DECATUR - A few years after John Bolletta joined the Decatur Fire Department, a fellow firefighter decided to sell a trophy business he owned on the north side.

Bolletta's wife, Deana, was working afternoons and evenings as a nurse and was ready for a change so she could spend more time at home with her children.

In August 1997, the couple bought AAA Trophies, a small shop established in a single-family house. To make the shop more attractive and efficient, they renovated the front room area, painted the walls and added a counter.

John Bolletta, an all-around handyman, and Deana Bolletta, who also worked as a hairstylist, have channeled their skills and positive attitudes into a successful business, which is steadily growing.

While the Bollettas, who have added screen printing and embroidery to their repertoire, serve some of the area's biggest corporations and organizations, they still treat anyone who walks in the door as if their one small plaque is just as important as a large company order.

"That's where we really compete, in customer service," Deana Bolletta said.

If a customer wants a special kind of baseball cap or a unique award to mark a special occasion, the Bollettas will do everything in their power to fulfill those requests.

If they can't find something in one of their many product catalogs, they will figure out a way to make it themselves.

When a union wanted to honor all its members who did not cross picket lines, John Bolletta had a cabinet shop fashion a 6-foot-tall plaque, to which he added 928 1-by-3-inch plates.

"They all had to be engraved and drilled and screwed onto the plaque," John Bolletta said, adding that the hard part was getting it all lined up just right.

The Bollettas enjoy putting their heads together with their customers to produce creative, unique items. To celebrate a young man's hole in one, the lucky ball was attached to a plaque that featured the golfer's photo and scorecard. Newly retired employees of Caterpillar Inc. receive plaques with not-so-small models of heavy equipment they worked on, attached with fishing line.

"With John, you can throw anything at him," Deana Bolletta said.

Deana Bolletta said one of the biggest challenges is to keep the prices down while so many expenses keep rising. Many of the awards are plastic, a petroleum-based product, while others include metals such as brass and aluminum, prices of which also are steadily inflating.

"We're reasonable," Deana Bolletta said. "We are not the cheapest."

Customers also can order via the Internet. The AAA site carries links to product catalogues for clothing and awards.

Deana Bolletta said she works mostly with four trophy/awards companies, but she will search the catalogues of as many wholesalers as necessary to find something a customer is seeking.

AAA customers said they are impressed with the company's products as well as the Bollettas' commitment to old fashioned customer service.

"The work is terrific quality," said Paul Stanzione, executive director of the Decatur Family YMCA. "They're extremely personable people. Deana and John both are really warm people. They build that relationship with you. You enjoy working with people who are very positive and have great attitudes. Deana always tries to find things that fit our budget."

Jim Kiefer, operations director for the Decatur Park District, said he relies on AAA to deliver plaques when they say they will.

"I can e-mail what I need, and they will have them in a few weeks," Kiefer said. "Everything I send to them, they do a nice job. If you look at the plaques on benches and on buildings, they have done most of those."

The Bollettas, high school sweethearts who have been married for 18 years, say they mostly enjoy running the business.

"It takes a lot of dedication," Deana Bolletta said, adding it is most difficult to not have the freedom to take vacations.

John Bolletta, who also serves as a captain on the fire department, said there is a certain amount of stress that comes with having to meet customers' demands.

"We have deadlines to make," he said. "Everything's a deadline. Everything's custom. Monday to Friday, you have to be here every day."

Huey Freeman can be reached at hfreeman@herald-review.com or 421-6985.