The motto of the Great Falls Police Department Honor Guard, “Dedication, Vision, Precision,” isn’t some happenstance slogan selected on a whim. In fact, for the 13 members of the Honor Guard – and for the 84 officers of the Great Falls, Mont., PD – the saying has meaning with deeper significance, one which matches the pride and emotion that comes from wearing the uniform.

The decision was made to form an honor guard to give proper recognition to these individuals, and in less than a week, the unit was operational and functioning at levels far exceeding its expectations. This was possible due, in part, to the dedication of its members and to Officer Green, a former Marine with honor guard experience who volunteered to instruct raw recruits in the art of precision drill.

The efforts paid off, and those who witnessed the debut were struck by both the emotion and level of expertise behind the appearance. Their motto serves as a reminder for why they formed in the first place; “Dedication, Vision, Precision” uses the first initial from the first name of each of those who died that horrible day in 2007, serving as a lasting tribute to their fallen colleagues.

Since that time, the honor guard has become a regular fixture in Great Falls, making itself available for presentation of colors at community functions, ceremonial courtesy and, of course, rifle salutes at appropriate funeral and memorial services.

Funds in Action for Cash-Strapped Budgets

But the honor guard never had a uniform of its own; officers would wear their dress uniforms with white ascots and gloves to ceremonies until last year, when the Great Falls Police Community Foundation stepped in.

The foundation was established in 2007 to fund urgently needed programs and equipment for the Great Falls Police Department, raising awareness of underfunded or unfunded needs that improve crime prevention and law enforcement efficiency. It is a major source of private support for the GFPD. Foundation President Hayley Lenington-Leray says, “We pick up where the budgets fall short.”

Community philanthropy isn’t a new concept by any means. Over the years, private sources have helped fund many law enforcement programs, from spruced-up training facilities to specialized gear to improvements in technology.

The need for such involvement is expected to accelerate, as budgets at every level of government are tightened due to the economic downturn. In October 2011, the U.S. Justice Department released a study on the recession’s impact on law enforcement. The report, “The Impact of the Economic Downturn on American Police Agencies,” issued through the USJD’s office of Community Oriented Policing Services, paints a somber picture on the state of public safety services in cities and towns across the country. A more comprehensive year-end study, unavailable at press time, is expected to reveal the first-ever decrease in law enforcement personnel and the services they provide since 1986.

These startling revelations make the work of organizations like the Great Falls Police Community Foundation all the more vital to the communities in which they operate. In its short existence, the foundation has funded a variety of department projects, primarily through its annual fundraiser, the Policemen’s Ball. In 2011, those monies went to a first-ever dedicated uniform program for the GFPD’s Honor Guard.

Cue from Military Uniforms

A committee quickly formulated ideas that would determine the look and feel of the new garments. Officer Green was part of the process, and with his military background, it should come as no surprise the type of uniform he favored. “I’ve always been impressed by the dress blues,” says Green. “It’s a sharp, professional look.”

Others agreed. Three concepts were presented to department members and to the public through a series of community meetings. The choice was unanimous: the uniforms would be patterned after the military.

Manufactured from a poly/wool serge – a “bulletproof fabric,” according to Ike Kaufman, vice president of Kaufmans Menswear Center – the honor guard uniforms are colored in dark blue and are designed to coordinate with the department’s existing look. Gold piping and buttons accent the jacket, which is affixed with the GFPD patch on each arm. The hat is referred to as halo-styled, which Officer Green describes as similar to an eight-point style sans angles.

A novice when it comes to uniforms, Kaufmans Menswear is best known for its quality, made-to-measure men’s apparel and expert tailoring done on premises. When the honor guard uniforms went out to bid, Kaufmans put its name in consideration and won even though it did scant uniform business. “There’s no uniform store in town that could handle the custom aspect of this program the way we do,” boasts Kaufman.

These aspects, include the tailoring, fine details like sewing on the patches, hemming, and making certain that each uniform item fits exactly the way it was planned. “I’ve been here for 57 years; it’s not that hard to do,” quips Kaufman.

The tailoring is so skilled that GFPD uses the store when it needs modifications to its everyday uniforms, even though they are purchased from another distributor. “We have a full-time tailor on staff and another who works part time, and they’ve been with us for years,” notes Kaufman.

Five Bureaus, Multiple Looks

The Great Falls Police Department has five distinct bureaus: Patrol, Investigative Services, Support Services, Communications, and Administrative Services.

Each of the three patrol teams consists of one lieutenant, two sergeants and ten officers. There is a swing-shift team consisting of one sergeant, four officers, and two K-9 units, the unit to which Officer Green belongs.

The department’s basic uniform has remained unchanged for quite some time, according to GFPD’s Lt. Jack Allen. Both a Class A and cargo-style uniform are used, colored in LAPD blue. Manufactured from a poly/cotton blend, the cargo pants have six pockets: two in the front, two in the back and two along the outside of each leg. Uniform shirts are affixed with patches on the arms, similar to those of the honor guard. Suppliers for these garments include Flying Cross and Horace Small. Outerwear comes from 5.11 Tactical and Horace Small. Both a three-in-one system and all-weather jacket are used. Hats, worn for ceremonial purposes only, are supplied by Midway Cap.

There are also allowances for regular-duty shorts when weather is appropriate. “Except for the bike patrol, I haven’t seen anyone wear those in years,” says Lt. Allen.

As for Officer Green’s K-9 unit, those garments are tactical in appearance, as would be expected. The uniform consists of a black rip-stop shirt paired with black pants. The shirt includes features that provide greater range of motion, and the pants offer plenty of cargo pockets. Each is constructed of poly/cotton rip-stop material.

Officers also are issued an outer carrier vest, which rests on the body under the duty gear. When using these, officers have the option of wearing polos, which saves on the wear and tear of uniform shirts. Popular for its comfort, the outer carrier vest also has an added benefit. “It takes the weight off your back, reducing injuries,” says Officer Green.

In addition to these units, the GFPD also has a bike patrol which is community-oriented, allowing further interaction between officers and citizens. A SWAT team equivalent is outfitted in tactical gear, as expected.

A motorcycle unit was disbanded due to budget cuts.

The department gets its everyday uniforms from Stanford Police Supply in neighboring Missoula, Mont., and has recently moved its vest business there as well. The store was founded in 2001 by Jay Stanford, a former Washington State Trooper.

As for honor guard supplier Kaufmans, doing business with the Great Falls Police Department has led to additional opportunities. Kaufmans Menswear supplies the uniforms for the area’s sheriff’s department and has recently bid on a local fire department contract.

“Things like the uniform deals keep me going,” says Kaufman, who is in his mid-70s. “It’s a fun business to be in, and it’s great to see police officers so concerned about their image.”

When a police officer loses sight of a suspect during a foot pursuit, who steps in and catches him? When a boater is in distress and the Coast Guard can’t respond quickly enough, who comes to the rescue? When the Drug Enforcement Administration needs an extra pair of eyes, who do they call? These groups all know a little secret: When their own resources and abilities won’t suffice to protect the public or to serve justice, they turn to the skies for help from some extraordinary assistants.

These partners in the sky possess astonishing abilities: flight, night vision, enhanced hearing and more. They may look like ordinary people, but when duty calls, they ascend toward the clouds, donning specialized garments that give them protection from fire and headwear that keeps rogue goose parts out of their eyes. They are the brave men and women of airborne law enforcement.

What’s a typical day like in the life of an airborne law enforcement officer? According to Randy Phillips, sergeant of the Lake County, Ind., Police Department Aviation Unit, the days are anything but typical, but they almost always involve aerial patrol. “We provide air support for our department and the 17 other cities and towns that are in Lake County, Indiana. Basically, we do an aerial patrol pretty much every day,” says Sgt. Phillips.

As one of just two airborne law enforcement units in Indiana (the other in Indianapolis), the Lake County Aviation Unit has a lot of ground to cover. The unit patrols the entire county while also listening to other departments on the radio. If departments have calls for service, the aviation unit responds. Sgt. Phillips explains, “Whether it’s hold-up alarms for banks, general alarms, any type of car pursuits or foot pursuits, we respond to those. We also get called out to the neighboring counties if they’re looking for murder suspects.”

Additionally, the aviation unit helps government agencies, including the United States Coast Guard; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and the United States Marshals. These groups often request the aviation unit’s assistance with surveillance work and tracking suspects.

Being airborne, the unit has many advantages over units on the ground. The helicopters are able to fly over areas, like dense forests, that are less accessible to officers in their squad cars or on foot. Additionally, the helicopters can quickly cover a large area. They are equipped with thermographic cameras as well as night vision devices that enable them to easily spot suspects weaving around buildings or among trees. The aviation unit may even be tasked with transporting dangerous criminals. “We recently had a bunch of high-profile gang leaders that went to federal court, so we provided aerial support with the transportation from our county jail to the federal court up in Hammond and then on the way back,” says Phillips.
Catching bad guys is all in a day’s work for Sgt. Phillips and the other members of the aviation unit, but the group is also devoted to helping the most vulnerable members of their communities. The aviation unit, along with local fire departments, helps with a program called Project Lifesaver, which is aimed at locating individuals who, for one reason or another, have wandered from home. “People who have Alzheimer’s, dementia or autism, or who have a tendency to wander from home wear tracking bracelets, and there are tracking devices in the vehicles. On the ground, the receivers are good for three-quarters of a mile or line-of-sight. A receiver up in the helicopter can get a five- to six-mile range. So we’ve practiced with them over the last year. We’ve had five calls for service, and we were able to find all five individuals within 15 minutes,” says Sgt. Phillips.

