Impressions - January 2020 - 105

GANDY INk At A GlANce
C ompan y n ame: Gandy Ink
address: 2027 Industrial Ave., San Angelo, TX 76904
Foun ded: 1988
n o. oF employees: More than 150
deCoraTIn G meTH ods oFFered: Screen printing, embroidery
W eBsITe: gandyink.com

a 70,000-square-foot building."During
peak seasons, we run 24 hours a day, six
days a week," Gandy says. "Our greatest
asset is our employees, who are the key
factor in our success. We have over 150
employees, more than one-third of whom
have stayed with the company more than
10 years. Seasonally, we bring in over 50
temporary employees."
Managing Growth
Gandy says as the company has continued to expand, steps have been taken to
ensure the net being cast is done so in a
direction wide enough to ensure healthy
growth. In 2017, Gandy Ink launched
Spirit Booster, an online, application-based
platform targeting schools, organizations
and philanthropic groups in need of a
simplified fundraising tool. It's the company's first nationally marketed program
and already has seen incredible success.
The school market, however, remains
Gandy Ink's main niche. "[The school
market] encompasses 90% of our business,"
Gandy says. "I have always felt a passion
for the school business, and it still excites
me today. I've been there when they open
the box, and the smiles make all the hard
work worthwhile."
Gandy Ink has other small, but growing,
niches, such as businesses and organizations; an apparel line for outdoor vendors;
and local country band merchandise.
Production crews are seasonally adjusted
to handle an influx of orders. In fall 2019,
the company operated around the clock
and produced an average of nearly 1,400
orders per week.Three-quarters of that
output came in the form of screen-printed

orders, while embroidery and heat printing
comprised the rest.
As of press time, the production floor
featured 10 automatic presses and a
single manual press. The embroidery
department operates 10 machines, many
of which include more than six heads.
Gandy says 2019 was a challenging year,
but every mistake was regarded as an
opportunity for growth. The advent of
new garment-decoration technology will
allow for more efficient, quality-driven
processes. Going forward, direct transfer
and direct-to-garment (DTG) technology will be used to more quickly fill
under-minimum orders, as well as other
niche orders that may normally consume
valuable production time.
"We are also exploring third-party production analytics tools, which will allow
more of a look into our total effective
equipment performance," Gandy says.
"Ultimately, Gandy Ink will continue
to pursue innovation that allows for a
better, quicker customer experience; an
improved product quality; and an easier, more enjoyable work experience for
employees."
Gandy says his employees go to extreme
lengths to ensure quality products that
reach end users on time. The company's policy is that nobody should need
permission to do what's right for the
customer. New employees often find it
surprising, but this attitude has resulted
in an incredibly loyal customer base.

culture you must develop, and everyone
needs to buy into it," he says."We never
will be the low-priced guys.We focus on
outstanding service, high-quality products
and making the experience easy for the
customer.You can't do that and hold the
lowest price."
Since technology is so important in
apparel decoration, Gandy Ink has emphasized staying ahead of the game."Our
budget for security, network and software
has increased tenfold over the last five
years," Gandy says."We are writing software to make our business more efficient,
while making the experience easier for
the customer."
In 2019, Gandy Ink officially launched
its second e-commerce solution, GOGEAR, a proprietary online ordering
platform created to simplify the enduser experience, allowing for quick order
turnaround during playoff season. The
system is ideal for when, say, a high school
team wins a Friday night football game
and needs garments within a week for
the next game.
Also, a new company website was
launched last month, and software is being
written for interactive art proofing. Gandy
Ink also recently purchased a new DTG
machine, more efficient heat presses and
newer embroidery machines.This month,
the company will have two new automatics
delivered, bringing its total to 12.
"We are constantly trying to improve
and are always growing in process efficiency, service and quality," Gandy says.
"With all these great changes ahead of
us, it is hard not to be optimistic about
Gandy Ink's future." 
Jennifer Morrell is an award-winning writer who

Staying On Top

has written for a number of national consumer

Gandy says fast-approaching deadlines and
an even faster pace are never easy. "It's a

or to comment on this article, email Jennifer at

and trade publications. For more information
jennmorrell@hotmail.com.
JANUARY 2020

P.105
http://www.gandyink.com
Impressions - January 2020

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