It all began when a screen printer botched a simple T-shirt order. Naturally, the client was upset, but in hindsight, it was the best thing that could of happened to him. The client, George Kilian, took matters into his own hands and printed the T-shirts himself.
Today, the former manager of a rhythm-and-blues band, now owns and operates Sharprint, a contract screen print and embroidery business that serves some of the largest buyers of decorated apparel. "Sharprint started in the basement of my band's house" said Kilian, who initially built his own equipment and taught himself screen printing through trial-and-error. "We printed T-shirts for our band, and when other bands saw them, they wanted some too. Then nightclubs wanted wanted some and soon everyone was coming to us and we had done very little marketing or sales."
Kilian changed his tune on a career in the music industry when he realized the lucrative potential of screen printing, eventually calling it quits as a band manager. By selling to his music contacts, he instantly hit a high note, creating more business than he could've anticipated. "It seemed like we were moving every three years (to a larger facility)" he said.
Today, after relocating five times since 1985 to accommodate its' steady growth, the Chicago-based business resides in a 40K square-foot warehouse. The home of Sharprint houses multiple screen printing presses, an all-over screen printing press, embroidery machines and more!