Considering the sheer number of duties with which the aviation unit is tasked, it should come as no surprise that the airborne law enforcement officers don’t spend much time considering the benefits of their uniforms. Yet, when emergency strikes, airborne law enforcement officers might find themselves either cursing their polyester uniform or singing the praises of their Nomex flight suit. “A polyester police outfit will pretty much end up melting on you,” says Phillips. “The Nomex is flame-resistant, and it gives you a little time to get out of the fire without getting too many burns.”

The Lake County Aviation Unit did, at one time, wear regular police uniforms while in flight. After a series of unfortunate crashes involving fires and burns that came as a result of melted polyester, the unit switched over to a green Nomex flight suit. According to Kurt Frisz, president of the Airborne Law Enforcement Association, this flame-resistant outfit is now considered the standard for airborne law enforcement officers across the country. “ALEA has established recommended best practices that include flight attire: Nomex flight suits, Nomex gloves and boots with leather uppers,” Frisz explains.

Phillips says that the unit also has started wearing helmets as a result of accidents. “We used to just have headsets that we’d wear, but over the course of the years, we’ve had a couple of times where one of our helicopters would go down, and our pilots would sustain some pretty serious head injuries. Now we wear dual-visor flight helmets,” he says.

The helmets, which Phillips says cost about $1,200 each, offer several benefits. First, they are integrated with audio equipment, enabling officers to clearly hear calls for service over the roar of the helicopter’s rotor. Second, they provide protection from head injuries that can occur when helicopters crash. Lastly, these helmets shield the wearer from anything that might fly into the cockpit.

“We don’t have to worry about cars, but we do have a lot of geese, ducks and other birds while we’re up in the air. They have actually hit the helicopters, and the parts will come through the windscreen. If that happens, with the visor down, it provides protection for your eyes,” explains Phillips. A clear visor offers eye protection in low-light conditions, and a smoke-colored visor shields eyes from UV rays during the day. Nomex flight gloves, three-quarter length boots and tactical vests round out the unit’s uniform. Officers also can wear bulletproof vests underneath their flight suits.

The Lake County Aviation Unit’s uniform has evolved significantly since 1979, when the unit was established. As previously noted, those changes are due in part to improved protection from accidents. But the unit has also consulted with older officers as well other airborne law enforcement units to further develop its uniform program, a trend that’s likely to continue as agencies respond to the current economic climate by combining forces with other agencies.

“Many agencies have had to scale back, and a few have actually closed operations. Several have found more efficient means such as regionalism,” explains Frisz. Other agencies, he says, are looking to more cost-effective operations as a way to stay afloat. Light support aircraft and unmanned aerial systems are among the cost-cutting alternatives. Overall, however, airborne law enforcement has remained strong despite the tough economy. ALEA has 3,100 members, and Frisz estimates that there are about 5,000 airborne law enforcement officers working in the United States.

What type of person fits the airborne law enforcement profile? “Generally very self-motivated, driven people who have a love for flying and want to serve their community as well,” says Frisz. One thing is for certain: Airborne law enforcement officers are real-life superheroes, and the green Nomex jumpsuit is the new red cape.

Imagine that seven feet of water poured into a place of business. Imagine waiting 11 days for that water to recede. Imagine the destruction it leaves behind.

Charlie Hewlett and Belinda Comboy lived through that horror. They could’ve made a choice to pack up and run. They didn’t.

They stayed. They cleaned up. They rebuilt.

There are so many stories that came out of Hurricane Katrina’s wrath. Some were stories of people losing everything. Many were stories of people quitting. The story of A.P.E. Inc. is one of people staying put and fighting to preserve the years of hard work and knowledge that had helped build a business and make it thrive in the first place.

Hewlett began A.P.E. under the name American Police Equipment in 1986. He had been a 20 percent stockholder in an equipment firearms business since 1977 when he left to go out on his own. If there’s any question of what his talents meant to his previous company, just know that it closed its doors 45 days after he left.

American Police Equipment became A.P.E. in 1999 in an effort to streamline the name and prepare for an internet presence, but the former company remains as landlord and manager of property and hard goods.

Borrowing money from his ex-wife, Hewlett began the company in a small storefront with $25,000 worth of merchandise in about 900 square feet of space. As he describes the many spaces the company has occupied since then, it quickly becomes a tangled mess of geography lessons, parish names and mixed up addresses. It’s a taste of the unique, non-linear way of doing things that New Orleans is so famous for. In 2001, the store landed in its current location at 9015 Airline Highway. The current store boasts 5,000 square feet and an abundance of stock.

One look at the handy store camera on A.P.E.’s website and it’s clear that sizes and selections are plentiful. Comboy enjoys the hands-on approach to merchandising, wanting her customers to be able to find and feel the product with ease. Floor help is always available from one of the seven employees in addition to Hewlett and Comboy. Police departments, fire departments, sheriff’s departments, EMS and security personnel will find everything they need from head to toe.

Comboy says with pride, “We have $700,000 worth of inventory. We can get you in at 9 this morning, and before 3 we’ll have you in full uniform and ready to go to work.”

While Hewlett and Comboy see great use for the web, they feel there’s no substitute for being able to shop in person. That is why they’re so determined to keep providing superior in-store service, even as they embrace their online presence.

“We strive to provide the customer service that you can’t get online. And we really do take care of these people. They have so many needs,” says Comboy. She goes on to describe the many pieces and parts that go into a uniform. “It’s not just a shirt and pants. You have collar brass, epaulets, ties, hats, boots, outerwear, raincoats. Within each department you’ll have multiple divisions and assignments with further specific requirements. To be able to come here and get basically everything that they need, I think, is a great service that we provide.”

It’s amazing to think that today A.P.E. can be such a vast resource for the approximately 4,500 public safety officers in and around the city of New Orleans when on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005, it was completely washed away by the aftermath of Katrina.

While Hewlett and Comboy prepared for the storm by boarding up windows and putting computers up on higher desks, no one could predict the extent of the damage coming.

“We really waited until the very last minute – I mean like the last minute – before we decided to go,” Comboy says. She puts this in perspective by explaining that between her 85-year-old dad, 65-year-old Hewlett, and herself, no one had ever evacuated in their lifetime. Never.

She was more concerned with the inevitable loss of electricity than anything else. Ultimately the three of them finally did travel to a friend’s house in Monroe, La., to wait out the storm. Once in Monroe, Hewlett stayed for three weeks while Comboy returned to New Orleans as soon as officials would allow anyone back into the parish, which was about a week later.

“They were allowing business owners in, so with the help of the St. John Parish Sheriff’s Department, a parish located a little further up river, I was able to get back to my house,” she says. Thankfully their house was undamaged, although electricity was still out. Comboy is grateful for a corded phone that still worked.

It was impossible to check the store because of the vast flooding. But with the help of the Harahan Police Department, another police department near her house, she was able to go downtown to where the New Orleans Police Department had set up its temporary headquarters outside the Harrah’s Casino.

She says, “They were launching rescue missions with the help of some military and some civilians. So I approached the assistant superintendent and said that, if we could get to my building and we could find anything salvageable, I would be happy to give it to them.”

They assigned her a military transport, a two-and-a-half ton truck, and a boat and went to the building. The water was still too high, so they had to abort the mission and make a second effort to get in.

By the second effort, the water was about three-and-a-half feet high, down from the original seven feet. But the waterline it left behind told the story. On the 11th day, the pumps were turned on, removing the water and leaving behind an unbearable mess.

Comboy describes being disheartened, knowing it was pretty much a total loss but no “screaming or hollering.” It was just “wow, this is a disaster.”

Hewlett describes a different reaction. “My opinion was just ‘Take the insurance money and run.’” They did, in fact, get some insurance money and proceeded to pay every one of their employees one to three months’ salary along with sharing the news that they were going out of business.

But Comboy’s fighter spirit won out. While cleaning out the flooded store, the pair created office space on a banquet table in their home dining room and proceeded to locate a trailer in which they could set up shop. Hewlett describes how “everyone was trying to get a FEMA trailer to live in. You had to shop all over the country to find a trailer.” Finally they were able to rent a trailer, which they set up in the store parking lot.

The computers had also suffered severe water damage. Hewlett had carried CDs containing all of their files with him throughout the storm only to discover that they had been backed up incorrectly and were useless. But after 30 years in the business Hewlett’s brain maintained much of the information the computers had lost. Also, thanks to Hewlett being a consistent and thorough email user, he was able to retrieve a great deal of material from the email server. So sitting in their dining room, using a daughter’s college computer, Hewlett began the long task of setting A.P.E. back up.

