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More than three decades ago in Los Angeles, Scott Brownberger and his wife, Lindy, began making promotional merchandise for the entertainment industry. It was a small, family-operated business they dubbed Pro Pacific. Dedicated to quality and most of all client satisfaction, the simple business quickly became a high-in-demand company.
Since Pro Pacific began as a family business, the Brownbergers wanted to ensure each and every client felt that same trust, comfort, and reliability that comes with familial relationships in every interaction with the company, from the brainstorming to the delivery date. Soon, they were not only receiving steady business and new referrals thanks to the superior product being turned out, but Pro Pacific was also gaining new clients based solely upon their early commitment to go beyond mere client “satisfaction.” During this time, the merchandising company had the opportunity to work with various major studios, which included Disney and Paramount Studios.
However, it was five years after its start when Pro Pacific was approached by a new type of client: Procter and Gamble. The legendary multinational product manufacturing company said it was looking to create a uniform for a new brand it was developing called Swiffer and believed Pro Pacific might be a good fit for the task. Despite it being their first significant assignment outside of the film and television realms, Scott and Lindy knew almost immediately they had found their company’s new niche.
“Starting from scratch, we developed, manufactured and delivered on Procter and Gamble’s uniform request,” says Scott Brownberger, founder and CEO of Pro Pacific. “Ever since then, we have been providing various companies and corporations with what we determine to be the best quality uniforms and service in the marketplace.”
Today, Pro Pacific’s uniform programs are found across many different industries and levels but specifically specialize in the quick service restaurant industry. Their capabilities have included basic career apparel, such as button-down shirts and ties, hospitality wear in the form of chef coats, various workwear items such as vests, lab and tech coats, as well as medical scrubs, safety vests and jackets. Logoed items range from baseball caps to Hawaiian shirts to visors and tote bags. Pro Pacific also supplies several outwear accessories, which have included beanies, scarves and even rain coats. In addition, the company is also equipped to handle orders for name badges.
“The multifaceted team and full-service facility allow Pro Pacific to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients at every point of production,” says Brownberger. “Because of our comprehensive in-house capabilities, we are able to maintain control over the entire uniform program and process, be it dealing with costs, design or marketing goals.” This oversight and flexibility has made it easy to accommodate the needs and demands of some of the major corporations Pro Pacific has worked with, such as Coca-Cola, Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits, Round Table Pizza and Subway, as well as smaller establishments, who are often limited by a strict budget.
Over the past 20 years, Pro Pacific has grown to serve more than 35,000 restaurants worldwide, with locations in Shanghai, California and Nevada, all while maintaining strict 24/7 customer service access. “If ever there is a special need or sense of urgency required, we resolve to make it happen in the most effective way possible. Family is the priority here, and we consider each client a welcomed extension of our own,” says Brownberger.
This year, Pro Pacific was thrilled to see its core mission to provide superior customer service not go unnoticed. The popular restaurant chain Subway, which has been a loyal client of theirs for the past several years, presented Pro Pacific with its Excellence in Customer Service Award in 2013. Subway is known for working with an extensive list of supply vendors, so it was with much humility and pride that Pro Pacific received the honor, which is bestowed only once each year. The award honored Pro Pacific for “being proactive, creative and responsive to meeting the needs of the Subway system.” The operation specialist for Subway, Tim Miller, said, “It has been my pleasure to work with Pro Pacific for the past seven years. They have proven themselves over time to be a true and valued business partner. Commitment to excellence is inherent at all levels, from quality control to on-time delivery and overall production.”
Subway first called on Pro Pacific to make its basic jersey polos, woven shirts, aprons, visors and hats. In recent years, the brand expressed its desire to develop a new shirt that would be more durable and comfortable for its employees. It was Pro Pacific’s job to not only ensure these new shirts met Subway’s expectations but to also make certain the new uniforms would pass all necessary tests for pilling, soil release, dimensional stability, color fastness and other demands.
The new uniform program for Subway involved black woven button-down shirts available in both long and short sleeve made from a cotton/poly/spandex blend designed specifically for management positions. In addition, Pro Pacific was also responsible for the chain’s updated crew wear as well, which consisted of a new proprietary material made from a cotton/poly blend to ensure a steadfast, easy-to-clean design. These crew shirts are available to staff in short-sleeved polo shirts with a contrasting color on the front yolk, as well as in knit crew neck shirts with a contrasting collar. Each design is available in three colors: black, hunter green and autumn. Pro Pacific also rolled out new accessories for Subway, which included hats, visors, bib aprons, waist aprons, sweatshirts, fleece jackets and name badges. Knowing the restaurant chain’s global presence, Pro Pacific was careful to adhere to the requirements specific to each Subway location across the globe. Currently, their uniforms are worn by Subway employees around the world, from the United States to Canada to Europe and Asia too.
“It has been my understanding that Pro Pacific clients, like Subway, feel well looked after knowing they are backed by 35 years of combined warehouse distribution success. We are able to handle virtually any size uniform program, so Subway’s worldwide needs were not an issue for us,” explains Brownberger.
For Subway, joining the Pro Pacific roster meant benefiting from an extensive design and development program, which includes brand exploration, concept refinement, design approval, an in-depth needs assessment, extensive design solutions in the form of storyboards, samples, and renderings, and creative flexibility all backed by a completely informed full-time staff. By maintaining these strict guidelines for detail and handling all levels on-site, Pro Pacific is able to have all hands on deck at all times.
In addition to being well received by the Subway corporation itself, Pro Pacific has also received positive feedback and comments from the general public as well as other companies in the field. Lindy says, “At conventions and meetings, we have been met with a myriad of positive feedback and compliments on the quality and design of our Subway uniforms, as well as our attention to customer service.”
As far as uniform program updates are concerned, Pro Pacific believes in reassessing each client’s design every five to seven years to maintain relevancy in terms of fashion, company objectives and messaging, as well as fabric options, as was the case with Subway. Scott says, “The new material used to develop Subway’s crew wear consisted of a specially created blend that was both cutting edge and practical to the company’s current needs. However, in another five years, we may be hard at work with yet another new design for the client.”
In addition to Pro Pacific’s basic uniform design abilities, the company also is able to handle manufacturing services, distribution and inventory management for its clients. The comprehensive in-house capabilities, which include the ability to dye, knit, sew and finish products, ensure an independence from outside sources. This flexibility lends to its same-day production capabilities, which may come in handy for rapidly growing multi-million dollar chains such as Subway.
“It is our hope that, in the coming years, our reputation will continue to be regarded with respect among our many loyal clients. While future growth for Pro Pacific is certainly welcomed, we are always most concerned with catering to the businesses on our current roster. After all, family is always our biggest priority,” says Brownberger.
Day to day, Pro Pacific has shown the ability to maintain reliability through its comprehensive control throughout the entire uniform program process, and with quick serve restaurant industry heavyweights like Subway on the team, it shows no sign of unraveling anytime soon.
