Industry leaders, friends and family gathered in Greenwood, SC, on Tuesday for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Fran Ford Center. Top 40 supplier The Magnet Group (asi/68507) has dedicated the new facility to the industry icon, who passed away in May after a long illness.

“The building created in his honor was beautiful and the new leadership team was great,” said Theresa Roberts, Ford’s wife and managing director at Top 40 distributor Boundless (asi/143717). “Fran would be humbled and proud of this tremendous tribute and the time that was spent making him and his legacy continue to stay etched in the hearts of everyone he touched.”

Fran Ford Center Dedication Ceremony & Grand Opening! pic.twitter.com/rJthtr4TD0

— The Magnet Group (@TheMagnetGroup) October 23, 2018

Roberts cut the red ribbon in front of the facility to kick off the festivities, which was followed by a tour of the facility. Several attendees, including The Magnet Group CEO Bill Korowitz, gave speeches remembering their great friend and mentor. The ceremony finished with a catered lunch, in which fond memories and plenty of laughs were shared.

“Fran would have walked into that building saying ‘hey buddy’ to everyone that would listen,” Roberts said. “He would have focused his energy and time on how every other person was doing and what he could do to help them. As much as he was excited about the building itself, it was the people and energy inside that were of most importance to him.”

Theresa Roberts, Fran Ford's wife, cuts the ribbon. 

The factory will serve as the new, larger home of Castelli Magnet, which had been in Sparks, NV. Castelli, which is under the Magnet umbrella, will be able to house more inventory and get shipments of journals from its Italy-based plants faster at the South Carolina location. Of course, the Castelli facility will also serve as a living testament to Ford’s legacy as a man who gave his all for others in the promotional products industry, always doing so with sincere warmth and a smile, as so many industry leaders have recounted.

“Words aren’t sufficient to describe what Fran meant to all of us,” Bill Korowitz, CEO of The Magnet Group, told Counselor in August. “We all wish he was here to see the building named for him, to see what he helped build, to see what he helped create. Our hope is that we make him proud with the new Fran Ford Center.”

A member of Counselor’s Power 50, Ford was given ASI’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, named to PPAI’s Hall of Fame in 2015 and Proforma’s Hall of Fame in 2016. His long, successful career in promo spanned 43 years, during which time he was a leader who lived what he preached, inspiring so many others along the way.

“Fran once said, ‘There is a role for everyone you meet in your life. Some will test you. Some will use you. Some will love you. Some will teach you. But the ones that are truly important are those that bring out the best in you.’ This business brought out the best in Fran. It allowed him to bring his light to all and this building will allow others to find theirs,” Roberts said.