Comboy, meanwhile, would head to the store location and sift through the debris looking for whatever could be salvaged. As more and more officers came by looking for equipment, Comboy began to wash what products could be cleaned and passed them on. Customers would tell Comboy what they needed, and she would go home at the end of the day with her handwritten report. Hewlett would try to contact the companies and place the orders. Their back porch became the UPS shipping dock.

For 11 months, business was conducted from a trailer in the parking lot. For six of those months, there was no electricity or phones. Comboy and Hewlett would open the windows of the trailer, conduct business for three or four hours and then pack up and go home.

Mail delivery didn’t start up again for nine months. Part of Comboy’s daily routine was to go to the post office and wait in the lengthy lines.

Meanwhile, a pile of flood-soaked inventory six feet high and the complete length of two sides of the building accumulated on the property. But no sooner had it appeared than desperate police officers would be picking through it looking for items they could use.

Comboy remarks on the attitude of the people around them. “There was such a need, yet people did not complain about their own situation because everyone was in the same situation, and it was kind of like ‘Let’s get on with it and move forward.’”

After 11 months, the rebuilt A.P.E. was ready. All in all, it took less time than many larger businesses in the area. Hewlett is convinced that developing good relationships over the years with both municipal customers and cooperative vendors contributed to that accomplishment.

Moving forward, Hewlett believes their developing web presence is extremely important. Looking at the new website for A.P.E. created through UniformMarket, he proudly points out the New Orleans Fire Department page, which will be followed by the New Orleans Police Department page, and then more and more departments to follow.

Comboy reaffirms her commitment to her city, citing visiting the French Quarter, participating in Mardi Gras and following her beloved Saints as a few of her passions. That and being an award-winning wallpaper installer who specializes in historic restoration. Hewlett’s interests outside of the business lie mostly within the reach of his TV remote control.

But clearly Hewlett and Comboy are fighters who are committed to doing everything they can to serve the hard-working public officers of their community. From rebuilding after the country’s worst man-made disaster to moving forward into the future of technology, A.P.E. will continue to fill the needs of New Orleans with years of experience, vast knowledge and incomparable service.

The Churchwell Company has been around more than 100 years. But there’s nothing old fashioned about this family business. From the first appearance of Churchwell Brothers in the 1800s to the Churchwell Co. of today, Robert Pavelka and his forebears have managed to anticipate where the market is heading and make the necessary changes to keep up with the times.

The Churchwell Co. of the 21st century is headquartered in a Jacksonville, Fla., office with a small retail space up front and warehouse in the back. It’s all part of Pavelka’s vision to keep moving into the internet age, but it’s miles away from the historic building that still appears on the company stationery and checks.

When Pavelka tells the story of his family business, one can hear a century of gentility and charm swimming in his delicate southern drawl. His grandfather, John Hamilton “Mr. J.H.” Churchwell, and his great uncle, Augustus Franklin “Mr. A.F.” Churchwell, started Churchwell Bros. originally in Cordele, Ga., in the 1800s with $100. It was the classic dry goods store seen in every black-and-white western. They sold everything from feed to cloth to sewing notions, towels, pillows and sheets. And soon they had as many as eight stores dotting Georgia. Around 1911 they decided to open up a wholesale distribution company as well under the Churchwell Bros. name.

In 1923, the brothers bought the Covington Co. warehouse in Jacksonville, Fla., from Victor Covington, who was ready to retire. Built just after the great fire of 1901, the four-story building was located on the corner of East Bay and North Market streets in downtown Jacksonville, across from the shipyards on the river. It remains a marvel of handcrafted quality, all heart pine and solid brick. 24-inch thick solid brick walls and post-and-beam construction are found throughout. In 2006, Pavelka lovingly restored the historic building and developed it into upscale condominiums called Churchwell Lofts.

Sometime in the 1930s, the brothers decided to split up the wholesale and retail divisions. Legend has it they literally tossed a coin to see who would get the equally valued businesses. And that is how Pavelka’s grandfather, Mr. J.H., ended up with the wholesale company.

From the beginning, Churchwell Bros. did business with Red Kap and was one of Hanes’ largest distributers. Pavelka remembers his dad dealing with Gordon and Hubert Hanes directly. He says, “We carried everything they made.” Fruit of the Loom was another company in its roster, as well as Bluebell, which made Wrangler jeans. Fifteen salesmen traveled throughout the southeast and the Bahamas.

The 1960s saw the growth of major retailers such as J.C. Penney and Sears, and with them came the demise of the wholesaler due to the shrinking of small retailers. Pavelka’s father saw the changes coming and started to shift from supplying retailers to seeking government contracts at the city, county and state level. “At one point we were bidding in 37 states. We were selling to prisons and hospitals and other institutions across the country. I’m still in that business but not in the same way,” Pavelka says.

The next big evolution occurred after Pavelka had graduated from Loyola University and stayed in New Orleans for a few years working in the insurance brokerage industry. In 1980, Pavelka moved back to Jacksonville and went to work in the family wholesale business. Hanes had begun a colored T-shirt business called Hanes Printables. Early on, everybody laughed, including all the underwear people. He says, “It was just a small part of Hanes’ overall business. Who ever thought printable T-shirts were going to be any big deal?”

But of course, printable T-shirts were indeed a big deal, and Pavelka saw that when he came on board. The printable, colored T-shirts and custom-embroidered golf shirts became a large part of the company’s success at that time. From there came the development of the 100 percent cotton Beefy T at a time when T-shirts were cut to size and nobody wore big, loose clothing. Oneida and Fruit of the Loom competed, the latter by introducing the Power T named after Jackie Powers, a long-time salesman with the company. “So we got into the imprinted sportswear business in a pretty large way,” Pavelka says.

The imprinted sportswear business was 90 percent cash on delivery and cash only for a large amount of customers. But there were customers doing $50,000-$60,000 a year with Churchwell. One customer did over $10 million in three years. As Pavelka says, “How can you not believe in this?” Then they were actually making goods for that customer’s private label. “We called that division the Churchwell Imprintables.”

The company sold to screen printers and advertising specialty customers. It went to shows around the country, setting up 20-feet worth of booth space. It was a great business for a while, but then there wasn’t enough production in the United States. “I was lucky that I had some great contacts at a couple of mills, and I could get product when other people could not,” he says.

Then production started going offshore. Large quantities of product were being manufactured in areas such as Costa Rica to keep prices down. The margins became so low that Pavelka again had to change with the times. “At some point we decided to get out of that business,” he says. “We liquidated our inventory and decided to start dealing with the end user, although we still wholesale.”

From the beginning, Churchwell Bros. was a family business run with integrity and a strong commitment to treating people well. That philosophy is perhaps no more evident than in employee Raymond Rodgers. Pavelka has a photo of Rodgers, who began working for Churchwell Bros. at the age of 18, dating to 1921. Rodgers continued to work for the company for 70-plus years until he died at the age of 95. He continued to go out on sales calls until the age of 92. Another salesman, Jimmy Solomon, worked with the company for 54 years. Chuck Jones for more than 40 years. Lois Morgan, Pavelka’s grandfather’s secretary, was with them for more than 60 years. In those days, it was possible to make a very respectable income making sales calls. Pavelka recalls Rodgers writing half a million dollars’ worth of business per year at a time when VF Corp. was selling work pants for $2 a pair and Hanes underwear was $2.25 a dozen.

Pavelka says the company’s management philosophy could be summed up in the way Rodgers handled new employees. “Raymond would come in and say, ‘We’re glad to have you. I know it’s going to take a little while for you to get used to being here and quite honestly we’ve got to see whether you like us and whether we like you. We’re all family here but families don’t always have to get along.’ And he was right,” Pavelka says. “It was a really nice, down-to-earth way to put it. Just because it didn’t work out didn’t mean that we were bad or they were bad.”

Rodgers’ charm came in handy as well when trying to collect on an overdue account. Pavelka says, “He’d go into a man’s store and [the man] would say, ‘Well, I’m glad you’re here Mr. Rodgers. I’ve got a list of things…’ And Raymond would say, ‘Well, I appreciate that. First off, we’ve got some invoices here with some whiskers on them.’ Raymond said, ‘If you can’t talk to a man about money, you can’t talk to him about sales.’”

One thing Pavelka can talk about is the rich history of his family. His father turned down scholarships at multiple colleges at the age of 16 to wait for an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. After he graduated, he served on submarines, becoming a lieutenant on the U.S.S. Rasher on water patrol in the Pacific. At the end of WWII, he was an aide to Admiral Wilkes, who commanded the Atlantic Fleet’s submarine force, and he lived in Berlin during the blockade with Pavelka’s mother, Martha Rebecca Churchwell. He resigned in 1949 to join the Churchwell Co. as a buyer and department manager. “He would’ve been a great admiral. No question,” Pavelka says.

