 |
SARASOTA – On any given day one can see fans or alumni donning their favorite sports team on a t-shirt or ball cap. State universities have historically benefited greatly by marketing their multi-million dollar sports programs through events, television rights and apparel licensing. However, many of the apparel companies are located out of state and in some cases -- out of the country. Ironically, some of hats and t-shirts advertising all-American home teams are being created in foreign sweatshops.
Since 2004, local clothing company Katie-Dids Originals Inc. has been lobbying state universities in Florida for a license to produce logo apparel for Bealls, one of the largest retailers in the state. But each and every time, the company has been turned down with an all too common reply: ”We already have enough companies doing that.“
”Since these are state universities supported by our tax dollars, not private corporations, I believe it's their responsibility to give qualified Florida companies opportunity to benefit from their own tax dollars before exporting those jobs to other states and countries,“ said Travis Cundiff, co-owner of Katie-Dids Originals.
Katie-Dids Originals was one of Bealls Department Stores' biggest suppliers, but the vice president of general merchandising, Rick Edgar, wanted to take their productions to the next level.
”We are very interested in seeing your outdoor concepts put into collegiate design,“ he wrote to Cundiff in a letter dated December 18, 2003.
What could have been a lucrative partnership never came to fruition. Even with the interest of a huge department store chain, and several letters of recommendation from reputable companies, Cundiff could not acquire the Authorized Manufacturer’s Agreement that allows a third-party manufacturers to print college logos. Cundiff applied for the license through the Colligate Licensing Company and after forking over the $100 application fee, he was denied without a reason given as to why. Cundiff’s application included at least nine letters of recommendation, including one from the world’s largest clothing producer, Vanity Fair, which described Cundiff’s merchandise as ”high-quality, innovative products.“
Cundiff was baffled by the denial. With the help of Edgar, he applied again at a later date and received the same refute.
”We were far more qualified than other companies,“ said Cundiff. ”It’s like, what more could they possibly want?“
With all of the talk of getting Floridians back to work in a state with one of the worst unemployment rates, the fact that state universities can ship work outside the state instead of buying local has directly affected Cundiff’s 40-year-old company in the midst of an already struggling economy.
”The leading supplier of college-logo apparel is a privately held company located in the United States, but it produces most of its apparel in a factory in the Dominican Republic,“ said Cundiff. ”They openly brag about paying their employees $2.83 an hour, because that is over twice the norm!“
Some would argue that this kind of job outsourcing by corporations has left millions standing in unemployment lines, dependent on food stamps to feed their families. Cundiff is an example of a small business owner who wants create local jobs by producing this apparel, but can’t obtain licensing agreements due to what he deems as unfair legalities.
”We once provided 32,000 units to American Eagle Outfitters,“ said Cundiff. ”Now we don’t have enough business to keep our doors open – we lost all of it to Mexico.“
While t-shirt production was outsourced to a company in Mexico, the graphics were still completed at Cundiff’s company.
”I can tell you first hand that we put those same labels on the product with the same price tag,“ said Cundiff. ”The product is not cheaper for the consumer. These giant corporations are just getting richer.“
Comments
No comments on this item
Only paid subscribers can comment
Please log in to comment by clicking here.