Abeegha Solutions (asi/102215) is a business rooted in heritage, driven by resilience and designed to help other organizations tell their stories. Run by sisters Laureen Rusek and Wilceta Carroll, the distributorship began as more of a traditional graphic design agency and printed products reseller.

Sisters Laureen Rusek (left) and Wilceta Carroll run distributorship and printing company Abeegha Solutions (asi/102215). (Photo courtesy Abeegha Solutions)

Abeegha’s original printed product line included commercial, packaging and wide-format printed products, and its business model centers on quality, empathy and stress-free service – differentiators the sisters say were gleaned from their diverse backgrounds. While Rusek boasts more than a quarter of a century in the printing industry and graphic arts space, Carroll got her start in healthcare, where she honed her customer service skills and built up a deep well of empathy.

The company’s initial business model served the sisters well. “We didn’t initially go out to sell everything,” Rusek says. “But the feedback we got from customers guided us. They’d ask, ‘Do you offer this?’ And we’d say, ‘We can do that.’”

When other printers said no, Abeegha would say yes, confident that they could use their skills and print industry connections to get the job done. That can-do philosophy is baked into everything the sisters do, beginning with their business name, which is the phonetic spelling of abíígha, a Navajo word meaning “anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”

The sisters point to their mother, Laura, a rug weaver and entrepreneur, as inspiration, noting that she raised them with a commitment to hard work, education and perseverance. Her influence, they say, shaped everything Abeegha stands for and helped guide Carroll and Rusek to expand their business to include promotional products.

Opening the Door to Promo Sales

Rusek and Carroll attended PRINTING United Expo a few years ago, with Rusek hoping to share her printing knowledge with her sister and take in all the equipment available on the show floor. What they didn’t expect was a conversation that would change the trajectory of their business.

After branching out into promotional products, Abeegha Solutions received an order from the Navajo Nation’s Department of Criminal Investigation for custom canvas bags. (Photo courtesy of Abeegha Solutions)

At the show, the sisters learned about promotional products at the technology platform offered by ASI. Once they realized how easily they could offer thousands of branded items without the need to purchase equipment or manage production themselves, they were sold. “We were head over heels,” Carroll recalls.

For Rusek, it felt like opening another door to the business — one that aligned with their mother’s teachings and the sisters’ long-term vision. Joining ASI and the promotional products industry gave Abeegha a ready-made infrastructure for product sourcing, branded presentations and customer service, the sisters say.

Once Abeegha began offering promo products, orders quickly followed, including work for tribal governments, community organizations and schools. Abeegha has produced custom-printed graduation stoles with cultural significance, flags for veterans’ groups and wellness items for outreach programs.

Abeegha Solutions created these custom water bottles for Flandreau Indian School. (Photo courtesy of Abeegha Solutions)

Among those orders were canvas bags for the Navajo Nation’s Department of Criminal Investigation and custom reusable water bottles for Flandreau Indian School. Clients valued Abeegha’s understanding of their shared Native American culture. Carroll and Rusek’s ability to interpret cultural symbolism and apply it to both print and promo helped build trust and loyalty.

Promo sales have quickly outpaced Abeegha’s original print business. The sisters now envision building a manufacturing and printing facility that could bring job opportunities to Native American communities. Through print and promo, Carroll and Rusek say they’re building something that honors the past while opening doors to a wider future.