His uncle, Paul Pavelka, truly did make history. During WWII flying for the LaFayette Escadrille, he was the first pilot to fly a night mission over Germany. Robert has seen a picture of him hanging in the aviation department of the Smithsonian Institute. There are letters he wrote to his commanding officer, along with a half-dozen books describing what it was like to fly that night mission. He says, “That’s an individual with an eighth grade education with whom people in college would have a hard time keeping up.”

Pavelka managed to see the world from a safer perspective while developing distributors for licensed products for the National Football League, Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League. From 1992 to 1995, he would travel to Paris, London, Milan, Munich and Oslo for weeks at a time as a distributor of licensed headwear and sportswear. “It was an exciting time,” he says humbly.

Today, Pavelka stays close to home, but his customer base is more diverse than ever. And in an effort to keep finding his customers wherever they may be, he sees building his online presence as a top priority. His admiration for the VF Corp. led him to UniformMarket to build his web site, www.churchwellcompany.com, and expand his reach without growing his overhead.

But his favorite part of the business remains dealing with people. And to that end, he sees his straightforward, service-oriented business style as one of his company’s biggest selling points. He quotes a saying he remembers hearing long before he came to work for the family company: “When you dealt with Churchwells, you knew what you were going to get and you were always going to be satisfied.”

While Pavelka may not be sure where the future of his business is heading, history would suggest he’ll lead it in the right direction while maintaining the legacy of quality products, exceptional service and competitive drive that have been the foundation of the Churchwell Co. for more than a century.

J.H. Churchwell Company
814 Edgewood Ave. S
Jacksonville, FL 32205
877-537-6166
www.churchwellcompany.com

At any given moment, all over the world, people are putting their lives on the line to help others. A doctor treats a patient who’s been exposed to a virus and, in the process, puts her own health at risk. A firefighter charges into a burning building to rescue a person who’s trapped and, with each second that goes by, increases his own chances of succumbing to the smoke and flames. A police officer responds to the scene of a domestic dispute and is shot by a fleeing suspect.

In these scenarios, certain individuals stand between those whom they serve and the imminent danger that threatens their lives. What makes a person capable of this level of self-sacrifice? Certainly, there’s an element of bravery, a willingness to accept risk, a deep care for others and a strong sense of duty. Yet in many of these life-threatening situations, law enforcement officers, medical professionals, firefighters and emergency medical technicians are aided and sometimes even saved by the very uniforms they wear and gear they carry.

From bullets to bacteria to blazes, uniforms protect those who serve from the dangers they face, and uniform manufacturers constantly improve their offerings to rise to the challenges that these dangerous lines of work present. Yet, as fibers and fabric technologies evolve and merge with each other, manufacturers are creating products that are at once astoundingly advanced and increasingly difficult for the average uniform retailer to understand. Uniform retailers are now expected to know more than ever before, and with lives on the line, the stakes are high.

The year 2005 was a pivotal one for Officer Corey Grogan of the Atlanta County Police Department. On Oct. 28th of that year, Officer Grogan and his partners were serving an arrest warrant to a suspect who responded by firing shots from his .45-caliber pistol. Officer Grogan attempted to get his lieutenant out of the line of fire and, in the process, was struck twice. Grogan and his lieutenant took cover and waited for the backup unit to arrive. Grogan received medical treatment on the scene and was advised that he had holes in his shirt.

“I wasn’t aware that I had holes in my shirt. I felt the impact of the round hitting me, but I didn’t think of anything else other than trying to get out of the area I was in, because it was an unsafe area,” he recounts. “I unzipped my shirt, and I realized I had two holes in my bulletproof vest, which made me feel really good to know that I had holes in my vest instead of holes inside me.”

Officer Grogan’s experience was also significant for the International Association of Chiefs of Police and DuPont. In 1987, the IACP teamed up with DuPont to form the IACP/DuPont Kevlar Survivors’ Club, a group dedicated to recognizing law enforcement professionals who have survived potentially fatal or disabling injuries as a result of wearing body armor. Officer Grogan became the 3,000th member of the group and was inducted in March 2006 during the IACP’s annual Day on the Hill event in Washington, D.C.

Grogan’s induction, though celebratory, also served as a reminder of the countless other lives lost as a result of improper body armor use or complete failure to wear body armor. Former IACP President Mary Ann Viverette remarked, “Unfortunately, far too many of today’s on-duty field and investigative personnel – an estimated 40 percent – still do not routinely wear soft body armor. Our hope is survival stories like Officer Grogan’s will inspire others to wear vests and, where needed, upgrade outdated vests.”

Modern body armor traces its history back to 1965, when DuPont research scientist Stephanie Kwolek developed Kevlar. Like so many great innovations, it was discovered somewhat by accident. Kwolek was working with a team at DuPont to create a strong, lightweight fiber for use in tires. She was mixing polymers and created a cloudy batch that was considered trash by other researchers. However, she decided to keep the batch, and asked the spinneret operator to spin it for her, despite his opposition to the idea. The resulting fiber, unlike nylon, did not break, was five times stronger than steel on an equal-weight basis, and was immediately recognized by her supervisor as a remarkable discovery. This para-aramid synthetic fiber laid the foundation for the new field of polymer chemistry and formed the basis for the body armor still used today by law enforcement, public safety and military personnel worldwide.

Kevlar fibers are now used in an astounding number of products, including heat-resistant gloves, bike helmets, jet engines and fiber optics. The fibers themselves have not changed over the years, but the denier (fiber diameter) of the Kevlar and the way that the Kevlar is woven now allow for a wide variety of uses. Body armor designed to offer bullet resistance, for example, is woven differently than body armor that’s meant to provide stab resistance. Yet the basic principle is the same; protective vests are typically made with many layers of Kevlar fabric, each of which is comprised of very strong, tightly woven fibers. Together, these act as a net, slowing the speed of a bullet, ice pick, knife, or other weapon, spreading the impact over a greater surface area. This reduces impact to the wearer and prevents penetration.

Multiple types of threat resistance can be combined, but this adds weight and cost to the vests, both of which police departments and other agencies try to avoid. Most police departments assess the threats presented by the areas in which they serve and order body armor that protects officers from those specific threats. This requires diligence and a dedication to keeping up with the latest information.

According to Jeff Fackler, North American market segment leader for DuPont, it’s equally important for police departments to communicate their needs clearly. “It’s all about making sure that the police department or agency is well informed in terms of what the requirements and specifications are that they’re going to put on the manufacturer. They need to have clarity in their specifications,” explains Fackler.

In addition to specifying requirements, police departments should properly measure officers for their protective vests. They can order body armor using a few basic measurements, or they can submit detailed measurements for a more customized fit, which Fackler says is ideal. “You want something that’s tailored. There should be a degree of adjustability, and the officer should know how to adjust it. A good portion of the wearability, comfort and ergonomics has to do with fit and adjustability,” he says.

Many police and fire departments employ a body armor expert who can assess their body armor needs, communicate those to a manufacturer and make sure that each individual receives a vest that fits well. This helps ensure that officers are protected from the specific threats they face and ensures that they will wear their vests and wear them properly. However, many departments are eliminating these types of positions as part of an overall belt-tightening effort. This leaves an important gap to be filled and creates an opportunity for retailers who sell body armor to become an asset to police departments.

“It’s good to have a designated expert. If you have four salespeople or 40 salespeople, it’s good to have an expert,” says Fackler. He suggests reaching out to manufacturers, who are a great resource for information about body armor. The National Institute of Justice website is another resource, providing information regarding current and future research as well as the body armor standards with which police departments comply.

Additionally, within the next year, DuPont will be combining body armor information from a variety of sources into a kit that distributors can use. Smaller departments without a body armor expert can also leverage the knowledge of larger departments located within their region or state. The ultimate goal, says Fackler, should always be officer safety. “The key to success in serving the first responder market is to put the law enforcement officer first. Everything else will very effectively flow from there,” he says.

What’s next in the world of personal protective equipment? Fackler anticipates that existing technologies, such as ballistic protection and flame resistance, will become increasingly intertwined to meet the needs of modern emergency responders, who face many different types of threats. According to Fackler, some major uniform companies are already working on flame-resistant vest carriers, which would add an extra level of protection for police officers, firefighters and EMTs, who face new threats and challenges as their roles overlap.

Kevlar is inherently flame-resistant, and it will not continue to burn once the flame or source of heat is removed. Yet for modern firefighters, who face extraordinarily intense wildfires, blazes fueled by powerful chemicals and vicious acts of arson, Kevlar alone will not suffice. Fire departments instead rely on Kevlar’s cousin, a meta-aramid fiber from DuPont called Nomex.

Like Kevlar, Nomex was developed in the 1960s, and it lends itself to a wide array of unexpected applications. Nomex was almost immediately embraced by electrical equipment manufacturers, and it is still the ideal material for electrical insulation. Strong, lightweight Nomex is also an important component of aircraft parts and boats, wind turbine systems, microwave ovens and even computers. In most of these applications, Nomex acts as an unsung hero, hidden within layers of other materials, surreptitiously providing strength and heat resistance.

