Advantage Specialties is proud to be a local resource to help businesses, organizations, and individuals “get the word out” through custom embroidery, screen-printing, and promotional products. Says owner/president Stephanie Pitts, “People can get what we do through online vendors all-day every-day. But they can’t get the customer service and responsiveness we provide. We will jump through hoops to meet your needs. That’s the ‘advantage’ in Advantage Specialties.” She elaborated, “When you buy online, you are at their mercy, and your emergency is not theirs. And…they aren’t involved in this community, donating to local organizations and investing in local people.”
Advantage Specialties has been embroidering since its inception. Two years ago, the business bought out a screen-printing business in New Waverly and absorbed its operations into their facility. Doing production of both these mediums in a single facility is almost unheard of in the respective industries. This unconventional “crossing of the streams” by doing both embroidery and ink signals how serious Advantage Specialties is about meeting local customer needs—whatever they may be.
Stephanie’s late husband, Bill Pitts, started Advantage Specialties in 1984, well before the couple married in 1998. “He was working out of his truck. He would sell during the day, then go home and sew caps and deliver them.” Eventually, Bill had an office on Avenue O, before moving to the current Highway 19 business location in 1996.
Bill passed away in 2018, and Stephanie inherited the business (34 years in!), with very little knowledge of the day-to-day operations. She shared the challenge of making the difficult decision to step in as owner/president of Advantage Specialties at that time, after having been a stay-at-home Mom with three kids. “I had to support our kids somehow. When you have been out of the workforce as long as I had, they view you as having ‘no marketable skills.’ So, my best option was to learn this business and make it work. A week after we buried him, I showed up here. Melissa Barham had been here for 8 or 9 years, and she was very patient with me and taught me the business.”
When asked what surprised her the most when she became involved in the business operations, Stephanie was quick to respond, “How much people wait to the last minute to try to get things done.” The most time-consuming aspect of the business is not the production, according to Stephanie, but artwork. “People don’t understand the challenge of getting the artwork ready, in the right format, and giving a final approval for the job.”
Stephanie credits the entire Advantage Specialties team of 8 for working together like a family, cranking out the products, providing excellent customer service, and helping in workplace efficiency gains over the past few years.
Melissa Barham is the embroidery manager and has been with the company for 15 years. Deanna Irwin currently serves as screen-print manager and has been working with Advantage for 5 years.
Stephanie described the rest of the team, “Cheryl, our production floor supervisor, has been here 30 years. Maria, one of our embroidery machine operators, has been here 25 years. Ericha, our other embroidery machine operator, has been with us for 2 years. Amy, our graphic artist, has also been here 2 years. And Griff, our screen-printer, has been with us approaching 1year.
The typical production time given on orders involving embroidery or screen-printing is 7 to10 working days after art approval, although Stepanie reports that, many times, Advantage beats those projections. Customers can supply their own clothing items to be stitched or inked, or they can purchase them through the business. “We have many apparel suppliers, but we have a couple of primary suppliers in Dallas and Houston, allowing for next-day delivery on ordered clothing items,” noted Stephanie.
As a general rule, the business asks for a minimum order of 12 to get the most out of their embroidery and screen-printing production time. According to Stephanie, “We will take orders for fewer or for ‘one-offs’, but orders meeting the minimum have priority on the production schedule, with smaller orders being worked in as we can.”
Production time on promotional products varies, depending on outside vendor and delivery timelines.
Sharing about some of their customer-base, Stephanie said, “We work closely with the Quarterback Club at Huntsville High School. Doing their stuff is really fun. Deanna is very creative and good at helping people plan for their events. We have a great relationship with Sam Houston State University, and we are a licensed vendor with them. People might be surprised to learn that our biggest volume customer, the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation, is in California. We have been working with them for 25 years.”
Stephanie is a believer in utilizing the Chamber of Commerce for networking and meeting new people. Bill started that tradition with Advantage Specialties, having served as a chamber board member before his passing. Stephanie picked up that torch. She has served both as a board member and as chairman of the board for the chamber. Deanna Irwin serves as a chamber board member and as a chamber ambassador. Melissa Barham participates in the Walker County Referral Cooperative business referral group and also is vice chair of the Chamber’s Huntsville Leadership Institute (HLI) Committee. All three of the Advantage Specialties executives are graduates of the HLI development program. Stephanie described the benefits of chamber membership, “Being a chamber member isn’t going to ‘make your phone ring.’ It is going to help you connect with other people and businesses for common goals. I believe you get out of it what you put into it.”
Stephanie, Melissa, Deanna, and the rest of the team invite you to visit with them and experience the local “advantage” of doing business with Advantage Specialties.
252 State Highway 19
Huntsville, TX 77340
936-291-3222
advantagespecialties.com
Postcards Magazine
936-293-1188
PO Box 690
Huntsville, TX 77342
