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Thank you for your interest in Leanin' Tree! You've come to the right place for beautifully crafted greeting cards that feature original artwork by outstanding independent artists from across the country and around the world.
We invite you to enjoy colorful examples of various card styles found in Retail stores around the country. With over 24,000 retail outlets in the United States alone, there may be one in your neighborhood! As for the people behind the products, Leanin' Tree's heritage and work force is truly special. To see how this family-owned business has thrived for over half a century, please visit our History and Goals section. If you're an artist, an aspiring verse writer formerly known as an artist, or a talented individual curious about job opportunities, we have information to share with you as well. It's all just a click away. Again, thanks for your interest in Leanin' Tree! History and Goals Founded in 1949 Leanin' Tree greeting cards have been an American tradition since 1949. That's when Ed Trumble, founder and Chairman of the Board, started selling Christmas cards through the mail to western farmers and ranchers. Starting on a Shoe String, In a Shoe Box Strapped for cash, Ed and co-founder Bob Lorenz started their business in Colorado by trading art for advertising. While Ed managed the business side of things, Bob, an aspiring young western artist, created a painting for the cover of Western Livestock Magazine. In return, the two entrepreneurs received a full-page ad to promote their Western Christmas cards - all four of them! The response was overwhelming and the business was officially launched. Bob and Ed literally filled their first orders from shoe boxes stored in a one-bedroom apartment. To make matters more challenging, their first-year profits were nearly wiped out when the local card printer misspelled "Christmas"! Family Owned A lot has happened since 1949. Ed Trumble purchased full ownership of the company in 19xx after the untimely loss of Bob Lorenz to cancer. The Leanin' Tree fine art greeting card company has flourished as a family-owned operation ever since. Today, Ed remains active in product development while his four children manage the day-to-day business. From Colorado With Care Leanin' Tree has grown from four Western Christmas cards to offer over 3,000 unique greeting cards in a multitude of themes for everyday occasions and major holidays. From our headquarters in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, we now ship over 20 million greeting cards a year. The large majority of these cards are sold through thousands of retail outlets across the country. International distributors and direct catalog sales account for the remaining portion. Making this possible is a dedicated workforce of over 200 full-time employees. Our Simple Mission Leanin' Tree's product mission over the last 50 years has remained unchanged: To bring the best in art and words together in a way that touches your heart. This simple mission is accomplished with a lot of hard, yet fun, work. Start With Art First, we comb the country to find the most talented independent artists we can. The relationships we build with these gifted artists are critical since Leanin' Tree does not directly employ a single artist. Only by working with independent artists and photographers can we bring you the quality and variety of art that we offer. Words Make it Work You just bought a blank card for a friend's important occasion. You're hoping that if you stare at it long enough you'll come up with something clever or heartfelt to say. It's not always easy, is it? Now try doing it 8 hours a day. That's exactly what our verse writers do. They start with an inspiring work of art and then add just the right words to touch your heart. (Now, we realize that you write great stuff. That's why we sell blank cards. The versed cards are for all those other guys.) Down to Earth Leanin' Tree is about transforming a simple piece of paper into something magnificent that brightens your day, lifts your heart, or makes you smile. All in all, it's pretty straightforward and "down to earth". And that's the way we like it. Leanin' Tree is also down to earth about the earth. Like most companies, we use precious resources to bring our products to you. To minimize this impact we print all our cards and envelopes on recycled paper. We've recycled our printing scrap and office paper for years, and we support a public service tree planting program that plants two trees for every one we use in our promotional materials. We're also very proud to have been awarded Boulder's PACE Award (Partners for a Clean Environment) for the ongoing efforts we make to reduce our impact on the environment.
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