Yet when it comes to fighting fires, Nomex takes center stage, and the benefits are obvious. Not only is Nomex flame-resistant, but it also will not melt, drip or support combustion in the air. When exposed to the highest temperatures, Nomex carbonizes and becomes thick, somewhat like tar. This substance creates a highly protective barrier between the heat source and the skin, and it remains flexible until cool, allowing firefighters to stay protected while maintaining their freedom of movement. Additionally, Nomex provides protection from many chemicals.

One thing that Nomex can’t protect firefighters from, however, is the carcinogens that they are exposed to while at the scene of a blaze. Firefighters are exposed to many cancer-causing substances in their line of work, and this is becoming especially problematic with the proliferation of plastics as well as the synthetic chemicals that are increasingly more common. Unfortunately, the carcinogens to which firefighters are exposed don’t always stay at the scene of a fire. They linger on uniforms and are transported back to the station and even into firefighters’ homes. Some fire departments are combating this issue by installing special uniform washing machines in their stations. Others rely on industrial launderers. Retailers who sell turnout gear should be well informed of these unique concerns and prepared to answer questions regarding the washability of the items they sell.

Modern life is also creating new challenges for the medical industry. Every day, medical professionals risk healthcare-associated infections from increasingly antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Additionally, doctors and nurses can sometimes act as vectors for disease transmission, carrying dangerous bacteria on their hands, equipment and even their uniforms. This is especially problematic in sensitive environments, such as those that treat immuno-compromised patients or in surgical settings.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, individuals who become infected with antimicrobial-resistant strains of bacteria are more likely to have longer hospital stays and may also be more likely to die from infection. Indeed, an estimated 99,000 people die each year in the United States as a result of healthcare-associated infections. Furthermore, certain infections, such as those caused by Acinetobacter and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), occur most frequently in, and are sometimes exclusive to, healthcare settings and are becoming more prevalent. A recent study conducted by researchers in Israel found that over 60 percent of medical uniforms carried potential pathogens, and up to 14 percent carried antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These menacing strains of bacteria are even showing up in unexpected settings, such as dental schools.

To combat healthcare-associated infections, some states are passing laws that require hospitals to report infections, and Medicare is now withholding two percent of payments from hospitals that don’t. Hospitals are feeling the pressure and are taking measures to cut their infection rates. For many of these hospitals, scrubs and other uniform items have become a major target of infection-reduction efforts, creating a new opportunity for uniform manufacturers.

One such manufacturer is New York-based XY Scrubs, founded by surgery resident Todd Ruiter last April. Ruiter had initially set out to create a fashion-forward line of scrubs for men but soon broadened his focus to include antimicrobial fabric technology. “As a surgery resident, I was dealing with this problem every day, as healthcare-associated infections really are becoming an epidemic in this country,” Ruiter explains. “It’s my belief, as a physician and surgery resident with ten years’ experience, that all textiles used in patient care in the hospitals will, in the near future, employ antimicrobials as a way to fight or limit the spread of HAIs.”

Ruiter researched antimicrobials and eventually chose a unique finish created by Dow Chemical Co., now trademarked as XY Defend. This finish, unlike other chemical treatments, is permanently bound to the fabric and will not wash away. Most unique is the way in which XY Defend interacts with bacteria. The finish, says Ruiter, “kills microbes by physically disrupting their architecture, literally shearing the microbe apart on contact, and therefore, it has not been shown to select for any resistance over 25 years of testing and application in consumer goods.”

Ruiter believes this level of constant protection from germs to be ideal. “If a majority of our scrubs will be harboring pathogenic bacteria by the end of a day’s work, the possibility for passing the germs along between patients throughout the day certainly exists. Antimicrobial treatments on hospital textiles, such as our XY Defend, may play a role in preventing this,” he says.

It’s a dangerous world, and those who find themselves on the frontlines of danger must take special precautions to protect themselves as they serve others. It’s up to uniform manufacturers and retailers to stay abreast of the risks that their end-users and customers face and the ways in which their products can protect them. While uniformed professionals dodge bullets, bacteria and blazes, it’s the uniform industry that can help strengthen their defenses.

The folks who are helping them either find the right car or keep it running optimally are a big part of the picture too. The physical appearance of the sales and service personnel greeting them at the dealership door or out on the car lot can have an impact on the customer’s experience. Such first impressions might be just as important as whether that onboard GPS is optional equipment or standard. Made to Measure spoke with several auto dealerships to learn more about the uniforms they use to help make a good impression.

Each auto dealership does its uniforms differently, but there are some things that many of them do that are the same. “For example, in the shop you don’t want to put white clothes on a mechanic,” says Mike Penegar, service director at Scott Jaguar in Charlotte, N.C. “You need dress colors to reflect the job the employee is involved in. Also, you need to make sure they’re workable. Mechanics need things such as side and front pockets, whereas a sales advisor would need buttons at the collar if he or she needed to wear a tie. It all depends on the job as well as the clientele and the time of year.”

Penegar adds, “Another thing to remember is, with jackets and belts, you don’t want any with parts that will scratch the cars being worked on. Steel-toed shoes may be important in some situations too.”
Dealerships vary in how the uniforms are paid for. Usually the dealership takes care of it. Some pay for all of the items of the uniforms; others just for part of them. It all depends upon how much of a perk the dealership wants to offer as part of doing business.

Many dealerships have their own locker rooms, and employees simply change right at the location. At Scott Jaguar, clean uniforms are delivered each week. Uniform numbers coincide with locker numbers to help easily match the uniform with the employee. Uniforms have been handled pretty much the same way for some 30 years, the amount of time the dealership has been in business. “It’s been computerized since I first started, but it’s still the same system,” Penegar says.

At Scott Jaguar, the sales team typically wears golf shirts with the “Scott Jaguar” name on them, and the shop personnel wear Jaguar green (British racing green) shirts and black pants. They have the employee’s names on them as well as patches and insignia.

“With the uniform companies, you can go as far as you want to go,” says Penegar. “Some supply doormats with your logos on them; some supply toilet tissues, hand towels or even soap with your company’s logo on it.”
Many times, an auto dealership will match the uniform colors to the different car manufacturers’ logos. For example, at Newberg Ford in Newberg, Ore., fleet manager Dale Sykes and his colleagues on the sales floor wear long-sleeve shirts that have the company name on them as well as the official Ford logo. They sell new Ford cars and trucks and a large number of commercial vehicles as well as used cars.

Their uniforms are mostly cotton blends. The service department and the body shop have a work uniform that includes dark blue Dickies work pants and a light blue button-down shirt, matching the longtime blue Ford logo and name.

Aramark supplies the uniforms. Newberg Ford has a service that picks up the uniforms weekly for laundering. “Our uniform program has gone on for many years, long before my time,” says Sykes. “I think it’s pretty important to have a uniform look. It makes the customers feel more at ease and gives employees a sense of pride. Each shirt has the name sewn onto the front. Easy identification of associates at our company is critical. In the car business, it’s important for the customer to have that level of comfort.”

Josh Sweeting, general sales manager at Carolina Hyundai of Fort Mill, S.C., finds that decisions about uniforms at a dealership can change depending on the management. “As far as running the store it could be shirt and tie, it could be suits, it could be polo shirts or any other number of combinations. Management dictates what you will wear,” says Sweeting. “Right now our corporate policy is that we wear a shirt and tie. The people working in the back in the service areas wear shirt and pants designed for them that is the same at all the dealerships: a blue or gray shirt and pants. Offices tend to be predominantly female and the attire is generally business casual.”
At Fort Mill Ford, also in Fort Mill, all of the support staff and salesmen have polo shirts for the summer and long-sleeve button-down shirts for the winter months. They are provided by the dealership. Ford has two uniforms that are approved, according to Dennis Zander, parts and service director. “We’ve picked the one that we like.”

That Ford dealership is owned by Sonic Automotive Group, which owns 149 automobile dealerships across the United States. “They actually contract the uniform service because they want someone who could service all the uniforms for their dealerships across the country,” explains Zander. “UniFirst is here every week to pick up the dirty uniforms and drop off the clean ones. Each piece has the associate’s number on the garment and initials on them as well.”

The clothing they supply – work pants and work shirts – are comfortable. The pants are dark blue and the shirts are either blue, gray or red striped. Each associate has his or her own locker. UniFirst loads the lockers for the employees. Associates are issued 11 uniforms so that there are six in the locker and five for them to have so they have clean clothes at home for each workday. UniFirst picks up five uniforms per employee at a time and brings back five in a continuous rotation so associates always have a uniform available to them. Associates purchase their own shoes.

Car dealerships, automotive centers and car mechanic shops play a very big role in the uniform rental business, according to Bill Miller, UniFirst sales manager in Charlotte, N.C. The garments UniFirst supplies to Fort Mill Ford and other car dealerships include shirts, pants, jackets and coveralls. Garments are constructed of a 65/35 polyester/cotton blend. They’re washed industrially on a normal degreasing cycle. Washers contain water that is approximately 220 degrees, as opposed to the 90- to 110-degree water typically found in home washing machines.

