Impressions - June/July 2014 - 51

Rowboat Creative is equipped to keep
up with high-volume demand. The company started with a Vastex six-color manual press, a home-built exposure unit and
an M&R Economax II dryer. An old shower
functioned as a washout booth. Since then,
embroidery production and printing departments have been expanded.
"Our main printing department now
operates M&R 10/12 Challenger, M&R
10/12 Gauntlet II Revolver and M&R
Sportsman EX [automatic screen printing
presses], a Vastex six-color manual [screen
printing press], two American Tempo 2230
[presses], two semi-automatic vacuum
table flatstock presses, a Brother GT-541
[direct-to-garment printer], an American
gas dryer, and a couple of smaller electric
M&R dryers that are quite mobile around
the production area," Guariglia says.

KeepIng up
Guariglia and Zangrilli keep their ears to
the ground when it comes to new processes
and technologies. They follow industry
message boards and constantly consult with
ink distributors and technicians in attempts
to push the boundaries and be innovative.
The company's clients range from Fortune 500 notables like Red Bull, Verizon,
Belvita and Wrangler, to smaller, independent clothing companies and private-label
designers. One thing is synonymous across
all Rowboat Creative client meetings: an
ability to think and imprint outside the box.

The company also has implemented a
flatstock department that has helped to
attract a different niche of clients. "Our
flatstock department is responsible for
handling various production runs such as
custom boxes, vinyl stickers, flat signage,
silk screened posters, etc.," Guariglia says.
"Since we have roots in the music industry,
we print silkscreened posters for a large
niche of musicians and artists, in addition
to our normal apparel production and advertising specialty items. Shortly after expanding this side of Rowboat, the city of
Chicago approached us to print all of the
parking signs you see in the city.
"At Rowboat Creative, we feel that
the integral parts of continued growth
and survival are adaptation, knowledge,
customer service and not being afraid to
stray from the pack," he adds. "Times have
changed, and so must all approaches. You
cannot go into the world uneducated and
expect to excel."
Customer service has and will continue
to win out, and it's what makes new customers become repeat clients, Guariglia
says. While a person may just be a customer
on the books to some shops and businesses,
Rowboat Creative reveres that client as the
most vital and crucial part of its team.

StayIng Relevant
While design capability, quality and service are the core elements to a successful
client-business relationship, the company

Rowboat Creative occupies
20,000 total square feet of space with a
production area that includes multiple
automatic and manual screen printing
presses, flatstock presses, a direct-togarment printer and more.

impressionsmag.com

also strives to expand product lines and imprinting methods.
"We have been an ASI supplier and decorator for quite some time now," Guariglia
says, "and that has helped us to expand our
repertoire. Whether it is our promotional
items, our screen printing, our embroidery
or our flatstock printing, our attention to
detail is always evident."
Rowboat Creative also has a presence
on most of the popular social media platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Yelp, LinkedIn, etc. - and the sites are
updated regularly. Guariglia says his roots
and experience with marketing allow
him to pull his team together to brainstorm about brand awareness and other
marketing methods, which help the business to grow.
Guariglia and Zangrilli refer to the
company's image as "simple and professional, yet intriguing." While a nice website can have a positive effect on business,
Guariglia believes it is only a bridge to
something larger. Delivering to clients and
meeting their expectations is key.
Rowboat Creative has an effective catalog that was compiled with a mission to
immediately show off the company's skills
and capabilities.
"People need to be able to get a sense
of everything that your company stands
for immediately," Guariglia says. "This is
especially the case with such oversaturation in the market these days, as well as
people's decreasing attention spans. You
look at our catalog or physically page
through the hard copies that we printed,
and clients can tell immediately about our
attention to detail, our precise finishing
techniques, our design sense and our professional demeanor."
Guariglia says continued intelligent expansion has brought success, along with a
hard-nosed business plan and set of ethics.
This combination is set to drive the company to the next level.
"Rowboat Creative has become a staple in the industry, regionally, in the last
five years," he says. "We have posted an annual growth rate of 120% each year since
opening our doors in 2006, and that was
only the beginning. A more aggressive
sales team and approach have been implemented since 2013, and we already have
surpassed our initial projections for the
first quarter of 2014."
June/July 2014 | Impressions

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Impressions - June/July 2014

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