elope, Inc.
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| This article, Elope, Inc., has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
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| This article, Elope, Inc., has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
| This article, Elope, Inc., has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
| This article, Elope, Inc., has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
Reviewer tools: Inform author |
Comment: The tone and content of the article do not strike me as encyclopedic. Similarly, the content of the sources given do not firmly establish notability. Ringbang (talk) 17:32, 17 June 2016 (UTC)
- Comment: This draft reads promotionally. No particular examples are given of promotional language, because the article needs a complete rework for language.Also, there is serious overlinking to ordinary English words such as business and employees. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:15, 3 June 2016 (UTC)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 2, 1995; 21 years ago |
| Founders |
|
| Headquarters | 10035 Federal Drive, , |
Area served | Worldwide |
Number of employees | 45 |
| Website | elope |
elope, Inc. is an American company headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado that designs, manufactures, and distributes costumes and accessories. The name is an acronym for "Everybody is Laughing on Planet Earth," a phrase they trademarked in November of 2013.[1] As of 2016, the company's headquarters is staffed by 45 employees, with an additional 325 factory employees in Guangzhou, China.[2]
History
Founding
elope, Inc. was founded by Kevin Johnson, Keith Johnson, and Franzi Fu in 1993 after traveling in Nepal, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Japan, China, and Indonesia. Products purchased from their travels were sold at The Citadel Mall.[3] Within two weeks, the organization had allegedly sold 1,000 hats, and began ordering new designs from a Nepali factory. Their first items included Mad Hatter, jester, and stovepipe hats marketed towards skiers and snowboarders.[4][5] The company was officially incorporated in 1995.[6]
Locations
In 1999, elope rented its first non-residential headquarters, a 2,800 square foot warehouse.[7] Two years later, the company purchased an 18,000 square foot building and moved their headquarters there.[8] 2004 saw the purchase of a new 55,000 square foot office space.[9][3] Their current headquarters were purchased on October 10th, 2012.[10]
Manufacturing
elope partnered with Zhan Gong in 2003 to construct a 125,000 square-foot manufacturing plant and adjacent sleeping quarters in Guangzhou, China following quality control issues with their previous Nepali manufacturer. A Feng Shui expert was hired to analyze the building site, and was consulted throughout the entire process.[9][11][12] In an interview with Rocky Mountain News, CEO Kevin Johnson described elope's international business model as fair trade.[3]
In 2002, elope estimated a $1 million loss following the West Coast Port-Labor Dispute.[13] The company was contacted by Anthony E. Held, PhD, in 2012 and given a 60-day Notice of Violation pursuant to Proposition 65 with allegations that they had sold Halloween costumes and accessories containing DEHP, DBP, BBP, arsenic, cadmium, and lead in California without the appropriate hazard warning labels.[14] The company agreed to not sell any product in the State of California unless they met reformulation standards outlined in the settlement.[15]
Products
elope has licenses from popular brands includeing Disney, Doctor Who, Dr. Seuss, Hasbro, Harry Potter, and Where's Waldo.[16][17][18]
References
- ^ "EVERYBODY'S LAUGHING ON PLANET EARTH Trademark of elope, Inc. - Registration Number 4661999 - Serial Number 86109659 :: Justia Trademarks". trademarks.justia.com. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
- ^ "Noted: Absent at town hall". Colorado Springs Independent. November 3, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ a b c Caley, Nora (June 2, 2004). "Hat Trick - Brothers Score Success With Whimsical Headgear". Rocky Mountain News – via HighBeam.
- ^ Mendoza, Monica (September 10, 2010). "Elope hangs its hat on annual Halloween sales". Colorado Springs Business Journal. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ Handy, Ryan (July 12, 2011). "Local business tries to keep world laughing". The Gazette. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
- ^ "Colorado Secretary of State Summary". www.sos.state.co.us. Retrieved 2016-05-27.
- ^ Gonzales, Lou (June 14, 1999). "Colorado Springs, Colo., Brothers Create International Hat Company". The Gazette. Retrieved June 22, 2016 – via HighBeam.
- ^ "775 North Murray Boulevard, Colorado Springs, CO 80915 | PropertyShark". www.propertyshark.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- ^ a b Gurwell, Lance (April 4, 2003). "Comical hats, China plant mean big business for Elope". Colorado Springs Business Journal.
- ^ "10035 Federal Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 | PropertyShark". www.propertyshark.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
- ^ Saint, Steven (December 2003). "Elope Hats makes all its products in mainland China. We went there with CEO Kevin Johnson to see how it's done". Front Range Business.
- ^ Sweet, Amy Gillentine (2007-11-23). "Simple handshake foundation for Elope's Chinese partnership". The Colorado Springs Business Journal. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ Nesbitt, Sara (October 5, 2002). "Port closures worry Springs merchants". The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO). Retrieved June 22, 2016 – via HighBeam.
- ^ "Elope Inc". The Chanler Group Attorneys at Law. The Chanler Group. May 31, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ "Held v. Elope, Inc". The Chanler Group Attorneys at Law. The Chanler Group. October 2, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2016.
- ^ "Thinking outside the blocks: elope Inc. announces new build-on accessories for 2016". Toy Fair 2016: elope INC. Retrieved 2016-05-26.
- ^ "Hat-, sunglass-maker has it made in shade/ Elope founder named Business Person of Year". 2003-06-13.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Nesbitt, Sara (November 13, 2001). "Springs company takes off its hats to Harry Potter". The Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO). Retrieved June 22, 2016 – via HighBeam.