The company celebrated its 75th year in 2011. “The biggest thing we do with car dealerships is carry all the specialty uniforms. We carry shirts just for Hyundai, Ford, GM, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda or any of the others. Everybody has their own direct-embroidered shirt with that company’s specific logo on it. We carry all of those,” says Miller. “UniFirst provides uniforms for one of the largest car dealerships across the U.S., the Sonic Automotive Group. We also supply to the largest Toyota dealership on the East Coast, Scott Clark Toyota. We’re the second-largest uniform provider in the world with over 200 locations in United States, Canada and Europe. We hit the $1 billion revenue mark in 2008 and haven’t looked back.”

UniFirst has two subsidiaries: UniClean for high-tech and food service companies, and UniTech for the nuclear power industry. The company also serves such clients as Midas Muffler, Costco, Staples, Comcast Cable and Wal-Mart, according to corporate spokesman Ken Tokarz from the corporate offices in Wilmington, Mass.

“There are a lot of small companies doing uniform rentals around the country – particularly with niche markets. And then there are two or three big players; UniFirst is among those,” says Tokarz. “The rental concept actually goes back to the 1930s and ’40s when our company was founded. Our founder, Aldo Croatti, actually came up with that concept sometime after founding his company in 1936 for a section of Boston, renting the coverall uniforms for factory workers. It expanded from there into all sorts of industries.”

Eventually Croatti’s son, Ron, took over the company. It is now a publically-traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. It’s targeting $2 billion in revenue by 2020. UniFirst primarily serves the people working on the cars, not the people selling them, according to Tokarz.

“Those employees include everybody working on your transmission or your engine that we are providing for,” says Tokarz. “The people out front are generally dressed in their own clothes, in their own suits, shirts and ties. We’re giving service people the industrial-strength pants and shirts that look snappy and dressy. If a mechanic takes pride in how he looks, he’s probably taking pride in how he fixes your car. It’s part of the psychology going on.”

While UniFirst doesn’t necessarily clothe the sales team, it still has a presence on the sales floor. Tokarz says, “If you look out on the display floor where the salespeople are walking, you may see our floor mats because we also supply those. Part of what we do is help project a positive image so it’s not only the way people are dressed. In conjunction with that, we also rent out the floor mats to help keep dirt out of the area where people are meeting salespeople and looking at new cars.”

Tokarz says that projecting a positive image with customers is part of their service to car dealerships. With this comes a quality connotation that helps car sales staff continue to attract customers and keep longtime customers coming back to their business.

“Picture yourself at a dealership where the mechanic comes out with an untucked, unbuttoned or dirty shirt versus someone appearing in a sharp-looking shirt and pants and a nice pair of work shoes,” adds Tokarz. “You’d have more confidence in having that person do the job the right way. It’s a point of differentiation and can make a difference on whether you sell a car or don’t make the sale. That’s what we do, partner with our customers to help them succeed in their business.”

The answer lies in truly and accurately understanding the requirements of the client and the business decision to profitably maintain the inventory. What influences the direction is the agreement reached between client and vendor based on negotiation.

How can a manager in these challenging economic times satisfy the stakeholders of the enterprise? Realize that politics is utilization of the power to affect changes and thus control assets and behaviors.

When we first hear of politics, we are destined to think of the current presidential race or the behavior of Congress. The motivations of these professional politicians are first and foremost to get elected and then re-elected. How they may use their power and influence to benefit their constituents seems secondary. I don’t see the system significantly changing until there is appropriate campaign finance reform, term limits and regulation of the lobbyists.

But until any of us run for public election, our focus should remain on the profitable operations of our organizations. We can understand political power is exercised through our daily negotiations. Successful negotiation is based upon the ability to separate the people from the problems, focus on interests rather than positions, invent options for mutual gain and utilize objective criteria.

The concept here espoused is derived from the book Getting to Yes, by Fisher and Ury of the Harvard Negotiation Project. While the book was first published 30 years ago, the principles remain unchanged. The concept of the “win-win” outcome is the essence of this work. So how is it done? How does one use politics, which is the power to affect change, to accomplish goals within or outside an organization? The solution is not difficult and can be ultimately more satisfying on a number of levels.

To be an effective negotiator, it is acceptable to be soft on the people but hard on problems. Think first about the person with whom you are negotiating instead of primarily focusing on the bottom line, and work on creating options for mutual gain. Invest the time to build the relationship so that you clearly understand what is important to the other side. Test your assumptions by asking “why?” or “why not?” Be aware that emotions and pressures will be evident. Put yourself in their position for a moment and listen to what they are saying from their perspective. Steven Covey advises that we seek to first understand before we can be understood.

Confidence and patience are key traits to a successful outcome. Resist the temptation to reach a quick solution until you have gained as fully an appreciation for the other’s viewpoint as possible. Quite often you may create a solution that can satisfy the other side without giving up much value. But you need to listen and understand before jumping to a conclusion. Remember that the viewpoint of the opposition is rooted in what they know. But there are also things they don’t know that can skew their impression and demands.

Herein lays a vast opportunity to create the win-win solution and a successful negotiation. Steve Jobs noted that creativity is based on the concept of connecting the dots going forward. Anyone can clearly identify the ship’s wake as you look backward. Jobs created in his mind the outcome that he desired: a MacBook Pro, an iPod, an iPad, etc. His interests reflected his values, and he wanted products that were compact, beautiful, intuitive and fun. He didn’t necessarily know at the point of creating the idea as to how the product was going to be designed, engineered and marketed profitably. He is called a visionary because he explained his product vision and demanded it become reality based on the future progress of his team.

Something obviously was done correctly, as Apple became the second most valuable company in the world according to market capitalization. Jobs did not rely on the solutions of the past. The value has been further increased by allowing development of applications that are either free or very low cost and continue to bring greater value to the clients.

The hard work in a negotiation is to obtain the facts and clearly define the reality. Look for opportunities to increase value by sometimes acting inconsistently with the expectations and perceptions of opponents. By offering something of value, you will build trust and foster a situation where the other side will be more comfortable in giving concessions.

Recently in setting up a new production program, I offered to purchase a piece of automatic equipment for the factory. This move was not requested, but I knew that the capital infusion would reduce a burden on the factory and was something that was affordable for me. This unexpected offer enabled other concessions to be granted, as it demonstrated my support and commitment to a successful and long-term relationship.

When encountering emotional reactions, deal with the emotions before moving forward. Could the opponent be under pressure of losing his or her job or underperforming and thus losing status, recognition or compensation? Re-focus on the interests of the parties and try to determine if another concession can be made that won’t negatively affect your opponent.

While this work may seem to be outside the realm of your responsibility, like it or not, chances of success are minimized if the issues are not addressed. Remember that usually the “presenting” problem is not the real problem. To discover the truth and determine an accurate diagnosis, you may need to dig some levels deeper. When you hit on the real issue, then you direct your power and ability to resolve the cause of the problem and not just put a bandage on the symptom. Patience can be a profitable virtue.

Richard Farson in Management of the Absurd points out that every management act is a political act because, in some manner, the action will reinforce or redistribute power. And power is the ability to affect change. What you want to change will be based upon your mission and strategy. How you change and which tactics are used will be a function of your personality, depth of understanding and the culture of your organization. To be most effective, endeavor to identify the interests of the other party. If they insist on a position as opposed to an interest, you must then ask why they are adopting that position.

When my daughter was eight years old, I arranged for her the honor of throwing out the first pitch at a Reading Phillies minor league game. My daughter took the position that she refused to do this. When I asked why, she said that she didn’t want the batter hitting the ball back to her. Her position was based on the assumption that she was facing a live batter. I couldn’t blame her and then described how her perspective was inaccurate. She relinquished her position and later threw the ball to the friendly catcher.

Sales or negotiations are typically about creating solutions to needs. Children are often more candid about their fears than adults, so you have to work harder to ascertain the reasons for positions. Understanding the motivation of others and recognizing their interests will help in building trust. With trust there is very little that cannot be accomplished.

One way to build better relationships and credibility is to spend time with others in a non-pressure environment. Two great opportunities are available in 2012. The NAUMD convention and exposition will take place at the Rio in Las Vegas from March 9 to 12. Go to www.naumd.com/events for registration and more information. The American Apparel Producers Network annual meeting will occur from May 6 to 8 at the Eden Roc Renaissance in Miami Beach. Go to www.aapnetwork.net and click on “2012 annual meeting- Creating our future and financing your growth.”

I will be attending both meetings to reconnect with people throughout our supply chain. There’s a lot of down time for networking that will enhance better relationships and profitable business opportunities.

The UNIVATOR Awards recognize innovation within the uniform industry and serve as a reminder that, even in times of economic upheaval, companies both large and small can still improve.

