About Us

Our Past

Capital Trophy has proudly served the Salem community since 1993, offering custom awards, trophies, and engraving with a strong focus on quality and customer care.

The business began when Ezam Bayan discovered a newspaper advertisement for a trophy company for sale. Recognizing an opportunity, he and his wife, Jodell Bayan, decided to take a leap into an unfamiliar industry. While Ezam continued working full time, Jodell took the lead, building Capital Trophy from the ground up through hands-on work, determination, and a commitment to mastering every aspect of the craft.

Jodell quickly established Capital Trophy as a trusted local business through her strong design sensibility, dedication to quality craftsmanship, and genuine care for her customers. Her approach fostered long-lasting relationships—many of which continue today with customers who have worked with the shop for decades.

In 2009, Salem native Kari Wiens joined Capital Trophy, beginning her career in the business from the ground up. With a lifelong background in both art and technology, Kari brought a complementary skill set to the shop. She excelled in art and design from a young age, with her work frequently featured at the Bush Barn Art Show, while also developing a strong aptitude for computers, software, and technical systems. Early on, she envisioned a career that blended creativity and technology, such as graphic design.

As Kari gained experience, she discovered a deeper passion for the operational and strategic side of running a small business. Her role expanded from production and design into systems development, workflow optimization, and business management. Working closely with Jodell for years, she helped balance tradition with modernization while gradually assuming greater responsibility for daily operations and long-term planning.

In 2018, Jodell retired and passed ownership of Capital Trophy to Kari, ensuring continuity of the values and standards the business was built upon. Today, Capital Trophy remains locally owned and operated, grounded in its original commitment to quality, creativity, and customer service—while continuing to evolve through thoughtful leadership, modern systems, and a forward-looking approach.

Our Mission

Our mission is to deliver top-quality, personalized awards and engraving services with exceptional customer care and attention to detail, providing a seamless, stress-free experience. 
 

I'm not a born salesman and in fact, "sales" is something I've really struggled with learning/comprehending throughout my journey of becoming a business owner. I believe in sincerity over salesmanship and my approach to customer service is rooted in genuine compassion and a desire for helping you discover exactly what you're looking for.

Our Values

Quality Craftsmanship: Striving for excellence in every product and service we offer, ensuring the highest quality for our customers.

Customer-Centric: Putting our customers at the forefront of everything we do, prioritizing their satisfaction and exceeding their expectations.

Integrity: Upholding the highest ethical standards, honesty, and transparency in all business practices.

Innovation: Embracing new technologies and creative solutions to continuously improve our products, services, and customer experience.

Commitment to Community: Supporting and engaging with the local community, fostering positive relationships with customers and partners.

Teamwork: Collaborating effectively, valuing each team member's unique contributions, and working together to achieve common goals.

Personal Growth: Encouraging continuous learning, growth, and development for our employees to better serve our customers.

Accountability: Taking ownership of our work, decisions, and commitments, and delivering on promises.

Environmental Responsibility: Striving to minimize our environmental impact and adopting sustainable practices in our operations.

Inclusivity: Embracing diversity and creating an inclusive work environment that values the perspectives and backgrounds of all team members.

Our Future

We’re building Capital Trophy to be the go-to local partner for awards and custom products; offering the convenience and selection of large online retailers, while maintaining the personalized service, quality, and community connection that only a locally owned business can provide.

As we grow, our focus remains the same: making it easy for our customers to get exactly what they need, done right, and done locally.

How We’re Building for the Future

Our long-term focus is on investing in the right technology, systems, and infrastructure to support sustainable growth. This includes ongoing upgrades to equipment and software, improved internal processes, and scalable systems that increase efficiency while maintaining quality and consistency.

Behind the scenes, we prioritize thoughtful organization, ethical business practices, and systems that support both our customers and our employees. By building a strong operational foundation, we ensure Capital Trophy can continue delivering reliable, high-quality work—done right, and built to last.