sherry Swanson, who expanded its offerings and vision. By 1984, the company was renamed Awards West to better reflect its growing services, including in-house engraving.
A major turning point came in 1986 when Tom and Karen Alderson became partners with the Swansons. That same year, the owners partnered with the Voetbergs to build a larger facility after quickly outgrowing their original 1,200-square-foot storefront. In 1987, the business moved into its current 6,400-square-foot location, where it continues to operate today.
In 1995, the Swansons sold their share of the company to the Aldersons, leading to another evolution of the business and its name — Alderson’s Awards West – Printwares.
“Adding screen printing, apparel, and more products meant we were more than trophies,” explained Tom Alderson. “We didn’t want to become too narrowly defined.”
That philosophy has guided the company’s steady growth over the years. While trophies and awards remain part of the business, Alderson’s has expanded into custom apparel, team uniforms, branded drinkware, promotional products, embroidery, engraving, and corporate merchandise.
The company has also embraced technology to remain competitive in an increasingly online marketplace. Today, Alderson’s creates online storefronts for schools, sports teams, and businesses, helping organizations streamline fundraising and merchandise sales.
“We’ve always helped schools and parents raise funds for youth projects,” said Alderson. “Modern technology simply makes the process easier for our customers.”
Online storefronts eliminate much of the paperwork traditionally associated with fundraising, reducing manual order forms, deposits, and inventory tracking while allowing organizations to focus on promoting their missions, products and raising funds.
Although the company is deeply connected to youth sports and schools, its reach extends far beyond local teams and tournaments. Alderson’s serves a broad corporate customer base throughout Lewis and Thurston counties, with additional business coming from Cowlitz, Pacific, and Grays Harbor counties. Many longtime business customers have continued working with Alderson’s even after relocating to branches in other states.
Their customer list has included recognizable names such as Ritchie Bros., Michaels Distribution Center, Fred Meyer, Braun Northwest, and even the Seattle Space Needle Corporation.
A significant part of the company’s success comes from keeping production local. Approximately 85 percent of its products are completed in-house at the Centralia facility.
“Some of what we provide is outsourced to our cooperatives, as it allows us to better serve our customers. “But the vast majority of what we provide is produced on our own factory floor”.
As one of the region’s enduring legacy businesses, Alderson’s Awards West & Printware represents more than longevity. The company has become woven into the fabric of the community — celebrating championships, honoring achievements, supporting fundraisers, and helping local businesses build their brands for more than 50 years.
