PLATINUM SUPPORTER
Stahls’ was known as Commercial Art Products when it was founded in 1932 and one of its first products sold was chenille lettering sown on a felt background. The felt was cut by hand and A.C. Stahl, who founded the company with his wife Ethel, eventually developed the process of cutting material by using a die and punch press. Stahls’ is well-known and respected throughout the sportswear, custom apparel, and promotional products industries for high-quality and innovative equipment, materials, and services. The family values that helped Stahls’ succeed are still rooted deep in its culture and helped build the foundation to set up customers for success. Stahls’ success has also been recognized with the induction of Ted Stahl into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame.
Can you share with everyone a little about your company and commitment to the dealer/retailer network? Stahls’ began in 1932 in the family garage of the husband-and-wife team, A.C. and Ethel Stahl. The family business of lettering, screen printing, chenille and apparel decorating was sparked by a combination of A.C.’s entrepreneurial spirit and his prior work experience with felt material at a manufacturing facility. Today, Stahls’ remains the innovator and leader in pre-cut and custom athletic numbers, letters, logos, CAD-CUT heat transfer vinyl and is the world’s largest manufacturer of heat presses. We pride ourselves on customer service, education and continued product innovation to keep teams — from Little League to the pros — outfitted with high-quality custom jerseys on demand.
What are some of the new/innovative products everyone should know about? The latest in product innovation is our FlexStyle® emblem and patch product line. Dimensional logos and textured finishes are in demand for cutting-edge apparel decoration, especially with headwear. Thanks to this new lineup in custom logos, paired with our award-winning Hotronix® 360 IQ® Hat Heat Press – the profit potential is unlimited. You can select from a variety of options, including leather and 3-D embroidery. In addition, we have stepped up our pre-cut number game with perforated names and numbers. This new add-on feature to our classic heat transfer vinyl names and numbers is a unique way to make each team stand out.
How have you adapted in the past yearand-a-half from COVID? Digital marketing and social media have become important ways for us to stay connected with our customers by keeping them engaged, educated and introducing them to our brand. We have always interacted in that way but doubled our efforts in that arena over the past year and a half. When COVID started, we went live with virtual education programs, gained over 100,000 YouTube followers, and have passed the 1 million views mark for one of our most popular YouTube videos. We have a solid team that has embraced changes in our industry and business. We are grateful to them for their ability to pivot and grow with these changes.
What are you looking forward to about this year’s Management Conference? What do you find most valuable? Meeting in person first and foremost! We have all had similar life-changing experiences this past year and have experienced all your efforts from a front-row seat online. With the sports world bouncing back strong and fast, we are ready to meet your new needs and expectations. We are all facing the same challenges and speak the same language. We’re excited to continue to work together to enhance your custom apparel delivery systems.
STAHLS’ stahls.com
