Flowers fill a limited niche, and cards can only say so much. At least, that is how Cookies by Design President and CEO Jack Long sees it. Located near the intersection of Jupiter Road and Plano Parkway, the Cookies by Design headquarters mixes, bakes and decorates cookies to be shipped out across the U.S. It is a product Long said that fills the gaps that traditional gifts cannot. “If you can create something that is totally unique, and that is something we do every day, that says something about you and it also says something about the person who is getting it,” Long said. “They see the thought and appreciation in that gift manifest in how it’s presented to them—even if it’s a color that they like. Even if it’s a reference … to a memory they have that we can encase in a cookie.” Now a national operation with 70 locations throughout the U.S., Cookies by Design’s business caters to businesses and individuals alike. Long said Cookies by Design’s Plano headquarters is fully outfitted with a shipping center—allowing the company to provide their products to any U.S. location, including rural areas of the country. The cookie company has recently expanded its product offering—now selling customizable cupcakes and chocolate truffles. While Cookies by Design may continue to offer different items, the cookie bouquet remains as one of its staple products, with fully customizable sugar cookie options to fill the baskets. Long said corporate gifting has been the company’s biggest area of growth, as Cookies by Design has the ability to print company branding onto their cookies. While Long acknowledges that Cookies by Design will likely never be able to replace flowers as one of the most widely gifted items, he has seen where the company has been most successful. “You can’t put a name on a flower. You can’t put a brand on a flower, and you can’t put a message within that flower bouquet.” Long said.