Custom Ink Explained

Custom Ink
Company Type:Private
Foundation:, in McLean, Virginia[1]
Location:Fairfax, Virginia
Locations:42 (February 2022)
Area Served:United States, Canada, Worldwide
Ceo:David Doctorow
Industry:Customized Apparel and Accessories
Products:T-shirts, Apparel, Accessories
Services:Custom Apparel, Swag, Promotional Products, Fundraising Campaigns, Uniforms and Corporate Gifts
Revenue:~US$500 million
Num Employees:800+
Website Type:Online Custom Apparel and Accessories, eCommerce
Language:English

Custom Ink is an American online retail company headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, that makes custom clothing and other items such as T-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, and tech accessories.[2]

History

Custom Ink (first launched as CustomInk) was founded in 2000 by Marc Katz, the company’s CEO and Chairman, and several of his college friends.[3] [4] [5] [6] It began as a t-shirt design company with funding from family and friends, and consisted of a 10-person team.[7] BT Wolfenshohn was the company’s first lead investor.[8] Custom Ink reported $1 million in sales its first year and $3 million in 2002.[9] The company’s first profit was reported in 2003 with gross revenue of $7 million.[10]

In 2005, Inc. Magazine ranked Custom Ink the 55th fastest growing business in the U.S.[11] The company reported $61 million in sales in 2009.[12]

In 2011, Custom Ink opened its first production facility in Charlottesville, VA.[13] At the time, the company had expanded to include customized specialty items such as golf balls and umbrellas.[14] It would continue to expand, offering more customized clothing and items including sweats and hats.[15]

In November 2013, Custom Ink received $40 million from Revolution Growth, the investment fund run by Steve Case, Ted Leonsis, and Donn Davis.[16] The investment reportedly helped the growth of two new projects: Booster and Pear. Booster[17] (later Custom Ink Fundraising) is a crowd-funding website where organizers design and sell T-shirts to raise money for different social causes.[18]

In 2016, the company had 9 locations and around 1,670 employees.[19] The company’s name changed to the current form of Custom Ink in 2017.[20]

By 2020, Custom Ink provided customization services for more than 1,000 types of apparel and accessories.

During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, the company saw sales drop 80% in only a few days as people stopped planning reunions or in-person gatherings of any kind.[21] The company was forced to furlough around 75% of staff, but continued paying health insurance premiums for all, helped employees apply for unemployment benefits, and offered other support services.[22] Due to the N95 mask shortages, the company switched gears to sell cloth masks, they also sold work-from-home kits to help remote employees remain connected and drive-by graduation gear for schools.[23]

On January 3, 2023, Custom Ink laid off 206 workers in Charlottesville, Virginia, and another 132 in Reno, Nevada. Some workers were able to move to open positions at Custom Ink’s Dallas facility; those who didn’t received separation packages that included three months of health benefits, job placement assistance, and between 10-20 weeks of pay dependent on tenure.[24] [25]

In December 2023, the company launched a new “end-to-end” swag management platform called Swag Space.[26] Swag Space provides an ecommerce platform, automated design support, order production, order tracking, warehousing and distribution, and Shopify integration.[27] It is designed for distributors and is an effort to “bridge the gap” between the traditional supplier-distributor model and direct-to-consumer platforms.[28] Swag Space was built upon the infrastructure and technology of their acquisition of Swag.com.[29]

For several years Custom Ink held the Be Good to Each Other Campaign, this campaign raised money and awareness for the National Bullying Prevention Center.[30] [31] Custom Ink’s work was supported by athletes and celebrities such as Gina Rodriguez and Paul Rabil.[32] [33]

In July 2024, the company announced that in August the former Realtor.com CEO David Doctorow would be the company's new CEO, while Katz would continue as Chairman of the Custom Ink Board of Directors.[34] [35]

Acquisitions

On February 4, 2016, Custom Ink acquired the Los Angeles company Represent.com, which helps celebrities sell limited-run T-shirts and merchandise to fans and followers.[36] [37] [38] Represent was later acquired by Cameo in 2021.[39]

In 2019, Custom Ink purchased Sidestep, a website and mobile app that strictly sells concert merchandise. The acquisition was done through Custom Ink's at-the-time subsidiary Represent.[40]

In November 2021, the company purchased New York City-based Swag.com for an undisclosed amount.[41] [42] Swag.com is an online design and ordering company for corporate swag and gifting.[43]

Two months later, in January 2022, the company acquired Printfection, a swag management platform.[44] Printfection's clients include Salesforce, HubSpot, and Zendesk.[45]

Locations

By April 2024, Custom Ink has 42 showroom locations across 15 states and Washington DC.

