By Carol Coultas,Business Writer

LEWISTON – Geiger employees got some good news recently – about $628,000 worth.

The promotional products company increased its earnings for the third year in a row, prompting management to share the wealth in the form of bonuses to its 500 employees.

“The outstanding results were achieved because of strong margins, spending discipline, technology advances and efficiency gains,” said Gene Geiger, chief executive of the family-run company. “Simply put, the gains have come because of the team-oriented efforts of our associates and sales partners.”

The bonuses were awarded at an annual employee assembly April 1. The assembly also marked the 50th anniversary of Geiger relocating to Lewiston from its original New Jersey facility. The April 1, 1955, ribbon cutting was attended by then-Gov. Edmund Muskie. At the time, company President Ray Geiger said the company would share its earnings with those who helped create them.

That promise is part of the firm’s culture, “a philosophy that continues in vigorous good health to this day,” said Gene Geiger.

In addition to the employee bonuses, the company also awarded nearly $750,000 in bonuses to its sales partners in the United States and Puerto Rico, who work on a strictly commission basis.

The company declined to reveal its exact figures, but Pat Penley, associate marketing director of the firm, said it’s important to note that the gain was in earnings, not sales.

“We’re better at processing and that’s where we’re seeing savings,” he said.

In 2002, the company reported sales of about $125 million. It ranks No. 9 in sales among promotional products distributors nationally.

Chief among the new efficiencies is Internet-based order confirmation and invoicing. Gene Geiger has pioneered the technology that allows Web-based communication among supplier, distributor and customer. He chairs a national alliance of promotional products members that seeks to expand e-commerce trade within the industry.

“It’s the largest area where we’ve found cost efficiencies,” said Penley.

The company has seen a five-fold increase in the speed it takes to edit and process orders in-house over the last three years. And whenever suppliers electronically update their order processing, it saves Geiger almost $5 per order versus updating manually. The e-commerce system has also allowed Geiger to collect money about 25 percent faster, resulting in lower interest costs.

Overall, the trend toward e-commerce has netted a 10 percent annual improvement in labor efficiency.

“We’re really pushing suppliers and other distributors to go this route,” said Penley. “It’s better for everyone.”

Employees got more good news at the assembly. The company reinstated a 25 percent match in employee 401(k) contributions and profit sharing got a 20 percent boost. Geiger also adopted a wellness program this month that promotes physical fitness among employees.

The company is adding a fitness center to its Mount Hope Avenue facility, and employees who participate in the wellness program have an opportunity to get a 10 percent rebate of their health-care premiums.