Sustaining the Spin-off: Vinson Uniforms

By Susan Derby

The Vinson family thrives on both sides of security business.

Some people might think Jimmy Vinson had it easy when he opened Vinson Uniforms in 1985. After all, he had a well-established company name and a large account in place even before he opened the doors of the store. His fathers company, Vinson Guard Service, had a collection of public safety and security officers that needed uniforms. That company had been growing quickly since it opened in 1963. It was already handling uniforming in house, and Jimmy was a big part of that department from the time he started working with his father.

My older brother, J.D., is the current president of Vinson Guard Service. We grew up in that business and started working with the company when we were about 14 or 15, Vinson says. I worked mostly in uniforming the guards, so I already knew a little about it. When the time came, we all talked about it, and my dad and I just started shooting the breeze and decided to just do it. I went in head first with it and just kept going.

Even with the leg up that Vinson Uniforms had over many other startups, the decision to turn a part of the guard service into its own company was still a gamble. Jimmy needed staff, machinery, more knowledge, and retail and warehouse space. He also needed one other key ingredient: customers, plural.

We started out in a small building, probably about 1,200 square feet, Vinson says. I had some help getting started from the Fechheimer Brothers Company and went to work in one of their stores to learn procedures and learn where to get the machines and buy the stuff I needed.

Vinsons knowledge and experience grew quickly. As the guard service grew to more than 2,000 employees in 20 branch offices, Vinson Uniforms grew as well. It soon was moving to a larger location, a 4,000-square-foot building near where the Vinson family was centered. More space meant more inventory. More inventory meant faster delivery on orders. Faster delivery meant happier customers. It was a lesson that was easy to learn but harder to perfect as more accounts were added.

Vinson says, I started knocking on doors of the police and fire departments in the area, and it started taking off from there. I went everywhere within a 200-mile radius or so. From one account Vinson Guard Service, which is still the largest account that we have we now have 200 to 300 accounts from Louisiana, southern Mississippi, Alabama and all over the Southeastern United States.

Many of the accounts are on the smaller side of the spectrum. Its a great position to be in because, as Vinson says, small departments want to look just as sharp as the big departments and buy just as much as the big ones do, sometimes more. He also likes catering to smaller accounts because the inevitable loss of an account does not have devastating results to the company, which is usually the case when depending on only a handful of large accounts. Departments may switch providers every few years, but that loss isnt such a big hit on the bottom line when it represents a small portion of the income.

The growth in accounts brought demand for a higher number of products and needs. Beyond the guard service, Vinson Uniforms outfits police and fire departments, restaurant staff, industrial workers, business professionals and others. Shelves are stocked with uniform shirts and pants, dress coats, boots, socks, belts, hats, nametags, ID wallets, under armor, polo shirts, raincoats and even motorcycle pants. That last item is proving to be a big draw, according to Vinson. Hell go on location to take measurements and allow for a high level of customization for motorcycle pants that other uniform outlets wont offer due to the difficulty in accurate measuring and construction of the garments.

Our walk-in business is about 10% of our income. Were in a rural area about 45 miles north of New Orleans in the fastest-growing parish of Louisiana. Back when we started, we did not know that this area would be so fast growing, but the property was a lot cheaper. We didnt expect to have much of a retail business, but its grown from 5% to 10%. I see the retail part of it growing steadily because the population is getting bigger and a lot of the departments around here are increasing in size, says Vinson. These officers come in and its like a kid in a candy store. They want all the cool gadgets and extras.

The person who helps Vinson manage all those gadgets and extras is Becky Cureau. She has been working with the company for three years, originally filling a clerical position and working up to managing customer support, ordering, public relations and supervising when Vinson isnt available or is off site.

When our customers come in the store, we want to have what theyre looking for right there on the counter, she says. We put a size line out in the store itself so customers that come in have something to try on. But we keep most of the stock in the warehouse. That frees up a lot of retail space so we can carry more for the customer. That way theres more for them to see but we still have it in stock on location for when they want to buy it.

