By Jackie Rosselli and Rick Levine
It is often said this is a reactive,
rather than proactive, industry. Whether we’re talking about fabric, design
or color, the makers and distributors of uniforms have
usually taken their cue from somewhere else. Casual Friday,
cargo pants, and “hot” colors like teal all
originated in mainstream fashion, and many trends that
have filtered into the industry had their birth in popular
culture.
But while there may be truth to
that view, it should not be taken to mean that there
are no creative forces at work, no savvy design or marketing
exec looming in the wings, or original elements in this
industry. After all, who among us hasn’t borrowed a concept or idea? Imitation,
it is said, is the greatest form of flattery. In the business
world, imitation isn’t as altruistic – it is
a tactic used to maximize profits and increase your bottom
line.
We at UniformMarket find nothing
wrong with this practice. Indeed, we believe that the
industry is filled with innovative, creative persons,
and we found out how much so with the advent of the first
annual UNIVATOR awards. Unlike other industry awards,
the UNIVATOR honors you – the manufacturers
and distributors of uniforms – and your contributions
to further your company’s bottom line.
UniformMarket staff, who judged
the competition, reviewed each entry submitted and scoured
the websites of companies to find other worthy participants.
In the end, we agreed that the first UNIVATOR awards
would be somewhat stingy – rather
than naming a winner for each of our many categories, we
would only select those candidates which, in our opinion,
showcase the very best the industry has to offer. As a
result, we have selected five companies for a 2005 UNIVATOR
award. Their entries are highlighted below.
The
2005 UNIVATOR Awards are presented to...
 Aramark had one goal in mind. They wanted
to develop a new, motivating apparel rental offering that
would appeal to companies that do not have a uniform program,
as well as to industries that traditionally do not rent
uniform apparel.
UniformMarket is awarding a UNIVATOR
to Aramark for the turnaround of their Team Casual line
of business-casual wear, first introduced in 1999. During
2003, the company conducted a series of research projects
to determine what companies want in a business-casual look,
and how a line of rental apparel may meet those requirements.
After evaluating the results, Aramark
Uniform Services re-launched Aramark Team Casual as a new
rental program that easily allows a small business owner
to define a business-casual look for his/her employees.
The program focuses on providing attire for employees in
low-soil, high-profile occupations, including front desk
managers, cashiers and sales associates. A variety of colors,
patterns and styles of pants and shirts are available,
with more than 260 possible combinations.
“With Aramark Team Casual,
even a company with a small-business budget can enhance
its image with a differentiating, professional look for
its employees,” said Kristine Grow, c orporate
and financial media relations for Aramark.
 The re-launch of ARAMARK Team Casual
officially started in March 2003 and ended in September
2004. ARAMARK Uniform Services provided tools to its sales
specialists to help market the concept, including sales
collateral and training on how to assist prospective customers
with designing their own look.
Since March 2003, the program has exceeded
expectations. The Team Casual group experienced a 14 percent
year-over-year increase in the number of customer sites
it serves, and the program continues to help the company
get a seat at the table for new customer bids
Barco Uniforms has emerged as
one of the top suppliers to the fast-paced, quick service
restaurant industry. We are awarding Barco Uniforms a
UNIVATOR award for their “thinking
outside the box” efforts on two particular uniform
programs.
First, the company designed and
launched a whole new program for McDonald’s. What
caught UniformMarket’s
attention right away was the choice of a button-down, oxford-style
shirt for crew members and managers alike. This immediately
distinguished the design from the industry-standard, polo-placket
style so many other quick-service restaurants utilize.
Barco also developed a superior strategy for the apparel
needs of the YUM! Multibrand stores. This sister-brand
restaurant chain concept presented a unique branding and
uniform challenge.
MCDONALD’S
 “Barco Uniforms created
a crew and manager uniform program for McDonald’s.
The goal of this program was to deliver a visual message
of the brand essence to the consumer, to serve as a recruitment
and retention tool for the operator, and to serve as
an energizing source of pride for the employees,” said
Kathy Taylor, director of program management for Barco
Uniforms.
During the initial testing of
the program, McDonald’s
discovered that a targeted program delivered meaningful
impact within the organization. Starting at the corporate
level, the new program ignited enthusiasm and became
a positive symbol of the changes that were in place
toward reinventing the brand.