This current round acknowledges eight winners – some household names and some newcomers – who bucked tradition and questioned convention to develop unique uniform programs, inventive product ideas and eco-friendly innovations. The 2012 UNIVATOR Awards provide a snapshot of what’s new in the industry, from tiny fiber structures that vastly improve a police officer’s comfort to a multi-billion-dollar restaurant chain’s complete uniform program overhaul. These forward-thinking companies have earned UNIVATOR Awards for themselves, and they’ve also helped revitalize the industry with their creativity.

Winner: HPI Direct
Award: Uniform Program Innovation for Hard Rock Cafe

For some restaurants, a redesigned uniform program might include some crisp new shirts, custom silk ties or colorful aprons. Yet for Hard Rock Cafe, an international chain of restaurants boasting 150 locations in 53 countries, new aprons alone weren’t going to cut it. The Hard Rock Cafe was looking to completely revamp its uniform program, and HPI Direct delivered designs that hit a high note with the chain.

The Hard Rock Cafe recently embarked on an overall rebranding effort, in large part to differentiate the restaurant from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino chain, and the restaurant executives decided that a new uniform program would be a key component of this effort. The Hard Rock Cafe wanted to create a subtly stylish look without the use of heavy logos. Sarah Phelps, project manager at HPI Direct, explains, “The Hard Rock Cafe has their logo retail shirts that they sell, but they wanted something different for the uniforms. That was their direction. Their new theme is ‘elevate,’ and they wanted the new uniform to be more about the style details and less about the logo.”

HPI was not yet Hard Rock’s uniform provider, but it sketched and presented some preliminary designs with the goal of taking over the program. Initially, says Phelps, “it was all about the look. They wanted something very rock-and-roll, very dark. They wanted black and charcoal. The look was more focused on the design details.” The sketches show a zip-front dress accented with contrasting black topstitching to outline details, up-close shots of antique nickel rivet buttons, and sparks of fiery red, jolting each piece to life.

HPI Direct conducted a design presentation for Hard Rock, showing the sketches on boards and passing around sample fabrics. The presentation was well received. “They really liked the stretch chambray that we picked out. The challenge with the fabrics was that we showed really nice, textured, retail-quality fabrics, and then we had to figure out how to achieve that look but make it uniform quality. We worked with the mill to create a cotton/poly/spandex blend that would be more durable,” says Phelps.

HPI also collaborated with Hard Rock to create a unique graphic for the restaurant chain. Phelps says, “There’s a tattoo graphic that the hotels use, and they wanted something different for the restaurant. We developed a Celtic heart design. It’s more of a tribal look instead of a tattoo look to differentiate the Hard Rock Cafe from the hotels.”

Once the Hard Rock Cafe approved sample garments, HPI began to design a wear-testing program, which was implemented in mid-January. Employees in the Los Angeles, Orlando, Berlin, and Brussels Hard Rock locations will wear the sample uniforms and provide their feedback to HPI. A wear-testing guide provides instructions for the test and encourages employees to “Have fun mixing it up” and to show their “personal style and not be restricted to the same outfit every day.”

Why we like it …

To cater to the Hard Rock Cafe’s unique style and attitude, HPI Direct put together a look first and worked out the details later. HPI combined stock and custom pieces and incorporated a Celtic heart graphic that gives the Hard Rock Cafe a sense of individuality while still respecting the restaurant’s desire to keep its uniforms light on the logos. The result is a uniform program that is fashion-forward, completely functional and exactly what the client ordered.

Winner: FOURMY (a division of Cintas)
Award: Uniform Program Innovation for McDonald’s Canada

In 2011, a popular Canadian restaurant chain launched a $1 billion renovation of its 1,400 Canadian locations. All locations will be completely transformed by the end of 2012, and the restaurants that are already finished tout chic, modern interiors replete with elegant fireplaces, sleek, flat-screen televisions, gourmet espresso bars and rich, indulgent cuisine. Along with the renovations, the chain is implementing a brand-new uniform program for is 80,000 employees. Managers and crew members alike will don stylish black uniforms made from recycled fabrics and can express their personal style using wedges of bold colors. Reflective piping will mimic the restaurant’s glistening stainless steel, and bright golden arches will remind customers that they are, indeed, at McDonald’s.

The new uniform program was designed by Canadian division of Cintas Corp., Sally Fourmy & Associates. McDonald’s Canada has been a client of Sally Fourmy & Associates since 1978, turning to the luxury brand often to meet the demands of its uniform program, which, according to Fourmy Design Manager Kass Graham, is “constantly evolving.” Yet the current transformation is particularly significant, as it coincides with the Destination 2012 renovation program, far and away the largest renovation in the 44-year history of McDonald’s Canada.

The new crew collection consists of a trendy black color palette and slim silhouettes. One of the collection’s key pieces is the wedge polo, an upscale adaptation of the traditional polo featuring narrow wedges of color that can be added, changed or removed. This allows employees to change their colors based on position, preference or restaurant theme. Graham explains, “Restaurants can choose how they would like to handle employees’ color schemes, making each restaurant unique.”

McDonald’s Canada is also using the new uniform program as a way to further its green initiative. Fabrics are made from eco-friendly fabrics, such as recycled polyester and sustainable bamboo. When uniforms reach the end of their wearable lives, they can be returned to Cintas for downcycling, a process in which the uniforms are broken down into fibers to be transformed into other usable fabrics, keeping textiles out of the landfills.

Why we like it …

When McDonald’s Canada began its $1 billion makeover, it recognized the importance of an updated uniform program. Its trusted partner, Sally Fourmy & Associates, delivered a program that helps the chain present a sophisticated look, aligns with the company’s green initiative and helps give employees a sense of freedom and personal style.

Winner: Clipper Corp.
Award: Uniform Program Innovation for Mimi’s Café

The saying goes that too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. In the case of Mimi’s Café, too many suppliers were spoiling the style of this cute French restaurant. To give it that certain je ne sais quoi, Mimi’s Café turned to Clipper Corp., which transformed its disorganized program into a cohesive one that truly meets its needs.

Mimi’s Café is a fast-casual national restaurant chain with a French twist. The exterior is reminiscent of a quaint French country home, and the interior is inviting, featuring stained wood and exposed brick. From breakfast through dinner, guests enjoy the rich, rustic flavors of France as well as healthy, family-friendly fare and warm service. The French theme carries throughout the restaurant but, up until recently, stopped short at the restaurant’s uniform program. Mimi’s Café was using a variety of suppliers, each contributing to a small part of the overall uniform picture. Not only was the uniform look lacking cohesion, the program was difficult for the chain to manage.

Mimi’s had embarked on an all-encompassing rebranding effort and, in the process, found that off-the-shelf apparel and accessories didn’t quite meet its needs. Mimi’s turned to Clipper Corp., whom it already relied upon for smallwares needs, to develop a customized solution. Briana Earl, account executive at Clipper Corp., explains, “Mimi’s was kind of a unique situation for us in that they didn’t have a real uniform spin.”

Clipper created custom pieces for the chain, including a classic black bistro apron with a wide, chic waistband as well as a tie printed with custom artwork. Clipper included crisp button-downs and flattering blouses for management, available in ten colors. The choice of colors, explains Earl, “allows the managers to have an individual style.” Back-of-the-house employees were outfitted in sophisticated cook shirts, customized chef coats and cheeky houndstooth chef pants.

Clipper Corp. also implemented an online ordering system that enables stores to log in and purchase uniforms. This system allows Mimi’s Café to effectively and efficiently manage its uniform program.

Why we like it …

Clipper Corp. was able to put together a uniform program using a combination of off-the-shelf, classic pieces and custom pieces to create an effortlessly stylish look with positively French flair. The online ordering system makes for a “hands-off uniform program that sort of runs itself,” says Earl. C’est si bon!

Winner: Clipper Corp.
Award: Uniform Program Innovation for Chinese Gourmet Express

The typical mall food court is a tough place to set up shop, and it’s not for the faint of heart. Restaurants fight for business side by side, and as ovens and cooktops heat up for the day, so does the competition. Some restaurant owners lure in customers with free samples or the wafting scent of freshly baked cinnamon buns, but for food court favorite Chinese Gourmet Express, a revamped uniform program was the key to success.

“We don’t want to look like everyone else in the food court,” says Sam Sim, owner of Chinese Gourmet Express. This nationwide chain of quick-service Chinese food restaurants is dedicated to making great, fresh food at an affordable price. Sim and his wife, Monica, use authentic Chinese recipes inspired by provinces throughout China, and patrons appreciate the authenticity of the food – a rarity in the mall food court.

While the vibrant, delicious food at Chinese Gourmet Express certainly stood out in a sea of food court fare, the employees’ uniforms were falling flat. Their standard-issue, off-the-shelf polos wrinkled easily, faded and looked unflattering, especially on female employees. Clipper Corp. came to the rescue, revitalizing the uniform look with high-tech performance polos, which, as Earl of Clipper Corp. puts it, “last twice as long and look ten times better!” Unisex sizes were replaced by flattering, gender-specific cuts. Managers were assigned unique colors, helping contribute to this quick-service restaurant’s efficiency and professional appearance. Clipper Corp. also included a hat in the program to give employees an extra splash of style.