Awards

In 2014, Fortune and Great Place to Work ranked Custom Ink as one of their Top 100 places to work.[46]

Notes and References

  1. News: Heath . Thomas . October 17, 2010 . Harvard graduate left Wall Street to start CustomInk T-shirt design business . . Washington, D.C.. Washington Post Media . April 21, 2014.
  2. Web site: Murillo . Ana Lucia . 2021-12-10 . Custom Ink CEO says the company is back in growth mode after pandemic low. But supply challenges remain a sticking point . Washington Business Journal.
  3. Web site: Custom Ink .
  4. Web site: Ink positive: With national ambitions, Custom Ink continues to grow . 2024-06-10 . C-VILLE Weekly.
  5. Web site: Lucia Murillo . Ana . 19 January 2023 . Merrifield's Custom Ink consolidates production operations, lays off hundreds . 2024-06-10 . Washington Business Journal.
  6. Web site: Central . A. S. I. . 2022-01-07 . Custom Ink Acquires Printfection . 2024-06-10 . members.asicentral.com . en.
  7. News: Heath . Thomas . Harvard graduate left Wall Street to start CustomInk T-shirt design business . Washington Post.
  8. News: Heath . Thomas . 2010-10-17 . Thomas Heath - Harvard graduate left Wall Street to start CustomInk T-shirt design business . . 2024-06-14 . en-US . 0190-8286.
  9. News: Heath . Thomas . 2010-10-17 . Thomas Heath - Harvard graduate left Wall Street to start CustomInk T-shirt design business . . 2024-06-14 . en-US . 0190-8286.
  10. News: Heath . Thomas . 2010-10-17 . Thomas Heath - Harvard graduate left Wall Street to start CustomInk T-shirt design business . . 2024-06-14 . en-US . 0190-8286.
  11. Web site: Ink positive: With national ambitions, Custom Ink continues to grow . 2024-06-14 . C-VILLE Weekly.
  12. News: Heath . Thomas . 2010-10-17 . Thomas Heath - Harvard graduate left Wall Street to start CustomInk T-shirt design business . . 2024-06-14 . en-US . 0190-8286.
  13. Web site: Ink positive: With national ambitions, Custom Ink continues to grow . 2024-06-29 . C-VILLE Weekly.
  14. Web site: Adams . Susan . CustomInk's Marc Katz and Father Steve Katz: Is Entrepreneurship Inherited? . 2024-06-29 . Forbes . en.
  15. Web site: 2013-07-16 . 100 years of T-shirts: Fashion icon celebrates centennial - CBS News . 2024-06-29 . www.cbsnews.com . en-US.
  16. Web site: CustomInk Nabs $40 Million In Funding From Revolution Growth, Adds Ted Leonsis To Its Board . Lawler. Ryan . November 12, 2013 . . May 17, 2020.
  17. Web site: What happened to Booster? . 2024-04-01 . www.customink.com.
  18. Web site: Castellanos . Sara . Online crowdfunding site Booster lets users raise money for social causes . www.bizjournals.com . July 2, 2024 . April 9, 2014.
  19. Web site: The 15 Best Workplaces in Retail . 2024-06-29 . Fortune . en.
  20. Web site: Ink positive: With national ambitions, Custom Ink continues to grow . 2024-06-29 . C-VILLE Weekly.
  21. News: Heath . Thomas . March 4, 2021 . Custom T-shirt maker saves its business with early pivot to masks . July 12, 2024 . Washington Post.
  22. News: Heath . Thomas . 2021-03-04 . Custom T-shirt maker saves its business with early pivot to masks . 2024-07-12 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
  23. News: Heath . Thomas . 2021-03-04 . Custom T-shirt maker saves its business with early pivot to masks . 2024-08-09 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
