Trust Newsletter — January 2017
Welcome to 2017!
Welcome to the 2017 Trust Newsletter! I’d like to (one last time) plug our Year in Review from last month (promise this is the last time) for a full recap of 2016 (pinky swear). And now it’s time to look forward! We have already made a huge change to start the year which we will address in a minute, but along with that we have some really exciting goals for ourselves that will really enhance us as a company and in turn enhance our product and our customer experience. We love our product and our team, but being a great business has taken a backseat in the past. This year’s goal is to take large strides in making the business and structural side of our company match up to the quality of our team and the quality of our product. The first of those strides was taken over the break and is already making an awesome impact for Trust…
Elisha the Integrator
Trust has brought the wonderful Elisha Garcia onto our team as Integrator. Basically he will be working alongside Matt, focusing on the daily tasks of the business while Matt focuses on the big picture. He will also work on Trust’s structure, processes, and personnel as we continue to push to get more things done and communicate better.
A big point of growth in the last few months has been identifying and admitting our weaknesses. Matt specifically has recognized his weakness in the daily tasks and structures that a business of our size require. So instead of continuing to toil on those weaknesses, Elisha has joined us to relieve stress and allow Matt (and Trust by extension) to focus on his strengths. Identifying the need was only the first part of this journey. Matt spent months searching for the perfect person to fill this role. This is a big responsibility and a big change for Trust, so we needed to be confident.
We first encountered Elisha as a customer in our old Mansfield shop. He is on staff as a youth pastor at Living Church in Mansfield and managed their t-shirts as well as design and merchandise for several churches and organizations. Through ordering, phone calls, and pickups we established a great relationship with him and Matt thought of him during his search and reached out. After much communication back and forth and a month’s worth of meetings and strategy sessions, Elisha was officially hired and began work on January 2nd. We are already so pumped about what he brings to the table and can’t wait to see what the next few years hold for him and his influence at Trust.
Another Important Addition
In a less official capacity, we have added a new four-legged member to the Trust team. Murphy is Janell and Ryan’s new puppy and he is a delight. Matt has always encouraged us to bring our dogs when it is practical, and it really brightens up the office and builds into the awesome family culture we have at Trust.
Trust Long Beach
Trust sent a team of 6 to Long Beach a couple weeks ago for the yearly Imprinted Sportswear Show (ISS) to learn, connect, and explore new ideas and technologies.
The first order of business was hooking up with our friends at Bella+Canvas and taking a tour of their amazing headquarters. Bella+Canvas is doing a large portion of their production in the US, with some pieces going overseas for sewing. They boast a great work environment and pay their employees well. They focus on recycling, with recyclable materials and trash cans few and far between. The facility includes a yoga studio and a gym for the employees, and Tim our host was extremely welcoming and friendly.
After Bella+Canvas it was time to dig into the ISS convention and immerse ourselves in the garment decorating industry. We sat down with Magna Colours, the creators of our amazing HSA ink and had a great discussion about problems and solutions. They also made some big news announcing the creation of GNA certification, a set of environmentally conscious guidelines hoping to empower ink manufacturers and printers to go green. KIWO showed off new, more durable emulsion and Action Engineering impressed us with innovative new sleeve pallets. We checked out the Rapid Tag tag press, an awesome machine that allows one person to print custom tags quickly and accurately. Finally, Ryonet impressed and challenged us with a demonstration; breaking down and setting up jobs with amazing speed and accuracy.
Outside the walls of the convention, our team made connections, caught up with old friends, and enjoyed some much needed beach time. This was another awesome year at ISS, energizing us and pushing us to be better, and encouraging us that we are headed in the right direction and doing things the right way.
Print of the Month
Mystery Skulls — Forever
5 Color Plastisol – Canvas 3001 Black
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Our first print of 2017 is this awesome simulated process print for Mystery Skulls. 5 plastisol colors blend for some great skin tones and awesome contrast. The photo comes from their album cover and is striking with the bright red and muted blue.
Photorealistic prints like this are a challenge, but one of the areas we feel that we excel. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as seeing colors blend and work together to create tiny details and smooth tones.