Keeping a neat store is important to Vinson. He feels it makes a better impression to have everything neat and streamlined when police and fire chiefs visit the store. It leads to faster order fulfillment and easier inventory control. It also opens room for Vinson Uniforms other services like custom emblem design and creation, embroidery, tailoring and heat transfer.

To help assure each account gets the exact uniform they need every time, the seamstresses Lucille, Mary and Betty have a computer program, physical cards and photographs from which to work. The computer logs everything in stock as well as each accounts basic uniform requirements. Each card lists the exact items for a complete uniform as well as placement guidelines. Seamstresses include a swatch of materials attached to the card so no mistakes are made when adding striping or epaulets. Photos are taken of detailed uniforms and filed in a binder.

Judy prepares and ships the mail orders that make up about 80% of the business. She also handles all receiving and inventory. Receivables are processed by Vinsons wife, Kim, making this a true family business.

Whether orders come in through Andrew or Alan working the retail store, or through Traci who handles all phone ordering and billing, orders arent considered complete until Cureau sends out a follow-up/thank you card making sure the customer received everything he or she needed. This is something Vinson admits he omitted when he was first getting started. He says follow up is important because customers will remember if something is wrong long after he may have forgotten. There were times when he may not have known there had been a mistake until a month or more later, and by then the damage had been done. According to Vinson, Cureaus position has more than paid for itself in customer retention alone.

We talk to people pretty regularly on the phone, and there are regulars who come in, Cureau says. And I believe getting to know the customer and greet them when they come in or call is very important. Being able to say Hey, Phil, hows it going? makes them feel like theyre not just coming into a store; Theyre talking with someone who knows them and knows what they want or what they can do for them.

The feeling of comfort is something Vinson included from the very start of Vinson Uniforms. It starts with his own employees. He refers to each of his nine employees using the Southern courtesy and respectful address of mister or miss. One seamstress has been working with him on and off for more than 15 years. The feeling of family on the staff translates to a comfortable feeling toward the customers.

Vinson says, Its hard getting through the door the first time and getting these people to know you. Youre not only selling your company, but youre selling yourself. That way they can gain confidence in you that you will do a great job. Once they learn to trust you, they wont go elsewhere. I am always honest with my customers. Im not a person to wine and dine a customer. I just dont believe in that. The competition might go in and low-ball the account and raise the prices later on, but I just give a fair price and the best service I possibly can.

That tactic is paying off. While business has been growing at 5% to 8% annually, Vinson Uniforms doesnt actively advertise. It is on the bid lists for police and fire departments in Louisiana and the surrounding states. It sponsors charity events including golf tournaments. One employee strictly performs outside sales, a task that Vinson himself does as well. All other advertising is solely word of mouth. Luckily, Vinson Uniforms doesnt need much more advertising than that.

Im going to knock on wood – theres not another uniform shop within a 45- to 50-mile radius, Vinson says. The only other competition that we have are small arms shops or magazines or catalog ordering. Another uniformer tried to move in to get the business of just one local department, but it closed down after just one year, and Vinson recovered the account.

There are no plans to open a second location because the company already is serving multiple states. A second retail store would only be more headaches and less control, Vinson says. There is more room on the current property to expand, if that should be needed. The last expansion doubled the working square footage and was completed two years ago.

The other big expansion was virtual. Vinson Uniforms has a simple Web site that serves the current needs well. While there is no catalog or online ordering, there are links to the vendor sites so customers can find the specific information about an item and contact Vinson Uniforms to order.

We have all of our contact information on the site so they can contact us with any questions. I get right back with them with any answers they need, Cureau says. We also use the site when a customer calls in and wants to see what a product looks like. Instead of sending out a catalog, I can refer them to the site and help them find the exact item they want right away.

There are plans to include a full online catalog and eventually online ordering capability. Vinson says its just a matter of getting the time to do it. Hes likely to tackle that challenge with the same dive in head first and just keep going tactic he used when he launched Vinson Uniforms. Its just another step in learning more about the ever-changing and expanding business of apparel.

It took a while to get the company started, and I never thought it would grow to where its at right now, he says. It took 20 years to get established, and Im still learning more every day.

Vinson Uniforms
26094 Highway 190
Lacombe, LA 70445
800-452-5172
[email protected]