“At the stores, employees embraced the new program
and felt proud to wear the new uniforms as they traveled
to and from work, and they also enjoyed hearing compliments
from the customers,” said Taylor . “The uniform
became a powerful cue to employees that the McDonald’s
image was quickly becoming modern and relevant.”
This program was created as a
lifestyles concept in response to McDonald’s desire
to embrace diversity and customization within a broad
store base. The lifestyles approach offered flexibility
of the program to the store operators while maintaining
a unified brand image across the country. The stores
have enjoyed expressing their unique style preferences
and regional needs while leveraging the image of a singular
and cohesive brand message.
YUM! MULTIBRAND
 For YUM! Multibrand the challenge
was how to design a uniform program that operates within
and enhances the successful co-branded restaurant concept.
YUM! Multibrand is opening stores at a rapid pace and
packaging brands in various combinations: Kentucky Fried
Chicken with Taco Bell; Taco Bell with Long John Silver;
Long John Silver with A&W;
and A&W with Kentucky Fried Chicken, as examples.
There are 5 distinct brands represented
in total: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, Long John
Silver, Pizza Hut and A&W. The store combinations
vary depending on a number of factors.
“Ultimately, the key is
to listen to and understand the needs of your customer,” said
Michael Donner, president of Barco Uniforms, when describing
the evolution of the YUM! Multibrand uniform program. “In
the end, we came up with a consistent color format and
integrated with equal respect the multi-brands of that
particular unit. The uniform program brings harmony and
energy that positions the multibrands in a positive way.”
Each concept for the YUM! Multibrand stores has a specific
shirt and color scheme, along with a logo spelling out
the combined brands.
In both instances, Barco Uniforms
demonstrated an “outside
of the box” approach that strategically needs the
needs of the customer.
How do you grab some attention for yourself
and breathe new life into your products? If you’re
Cintas, you sponsor a contest. When this Cincinnati-based
supplier decided to redesign its popular Uniform Book,
a 266-page catalog that allows customers to order ready-to-wear
uniforms as pictured or customize them to various degrees,
its marketing department wanted to create some added buzz
about the publication. “We were looking for a different,
exciting way to promote the line, and during one of our
general brainstorming sessions, the marketing department
came up with the uniform makeover contest,” explained
Mark Leahy, Cintas marketing manager, when contacted about
the campaign. “We looked at some of the home and
personal makeover shows that are so popular now and thought ‘why
not’?”
Cintas invited hotels, restaurants,
clubs and other members of the country’s hospitality
industry to submit entries for its “Define Your Design” makeover
contest. The prize – a complete apparel makeover
from Cintas – valued at $50,000. The company that
best demonstrated the greatest need for a Cintas makeover,
in 200 words or less, would receive the prize. A panel
of judges, including award-winning fashion designer Cynthia
Rowley, best known for her designs worn by Julia Roberts
and Sarah Jessica Parker, selected Boston ’s Hyatt
Regency from nearly 200 entries.
“Would you ever serve Beluga
caviar to a queen on a paper plate? Then why would Boston ’s
best up-and-coming hotel service its guests in a 1970s
style of uniform?,” said David Nadelman, general
manager, Hyatt Regency Boston, in his contest-winning
entry. “We have several million dollars in renovations
coming our way. With our newly renovated guest rooms
and superior banquet facilities, we will be a four-star
hotel providing five-star service and we need both line
employees and managers to look the part.”
The Hyatt can spend the prize money
as its pleases, and there has been some talk of allocating
the monies toward uniforms for its food and beverage and
housekeeping staff. “It’s a wonderful opportunity
to provide a fresh new look for a hotel that is also undergoing
a makeover,” notes Leahy. “This is an added
bonus for we get to coordinate the uniforms with the new
interior designs of the property.” Consultations
between the Cintas design team and hotel management staff
began in late December. The resultant uniform program should
be available to employees in March.
“A uniform should ‘define
the design’ of a restaurant, hotel or casino,” said
Bill Cronin, president of the Cintas national account
sales division. “That is why we decided to call
attention to our designs through this contest.”
Why is this campaign worthy of a UNIVATOR?
