Company Profile
Company Overview
GTM Sportswear sells high quality customized sports apparel at unbeatable low prices. There are four divisions that make GTM Sportswear so successful, Custom Goods, Cushion Seats Inc., Retail and Awards. Custom Goods is the largest and fastest growing division for GTM. This division sells sportswear and related items mainly in the school’s Cheer, Dance, and Gymnastics markets nationwide, which are usually embroidered or screen printed. GTM markets customized plaques, awards, trophies and much more. With over 800 employees, GTM continues to grow and expand.
GTM has a unique company culture influenced by the local University and high energy, entrepreneurial founder. Our young, energetic, educated team is focused on improving processes and product offerings. Our goal is to empower everyone at GTM to think on their own, make decisions without recourse and provide insight on process and product improvement. Our past record of double digit growth and drive to continue the growth offers ample opportunity for advancement. One out of every three employees has been promoted. GTM is a competitive environment where a love for sports and working with sports minded people comes naturally. We enjoy working hard and playing hard with annual events like our Summer Cul-De-Sac party, Christmas Party, KSU Tailgates and participating on local softball, basketball and other recreational teams. GTM believes in giving back to community by donating time, products and service to numerous community organizations. GTM is a unique place providing a foundation for success by promoting growth personally, socially and professionally.
Company History
1989 - Upon graduation from Kansas State University, Dave Dreiling sold his limousine business and used the $2,800 proceeds to buy half of “It’s Greek To Me” from David Barnes. Their business plan consisted of traveling in vans to sororities and fraternities across the Midwest, selling Greek apparel “on the spot." Unable to get financing, Mr. Barnes obtained a $6,000 home equity line of credit, which the two used to start their new venture. Although incredibly under capitalized, the two found a way to make it work. They hired three sales representatives that traveled with them, spending four to six nights a week on the road. First year sales exceeded $500,000
1990 - Both Dave Dreiling and Dave Barnes expanded their sales region to include college campuses from Ohio to Southern California. Dave Dreiling converted his garage to their first Manhattan, Kansas warehouse. They secured a $30,000 SBA line of credit, and sales hit $1M.
1991 - The owners decided to consolidate all of their operations in Manhattan, and rented 6,000 square feet of office and warehouse space. It adjoined a used motorcycle shop with a very thin wall! Vroom vroom! They also bought their very first embroidery machine, at a time when this was just a novelty. Dave Dreiling began to buy out Dave Barnes’s stock. Sales ballooned to $1.8M.
1992 - Dave Dreiling was named “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Small Business Administration for the state of Kansas and Missouri.
1993- The “Great Flood of 93” spawned the idea of a unique tee that featured “Willie” (the KSU mascot) and the “Jayhawk” (from some other school) floating together in a life raft. Profits from the sales garnered a $160,000 donation to the Red Cross for flood relief. Also that year, the company expanded their product offerings to high school teams in Kansas, thus the eventual name change to “GTM Sportswear Inc.”
1994 - INC Magazine named Dave Dreiling (CEO) as a finalist for the Kansas/Western Missouri “Entrepreneur of the Year” award.
1996 - The company’s sales exceed $4M. To celebrate everyone achieving a “4.0” at least once in their life, the whole company, which consisted of 56 people including employees and their families, celebrated 4th of July at a resort on Lake of the Ozarks.
1997 - The company expands their retail presence via the “Cats Closet”, a new partnership with K-State Athletics involving a retail store at the football stadium and other venues. This retail store allowed GTM to offer K-State product to the fans on the spot preparing them for every game.
1998 - GTM moves into their new, 32,000 square foot, facility on McCall Rd. Dave goes on record as saying “We will never move again!” The company also developed a semi-permanent cushion seat for K-State Athletics. GTM then further developed the idea and patented it. This has led to seating programs in over 80 college stadiums across the US, and the eventual spin off of another company “Cushion Seats Inc.”
1999 - GTM’s website went live for the first time giving customers the opportunity to view GTM products all over the world.
2001 - GTM expands its building another 5,000 square feet as its “High School” division continues to grow 30-40% annually. As a response to 9-11, GTM launched a “flag tee” project and marketed it to every school in the US, resulting in a donation of over $175,000 to victims families. Company sales exceed $7.4M.
2002 - Stasyx custom programming was implemented giving GTM the opportunity to automate the warehouse inventory, streamline production, and provide outstanding customer relationship management. This program gave GTM a competitive advantage and increased sales by 42% and profits by over 50%. See videos below.
2003 - GTM decides to merge its various sales divisions together into “GTM Custom” in order to focus more on the high school teams and related markets. At the same time, a strategic decision was made to pursue factory direct buying, resulting in lower prices and better products for our customers. Also, GTM expanded once again adding an additional 7,000 square feet to the building.
2004 - Sales exceeded $11M, and we were out of room again! Another 7,000 square foot expansion should take care of us for awhile, right? GTM also continues to expand into many new sport markets offering the GTM branded product.
