The Mahomet-Seymour PTO has teamed with local Kollege Town representative Joe Essex to provide Bulldog Spirit Wear. A wide-variety of Bulldog t-shirts, sweatshirts, polos, fleece and blankets will be available to order through Nov. 20.
The Nov. 20 deadline guarantees delivery by Christmas. All apparel sales help raise money for the M-S PTO to put towards school improvement.
Essex became an independent Kollege Town representative this summer after seeing an ad on Craigslist. After dabbling in the apparel market through his business, Image Mark, Essex decided the online marketplace would give his customers the personalized, quality, name brand products they were looking for with a quick turnaround time.
Kollege Town also offers indoor and outdoor personalized clings.
With over 20 years in the sign industry, the Indianapolis native began Image Mark in 2006. Image Mark provides sign, printing and web design services.
He brought the business, along with his family to Mahomet in 2011 when his wife, Cindy, took a job at Sylvan Learning Center. The Mahomet community quickly asked for apparel through Image Mark.
“Something I really strive for is localized service,” Essex said. “We want to stay small; we want to stay localized. To do that, we’ve had to redefine our business model, and had to do some outsourcing.”
Outsourcing the apparel orders also allowed Essex to spend more time with his children.
Kollege Town offers Adidas and Under Armour garments printed through sublimation and screen printing, which is done in house. This helps cut back on the costs associated with producing the product.
While Essex was drawn to the quality of the Kollege Town products, he also enjoyed the user friendly ordering process. Whether clients order as individuals, a team, a church or business, online ordering gives each client the opportunity to customize the apparel.
“The apparel need is so high in Mahomet,” Essex said. “I’ve found our customers tell us they want a quality product that’s affordable with phenomenal service. All I saw was connection. This opportunity totally served where we were at. It provides us with a single source outlet, and all the support on the backend.”
With many local youth teams not only looking for apparel, but also fundraising options, Essex felt Kollege Town filled a niche in the Mahomet area. When a team sets up a sell-to-earn store, they can earn their own gear through encouraging family or community members to buy apparel to support their favorite team.
“We pride ourselves on being flexible, being accommodating and servicing their needs,” Essex said.
And that’s exactly what Essex’s services provided the M-S PTO. When community members order Bulldog Spirit Wear through the Kollege Town store, money goes back to the M-S PTO. The M-S PTO then puts the money back into Middletown, Sangamon and Lincoln Trail Elementary throughout the year.