In our opinion, Cintas knows a good thing when it sees
it. Cintas may have borrowed the concept from popular culture,
but the company put its own unique spin on it. Makeover
shows are trendy, and, for the moment at least, are the
darlings of the media (we’re writing about them,
after all, so we can’t be wrong). Having a well-know
hotel as a winner should further serve in getting the Cintas
message out. The greater Boston area will surely pick up
the story, as will many in the hotel and allied trades.
The “Define Your Design” makeover contest is
a first-rate marketing effort, and a favorite here at UniformMarket.
 “The New Concept” is
what Creative Uniforms, located in San Diego , CA., uses
as a company slogan underneath their logo. UniformMarket
agrees. Not only has the company developed a new concept,
The company is a fine example of how a small uniform
dealer can thrive today and is therefore honored with
our Rising Dealer Concept award.
Creative Uniforms has been awarded a
UNIVATOR award because its operation is exemplary of the
new breed of small uniform dealer: very low inventory,
high design concepts and an intelligent use of suppliers
and their services.
Denise Nahman, founder and president,
has been in the uniform business for 30 years and at a
little over 2 years old, she launched her own company. “We
serve hotels, casinos and handle some parks and recreation
in the area,” said Nahman. “We put a program
together and deliver. We are a one stop shop for our clients.”
 Creative Uniform takes pride in sourcing
just what the customer wants. The ability for a small dealer
to balance their product offerings between stock items
from manufacturers or having an item made from scratch
because it can not be found in the general marketplace
has become critical to a small dealers success. Creative
Uniforms manages this aspect of the business well.
Creative Uniforms uses local sources
for decorating and tailoring, but the majority of the time
will have the manufacturers decorate apparel items on their
customers behalf. This is another way in which this entrepreneurial
uniform dealer is a good example of the rising dealer concept.
“We have just completed
the uniforms for a new casino in the Palm Springs area,” said
Nahman. “The apparel design compliments their very
jazzy contemporary theme."
 While many companies take advantage
of the technology that is available to the industry, we
felt that Gorgonz Performance Work Gear, located in Baltimore
, had a slight edge over others that we evaluated. Gorgonz
manufactures ear warmers, cold and warm weather performance
work gloves and hats – products uniquely designed
for the work wear market.
Last April, Gorgonz introduced the new
Performance Work Hat, a product designed to cool the head
in extreme heat conditions. According to literature we
reviewed, the hat uses different layers to repel heat and
wick away sweat. Made with hydroweave® and coolmax®,
the hat keeps you cool and dry while working in warm weather.
Hydroweave® uses the power of the sun to cause evaporation
and keep the head cool. And it’s easy to use. Simply
run cold water over the hat and allow it to soak through,
allowing the fabric to absorb and hold the moisture.
As the sun strikes the surface of the
hat, the water evaporates, creating an air-conditioning
effect. When the hat is dry, it can be recharged with cold
water. Sweat becomes a thing of the past with coolmax®.
The coolmax® technology moves perspiration to the outer
layers of the hat for quick evaporation, and allows for
great breathability, even when wet.
In the fall of 2004, Gorgonz added the
Service Patrol 400 Exhale glove to their product line.
The glove uses their patented technology, Exhale Heating
System™, a technology that allows the wearer to literally
breathe the 98 degrees from his breath into the glove to
warm the hands during work in cold temperatures. The glove
also has 16 points of reflectivity for those that need
to be seen. The product is a nice complement to the company’s
Pro Dex 500 glove, which is designed for warm weather conditions.
These gloves offer extra protection on the knuckles, great
grip for bike riding, and three exposed fingers for ultimate
tactility and dexterity.
Why have we bestowed a UNIVATOR on Gorgonz?
Like it or not, technology plays a pivotal role in today’s
work environment, and rather than retreating from that
fact, Gorgonz has embraced technology head on to its full
advantage. In the opinion of the judges, Gorgonz effective
applications of technology should help grow its business
while providing creative, dynamic and appropriate products
to the end user.
We’d love to hear your comments
about our selections. Drop us an email at info@uniformmarket.com with
your views. Think your company is worthy of a UNIVATOR?
It’s never too early to plan for next year’s
awards. To learn how you can be a winner, or for entry
requirements, contact us at the email above.
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