2005 - Deeper market penetration throughout the US results in sales climbing to over $16M. A 10,500 square foot expansion alleviates overcrowding. The implementation process of “Imagine” was started. Imagine was a new software system that allowed us to automate the ordering processes and gave us the opportunity to have better communication flow and less order defects.
2006 - GTM grows larger including more products, employees, and another building expansion. GTM goes live with their own proprietary software system “Imagine”. A greatly expanded product mix results in sales of over $23M.
2007 - Another big building expansion of 24,000 square feet brings total square footage to over 108,000 square feet. Employee count tops 400 people and sales swell to $34M.
Dave Dreiling was announced Entrepreneur of the Year-Ernst & Young Central Midwest Region for Customer Products.
2008 - GTM introduced sequins and flexi print to expand their production capabilities. These new sequin machines gave GTM the opportunity to offer designs with bling to the cheer, dance and gymnastics apparel. GTM introduced Flexi Print, a revolutionary new print process which allows the design to flex and move with the jersey fabric. GTM also invested in direct to garment screen printing machines giving the company the opportunity to offer no minimums on custom imprinting. With these new processes in place, GTM is able to give more options to the customer, which helped them stay more competitive in the market. Employee totals exceed 500 and sales grow to over $43 million.
2009 - After about a year of consultations and planning, GTM Sportswear launched a redesigned website in April of 2009. The main goal of the design was to tie it in with our new logo and branding efforts. We also put focus on our unique selling points, being free shipping and logo set up on orders over $200, affordable pricing, quick delivery, excellent customer service and our ability to cut out the middleman. In July of 2009, GTM Sportswear opened a store in Lawrence, Kansas. This store will carry all of GTM’s great, customizable products, as well as licensed KU gear. GTM further expanded its customization capabilities with the addition of Rhinestone designs and Distressed Appliqué. Offered in several sizes, rhinestones quickly became a popular way to glam up GTM tops, especially for cheer, dance and gymnastics customers. Investment in a Laser Bridge made GTM a leader in creative use of appliqué designs. This top of the line machine allows fabric appliqué edges to remain raw, creating a frayed look with vintage appeal. Zippered garments can even be customized with this process.
Benefits
Full Time Status Benefits (35 Hours+)
Health, Dental, and Vision (Shared Cost)
*Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical & Delta Dental effective the 1st of the month following 90 days of employment
*VSP Vision effective the 1st of the month following 90 days of employment
Life and Long Term Disability Insurance (Company Paid)
Effective the 1st of the month following 90 days of employment, all full-time employees are automatically enrolled in the Company Group Life and Long Term Disability Insurance plan.
Short Term Disability
The short-term disability benefit provided by GTM is a self-funded plan for income replacement for employees unable to work due to illness, non-work related injury or pregnancy.
Cafeteria Plan
Effective the 1st of the month following 90 days of employment all full-time employees are eligible to contribute a portion of their gross wages to a dependent care reimbursement account, an uninsured medical expense, and/or outside premium account. The program has been developed to provide an extra tax incentive to the employees.
401(k)
*401(k) will be offered after one year of employment is completed and open enrollment will be handled quarterly.
Voluntary Insurance
*Effective the 1st of the Month following 90 days of employment all employees have the option to purchase additional supplemental coverage for themselves and their families through payroll deduction from AFLAC.
Holiday Pay
Enjoy the holidays off with family and friends. The following holidays are paid days off for GTM employees:
*Memorial Day
*Labor Day
*Fourth of July
*Thanksgiving Day
*Christmas Day
*New Years Day
Full-time employees working the scheduled workday before and after are eligible for a full day off with pay. When a holiday falls on a weekend, it will be observed on either the preceding Friday or following Monday.
Paid Time Off
Years of Employment Time Off
0-2 2 weeks paid time off
2 yrs, 1 month - 5 yrs 3 weeks paid time off
5 yrs, 1 month - 10 yrs 4 weeks paid time off
10 yrs+ 5 weeks paid time off
Other Benefits
Full or Part Time Status
*Profit Sharing every quarter, based on profit and budget of the company
*K-State Superstore Discounts
*Restaurant Discounts at Coco Bolo's, Freddy's Frozen Custard, Gambino's Pizza & Quizno's
*Membership to Max Fitness at no cost. Only taxes will apply.
*Seth Child Movie Tickets $6.00
*Worlds of Fun & Oceans of Fun Tickets
*Daily Lunch Menus
GTM Monthly Activities
GTM has many activities and events to build their relationships and the culture within the company. This is a big part of the employee's willingness to go above and beyond for others within the company. We have built that relationship and are like family. These activities include Chili Cook-Off, Secret Valentines, Cinco de Mayo, Dip Day, Block Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving Dinner, and Christmas at GTM. Please click on an event to see more detail.