Sewing up a place in history
Embroid\\\\\\\'em picked as NFL Draft supplier
An estimated 500,000 to 700,000 people will turn out for the NFL Draft events this week.
And most, if not all, of them will encounter a piece of Greene County.
Waynesburg company Embroid无毛视频檈m was tasked with providing 14,000 pieces of apparel 无毛视频� including screen-printed T-shirts, jackets, hats and lapel pins 无毛视频� as part of the 无毛视频渢eammate无毛视频� uniforms worn by the paid workers of the draft.
Embroid无毛视频檈m was one of about 160 businesses in the 10-county region chosen through the NFL无毛视频檚 Draft Source program, which serves as a directory for NFL Draft vendors to choose local firms before using national contracts.
About 1,800 businesses 无毛视频� which must be owned by women, minorities or veterans 无毛视频� applied, said Embroid无毛视频檈m owner Bethany Tanner.
She learned last June Embroid无毛视频檈m would be part of the list.
无毛视频淭hey just had everyone apply, and then they strategically chose people through that list of applicants,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚t was a really big surprise and honor to be included.无毛视频�
Being put on the long list is one step.
The rest had to wait. As part of the apparel and promotional items sector, they weren无毛视频檛 contacted until after the Super Bowl.
About a month ago, the NFL began its bidding process, ultimately choosing Embroid无毛视频檈m.
That left Embroid无毛视频檈m with just under two-and-a-half weeks to pull everything together. Tanner and her staff did some prep work beforehand, lining up logistics for blank apparel in case the order came in.
无毛视频淚t took all of the team, my team here, logistically, to sit down and figure out everything,无毛视频� Tanner said. 无毛视频淚t was challenging, but exciting. It really pushed us to our limits, really showed us what we无毛视频檙e capable of doing. And so it was a great experience.无毛视频�
Tanner and her crew were given latitude to develop a design putting their own spin on the requested theme 无毛视频� Andy Warhol, in tribute to the famous Pittsburgh pop artist.
Over those two-and-a-half weeks, they ran 16-hour days in double shifts to get everything done: Tanner and her operations manager ran the machines for the day shift.
Embroid无毛视频檈m无毛视频檚 seven employees got help from the community. At various times during the sprint to the draft, Tanner would have 10 or 12 people lending a hand 无毛视频� friends, family, her parents and even Greene County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melody Longstreth.
无毛视频淭he NFL is huge, and to be able to have the draft come to Pittsburgh is great anyway,无毛视频� Tanner said. 无毛视频淏ut, you know, to have Greene County kind of put on the map with one of our own, I think they were just ready to roll up their sleeves and help us out any way that they could.无毛视频�
The work paid off. All 14,000 items got delivered Monday.
The scale of what they did 无毛视频� and the prominence it will have 无毛视频� still feels 无毛视频減retty surreal,无毛视频� Tanner said on Tuesday.
And it无毛视频檒l feel even more surreal on Saturday, when the Embroid无毛视频檈m team will attend a VIP event where they were chosen to sit on stage alongside NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
无毛视频淚t went from not hearing anything for months and months and months, attending the events and then just about a month ago, building a great relationship with the NFL and being able to deliver everything,无毛视频� Tanner said.
Greene County Commissioner Jared Edgreen said when the Southwestern Pennsylvania county commissioners met with the City of Pittsburgh and the tourism department at Acrisure Stadium last year, they stressed the importance of a regional impact that would help the community.
It无毛视频檚 impressive to see officially-licensed NFL gear being made in Greene County, Edgreen said. And he plans to see some of the thousands of items in action 无毛视频� along with the Greene County sheriff无毛视频檚 deputies, K-9 units and high school culinary students also taking part in draft events.
无毛视频淚 wasn无毛视频檛 going to go to the NFL Draft, but now I definitely am,无毛视频� he said.
Tanner hopes the spotlight can open Embroid无毛视频檈m up to more opportunities 无毛视频� as a vendor for the NFL, Visit Pittsburgh or others.
无毛视频淲e have a great team,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淲e have great products that we put out, so I无毛视频檓 excited to get those in the right hands.无毛视频