Why we like it …

Clipper Corp. made a few key changes to the uniform for Chinese Gourmet Express, but these small changes had a significant impact on the company’s overall image. Clipper Corp. helped a small, family-owned chain compete with huge fast-food companies, a feat that’s certainly worthy of recognition.

Winner: Medelita
Award: Product Innovation for Dental Lab Coat

For many people, trips to the dentist are unpleasant enough. Between the scraping, drilling, poking and prodding, dental appointments can start to feel like a violation of personal space. Now imagine, on top of it, the sleeve of the dentist’s lab coat ending up in the patient’s mouth each time he reaches in for a pass of the scraper or that said sleeve is covered in stains. Clearly dentists have a need for a special type of lab coat, but up until recently, nothing of the sort existed. Medelita sought to change that with its dental lab coats, the Elsie G. for women and the Fauchard for men.

Medelita is well known for its hand-sewn medical lab coats, which are fully loaded with premium features and receive rave reviews for their luxurious feel and performance. Yet when Medelita attended a recent annual meeting of the California Dental Association in San Francisco, the rave reviews were mixed with pleas for something different. Joe Francisco, CEO of Medelita, explains, “The dentists were just loving our coats. But they said, ‘You know what? Nobody in this entire industry makes anything that we need. All the lab coats have these open cuffs, they don’t button to the neck, and they don’t give me full closure.’”

Medelita got right to work creating the Elsie G. and the Fauchard, named after Elsie Gerlach, a pioneer in the field of pediatric dentistry, and Pierre Fauchard, who is often referred to as the father of modern dentistry. The most notable feature of these coats is the knit cuffs, which keep sleeves out of patients’ mouths. They are made from 100 percent cotton treated with DuPont Advanced Dual Action Teflon, which repels the stains and fluids that are part and parcel of dental work. The ergonomic design, says Francisco, “allows you to lean forward and perform procedures on a patient’s mouth without it pulling.”

Why we like it …

Medelita combined the best-loved features of its medical lab coats with the features most requested by dental professionals. The result is a truly elegant lab coat that is sure to impress dentists on both an aesthetic and technical level.

Winner: Elbeco
Award: Product Innovation for V1 TexTrop External Vest Carrier

Police work is quite complex. Police officers are expected to be physically capable as well as quick-thinking and psychologically adept. They must appear authoritative to those who challenge the law, yet non-threatening to the innocent people whom they protect. Those who outfit police officers take these unique challenges into account when designing uniform apparel, balancing performance with professional appearance. So when ballistic vests threatened to compromise this delicate balance, Elbeco created the V1 TexTrop External Vest Carrier.

Ballistic vests are, without a doubt, a necessity for law enforcement officers. Yet for some departments, the look of a ballistic vest worn over a uniform shirt can be overly tactical and somewhat threatening to members of the community. In addition, wearing a ballistic vest under a uniform shirt can feel hot and uncomfortable. Elbeco presented a completely unique spin on the vest carrier with the V1. Whereas other carriers offer a tactical, SWAT team-type look, the V1 is designed to blend in seamlessly with an officer’s uniform shirt and is available in most standard uniform shirt colors.

When designing the V1, Elbeco consulted extensively with law enforcement officers and chiefs of police, soliciting their input and feedback throughout the process. J.D. Devine, director of sales and business development for Elbeco, explains the concerns that officers expressed: “First and foremost, everyone involved wanted to be certain that officer safety was not compromised in any way. The officers wanted assurance from their protective vest manufacturers that our product would not invalidate any warranty claims.” Elbeco was able to deliver this assurance; all major vest manufacturers provided confirmation that the V1 does not invalidate warranty claims. It maintains the integrity of the strength of the vest while adding more comfortable, unobtrusive design.

Why we like it …

When it comes to police uniforms, officer safety should always come first. Elbeco’s V1 TexTrop External Vest Carrier allows all officers to wear a ballistic vest comfortably and discreetly, helping keep them safe without creating an overly tactical look. When officers are able to maintain their professional appearance without compromising their safety, they’re more likely to wear their protective gear and wear it properly.

Winner: Perfection Uniforms
Award: Eco-friendly Product for Bionic Garment Construction

Just how technologically advanced can one police uniform be? Perfection Uniforms is on a mission to find out. The perpetual UNIVATOR award winner and truly perfection-driven uniform manufacturer is raising the bar and lowering temperatures with its new Bionic Garment Construction technology.

The new technology improves upon Perfection’s first generation of construction technology, Ergonomic Garment Construction. This technology swapped seams for hidden gussets in the high-stress underarm and crotch areas, allowing for maximum freedom of movement and eliminating the pulling, tearing and stress that can occur along seams and cause the untimely demise of a garment. Bionic Garment Construction takes these gussets and raises them an added element of comfort in the form of ThermoCool, a natural thermo-regulation fiber technology.

ThermoCool uses a combination of hollow-core fibers and fibers featuring a multi-channel surface. The multi-channel surface allows moisture to evaporate. Hollow fibers allow air to circulate and provide greater energy for the evaporation process. The hollow areas also exhibit thermo-buffering properties, protecting the skin from sudden temperature changes and helping to maintain consistent comfort. Because ThermoCool’s advantage is its unique fiber structure, it does not rely on chemical treatments, and its thermo-regulating properties will last throughout the life of the garment.

Perfection Uniforms wanted to incorporate ThermoCool technology into its StratusSeries line of high-performance poly/rayon blend uniforms but didn’t want to pass along a higher cost to distributors and end users. Miranda Brock, marketing manager at Perfection, explains, “We could have made the entire garment with ThermoCool, but based on research and from a price standpoint, it makes sense for it to be in the gussets, which correspond to areas of the body that would most benefit from temperature regulation.”

Why we like it …

Perfection Uniforms saw a way to improve upon its already impressive Ergonomic Garment Construction with the new Bionic Garment Construction and incorporated the ThermoCool technology into the areas that need it most. The result is a high-performing yet affordable line of uniforms and a sixth consecutive UNIVATOR award for Perfection Uniforms.

Winner: Century Place
Award: Eco-friendly Product for Century Place Eco-friendly Collection

Mike Carter was working as president of Century Place – a large, vertically integrated manufacturer and distributor that produces enough fabric each week to make 700,000 shirts – but that didn’t make him impervious to the unsolicited business advice of his 12-year-old son. “In the school systems now, the kids are really being taught about being conservative and eco-friendly and about the environment,” explains Carter. “He was 12 and he asked me, ‘What are you doing for the environment in terms of your product?’ I started thinking about that.”

Carter became inspired to create an eco-friendly line of T-shirts and polos for Century Place, but at the time, in 2008, the readily available options weren’t as green as he would have liked. “There were organic options or sustainable products like bamboo, but it requires a lot of energy to produce these things and a lot of resources. I felt that it wasn’t truly green,” he says. He chose to use polyester made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled PET containers, like the plastic bottles and food containers that pervade everyday life. Each shirt keeps the equivalent of about 32 water bottles out of landfills.

Because there wasn’t yet an established supply chain for what he wanted to produce, he created his own. He assessed the products and services of various suppliers until he achieved a 100 percent recycled shirt with a cotton-type soft hand and durable quality. He chose not to raise prices and says that the response from customers has been “slow but steady.” Customers hadn’t asked for an eco-friendly product, but the quality, feel and price point are helping them cozy up to the idea. “If the business owner doesn’t offer [eco-friendly products], the consumer won’t ask for it. The business owners have to take the initiative and make the decision to move forward and offer it. It has to start with the suppliers,” says Carter.

Since introducing the eco-friendly line in January 2010, Century Place has seen significant growth, and although Carter anticipates further growth in 2012, it’s his passion for the environment that now truly motivates him. He says, “This is more than just another line for me. I really believe in this. It’s the first time I’ve been able to offer something that truly helps our environment. The more we do, the more we can make a difference.”

Why we like it …

With so many companies using eco-friendly claims as mere selling points, it’s refreshing to see a company with a true dedication to the environment. Century Place’s story also serves as inspiration to other companies looking to clean up their act.

NAUMD Awards: Image of the Year & Public Safety Uniform of the Year

In May the North-American Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors (NAUMD) announced the winners of its two perennial awards programs: the image apparel industry’s Image of the Year Awards, and the Public Safety Uniform of the Year, a program honoring North America’s finest public safety and law enforcement departments.

Thirteen apparel programs were deemed Image worthy, while just seven departments walked away with a public safety award. Each program calls attention to the important role that uniforms and apparel play in the work environment.

You can learn more about entering your customers in these competitions by visiting www.naumd.com. A brief look at the 2011 winning programs appears on the following pages.

 

Public Safety Uniform of the Year Winners

The NAUMD this year also honored seven departments with a Public Safety Uniform of the Year Award. Conducted annually, this program acknowledges the importance of professional, neat, well-fitted and identifiable uniforms in police, fire and other first-responder public safety departments. Winners were named at an awards banquet, one of many events occurring during the association’s annual convention held earlier this year. Here’s a quick look at the winning programs.