  24. Web site: Hidalgo . Jason . Custom Ink closing Reno and Charlottesville production facilities; 338 jobs affected . 2024-07-08 . Reno Gazette Journal . en-US.
  25. Web site: Murillo . Ana Lucia . Jan 24, 2023 . Merrifield's Custom Ink consolidates production operations, lays off hundreds . 2024-07-08 . www.bizjournals.com.
  26. Web site: Central . A. S. I. . 2023-12-12 . Custom Ink Launches Merch Management Platform for Distributors . 2024-07-16 . members.asicentral.com . en.
  27. Web site: Central . A. S. I. . 2023-12-12 . Custom Ink Launches Merch Management Platform for Distributors . 2024-07-16 . members.asicentral.com . en.
  28. Web site: Menapace . Brendan . 2023-12-12 . Custom Ink Launches Swag Space Platform for Distributors . 2024-07-16 . Print & Promo Marketing . en.
  29. Web site: Menapace . Brendan . 2023-12-12 . Custom Ink Launches Swag Space Platform for Distributors . 2024-07-16 . Print & Promo Marketing . en.
  30. Web site: 'Jane the Virgin' star Gina Rodriguez: 'I definitely haven't gone untouched' by bullying . 2024-08-16 . EW.com . en.
  31. Web site: Ciampaglia . Dante A. . 2014-10-22 . 10 Questions with... Paul Rabil . 2024-08-16 . SI Kids: Sports News for Kids, Kids Games and More . en-us.
  32. Web site: 'Jane the Virgin' star Gina Rodriguez: 'I definitely haven't gone untouched' by bullying . 2024-08-15 . EW.com . en.
  33. Web site: Ciampaglia . Dante A. . 2014-10-22 . 10 Questions with... Paul Rabil . 2024-08-15 . SI Kids: Sports News for Kids, Kids Games and More . en-us.
  34. Web site: Central . A. S. I. . 2024-07-19 . Custom Ink Names New CEO; Marc Katz to Remain Board Chair . 2024-07-22 . members.asicentral.com . en.
  35. Web site: Custom Ink Names New CEO . 2024-07-22 . PPAI - Promotional Products Association International . en-US.
  36. News: Washington-area T-shirt seller goes Hollywood . Heath . Thomas . February 4, 2016 . . May 17, 2020.
  37. Web site: CustomInk buys L.A.-based T-shirt firm with large roster of celebrity investors, customers . Niedt . Bob . February 4, 2016 . www.bizjournals.com/washington . May 17, 2020.
  38. Web site: CustomInk Acquires Represent, A Custom Merchandise Marketplace for Influencers . Tepper . Fitz . February 5, 2016 . . May 17, 2020.
  39. Web site: Cameo Acquires Represent to Offer Celebrity Merch on Its Platform Built In Chicago . 2024-07-12 . Built In . en.
  40. Web site: Ruvo . Christopher . 2019-09-23 . Custom Ink Subsidiary Acquires Music Merch Platform . 2022-05-24 . www.asicentral.com . en.
  41. Web site: Verdon . Joan . Apparel Company Custom Ink Acquires Fast-Growing Digital Disruptor Swag.com . 2022-06-07 . Forbes . en.
  42. Web site: Schulte . Katherine . 2021-11-10 . Custom Ink acquires corporate swag platform . 2022-06-07 . Virginia Business . en-US.
  43. Web site: Schulte . Katherine . Custom Ink acquires corporate swag platform . Virginia Business. November 10, 2021 .
  44. Web site: Ruvo . Christoper . 2022-01-07 . Custom Ink Acquires Printfection . 2022-06-23 . www.asicentral.com . en.
  45. Web site: Central . A. S. I. . 2022-01-07 . Custom Ink Acquires Printfection . 2024-07-12 . members.asicentral.com . en.
  46. Web site: Custom Ink. December 20, 2020. Fortune. en.

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