Established in 1928, Brooks Tropicals is the premier grower, packer, and shipper of tropical fruits and vegetables to markets across the country. The company specializes in harvesting and importing papayas, avocados, and starfruits, along with more 
than thirty other tropical fruits and vegetables including boniato, calabaza, carambola, chayote, coconut, ginger, Key lime, kumquat, lime, lychee, malanga, mamey sapote, mango, scotch bonnet pepper, sugar cane, water coconut, and yucca. With its firm commitment to expand the American palate, Brooks Tropicals ships produce from its Homestead, Florida, base to points as far north as Canada, and from the East Coast to the West Coast of the United States.
Communication with customers is central to Mary Ostlund's job. As director of marketing, she oversees Brooks Tropicals' advertising and public relations programs. "We correspond regularly with customers to alert them to company news, and of course, it's important that we present the company properly in everything we do. With more than 1,000 grocery stores in our database, the last thing I want is a typo in anything we send to them. Using ProofreadNOW is a great way to safeguard against that ever happening to us."
According to Ostlund, ProofreadNOW's editing service is also a great way to boost the effectiveness of her company's communications program. "I've been in marketing for a long time, and I know the effectiveness of a well-written piece. For example, a good, tight story or article is far more likely to be used by our trade magazines," she says.
Brooks Tropicals has been using ProofreadNOW since mid-2005. Ostlund brought the service on board after conducting an extensive Internet search and sending them a test document. "I really liked how they handled it," she notes. Today, Brooks Tropicals uses ProofreadNOW's 24/7 service for quick turnaround on ads and advertorials, articles and press releases, collateral material, brochures and letters - even classified ads.
"We send documents to ProofreadNOW as the next to last step before we go print, send out press releases, or mail materials to our customers. With their editors' expert eyes, we don't have to worry about typos or grammatical errors. ProofreadNOW adds an important level of quality control to our process. Using them helps me do my job with assurance. They take the worry away."
Moreover, Ostlund notes that the company's upper management has been very pleased that she is using ProofreadNOW. "If our team has any questions about language or grammar, I can contact ProofreadNOW and get clarification. Sometimes, with advertising, the line between snappy copywriting and perfect grammar can bend. It's very helpful to send an e-mail and get another suggestion or ‘dispensation' to use the line in our ads. ProofreadNOW offers a very cost-effective way to make sure we get things right, and it gives both our management team and me peace of mind."
For more information about Brooks Tropicals, visit the website at www.BrooksTropicals.com or call 800-327-4833.
