A Dream and a Name

So You Wanna Be a Uniform Guy?

You would’ve called me “a jack of all trades… an occupational gypsy…  a rock star looking for a reputable day job… but uniforms? It’s not rocket science… but I fell in love with it! 

My first career was in the medical field having worked at an area hospital, an orthopaedic practice and a urology practice. I really loved serving the community in that capacity and met so many wonderful people during those years. But I had an opportunity to go into sales in the late nineties which taught me a whole new skill set and experiences. In the early 21st century, I then felt a leading to pursue Christian ministry and a return to college at 33. I was offered a job at my church as a graphic designer, another passion of mine but after a bit, I needed to augment my income. And this is where my whole life changed.

As 2003 was in full swing, I met a friend of a friend while walking out of church one Sunday who offered me a job at his new uniform store. The autonomy and flexibility I was given to help build this new business was just what I needed at that time for multiple reasons. Through prayer and circumstances my course was redirected to pursue this path.

Fast forward to August 2009, the inspiration to start my own uniform company was born. I had come up with the name several years earlier as a fleeting thought as I was on hold with a customer. During that hold time, I conversed with myself, “If I would ever open my own company, I would just call it The Uniform Guy!” because that’s how I would identify myself on phone calls. It would be simple and slightly humorous just like me:0). You gotta pay attention to those fleeting thoughts!

So years later on December 7th 2009, The Uniform Guy opened for business! I rented a lower level office space at 2677 Cleveland Ave. NW. It was a mere $230 a month but when you’re venturing into uncharted territory, even that seemed like a lot of money!

While I added the form and the function to my new office/ showroom space, my wife Theresa and my sister-in-law Jane helped to add a women’s boutique-ish vibe. I was very proud of this humble yet tasteful space and thanked The Lord for His leading.

After a few years and a lot of step climbing, space on the ground level became available. So as the sit com intro goes, We’re movin’ on up!” Theresa and I transformed this new space into an elegant office space using the logo colors of classic black and white.

During this time I had a lovely young lady from Malone College work three summers with me to help with my office fittings of career tech students. Thank you Erin for being a part of The Uniform Guy’s story! 

So this is where Kelli comes in. Long story short, Kelli hated her job and I was realizing I needed to take the leap and hire a permanent assistant, so we were a match made in uniform heaven! Kelli was instrumental in helping me take the business to the next level, and she was just a joy to work with everyday. We conquered much uniforming ground in those days with just the two us and I appreciate her hanging in there, especially during some intense group fitting situations when you have to fit a lot of people in a short amount of time. I am grateful she didn’t quit on the spot at times. I thrive on adrenalin surges in these situations but I noticed terror in her eyes occasionally. 

As Kelli and I were beginning to prepare for the 2016 career tech fitting season, Kelli gently (with a hint of desperation in her voice) requested that we hire another permanent associate to spread the “group fitting joy” around. I hesitantly agreed but I knew she was right and I didn’t want her to have a nervous breakdown and PTSD. And she just happened to know someone who needed to change their job situation. 

Enter: Megan

Megan and I me tat The Uniform Guy office in spring of 2016. We talked about the position and her need for more flexibility in a job due to her family’s needs. I really liked her and thought she would be a great fit but told her I could only promise work until October… well, that was nine years ago lol! I’m so thankful to Kelli for the recommendation and to Megan for the courage and slight bit of craziness to take a chance with the small but growing Uniform Guy!

And grow we did! To the point where in the summer of 2018 we signed on two more whole career tech centers and it would be a logistical impossibility to handle that and all our other schools and customers. We just were busting at the seams. So the two of them approached me with their thinly disguised desperation and requested we find a bigger building. My rent at that time had grown to a whopping $550 a month. It’s not that I’m stingy or cheap, its just that I never wanted to be responsible for someone’s  livelihood and if I did have to be, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t overspending so I could ensure there would always be a paycheck. But I also knew we couldn’t continue where we were. And so, as always, I started petitioning The Lord for wisdom. 

And wouldn’t you know that a few days later, I drove by a building I had driven by a thousand times and never even noticed it. But today I did. There was a For Lease sign out front. Long story alittle shorter, we moved into 1910 Whipple Ave. NW Labor Day weekend 2018!

And poof! Just like that, we just celebrated our 16th anniversary. I am so grateful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Theresa, Molly and all of my customers and staff who believed in me along the way. And a special thank you to my mom and dad who always believed in me in whatever endeavor I set out to conquer. A lot of grace, long nights, blood, sweat and tears and we’re still here AND the grateful 7 time winner of The Best of The Best Uniform Company for the Stark County area! 

Here’s to 16 more years!