Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristan Dane.
Hi Kristan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
In 1998-1999 I worked for a company in Ft. Myers learning to run commercial embroidery machines and then progressed to learning to digitize deigns. In 2002 I had to leave the area and was faced with raising three young boys by myself so with my paren’t help, we purchased an industrial embroidery machine and I worked out of my home building a small embroidery business. I started with fishing clubs, custom orders and local bands and events and ran it out of my dining room for 10 years. In 2012-2013 I moved into a small shop about a mile from my house and invested in a four head embroidery machine and the company continued to grow. I added heat presses and one part time emplo0yee. As the company expanded, we quickly outgrew the 500 sf office we were in and moved to a larger location in Orange Park in May of 2017. We sold the four head machine, added four more individual machines for a total of 5 machines. Over the last 8 years we have grown and changed many times over. We now do dye sublimation, Heat Transfer Vinyl, Screen Printing and a lot of embroidery. We serve much of the construction, automotive and local businesses as well as several corporate accounts to include the JM Family Northeast Florida Toyota Distributors. We build purchasing websites for our clients and fill hundreds of orders a week. We now have two full-time employees and six part time employees some times working two shifts a day to complete orders.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not always been a smooth road. When I first started, I worked a lot with the fishing industries and fishing captains. When the economy tanked, fishermen and captains stopped ordering unnecessary embroidery items to be able to afford gas and insurance. I changed gears and started targeting the construction, lawn care and local band groups and did well for a while. When I moved into the first shop, with having to pay rent for the first time, I started reaching out to other companies to outsource their digitizing to me and we balanced out again. When we had to move into the new location, business started taking off again with a new excitement and new clients and things were good until Covid hit so again we changed gears and started making masks, decorated, embroidered, plain, adjustable, etc. We had just purchased our screen printing equipment and were doing apparel and uniforms for the Fire Department, Hospitals and some local essential companies and therefore we were allowed to open and continue business without allowing the general public to be in the office, except for picking up orders. We have adjusted and changed with each bump and I think it has made us a stronger company and more resiliant team players.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
We specialize in custom created designs. We do not use stock designs or use an outsourced company to create our designs. We do all our artwork in house as well as all our own digitizing of embroidery designs. Initially , I was known for my life-like fish designs and appealed to much of the fishing and hunting industry. My work caught the eye of the chairman of the Greater Jacksonville Kingfish Tournament, the Florida Lure Anglers Club and severl other fishing clubs in the area which gave me a start. I continue to create prize winning designs for our customers and for competitions, although the time for competition has greatly decreased in the last 5 years. Our company is also known for it excellent customer service and attention to detail. Our customers become familiar to us and return year after year. I am most proud of theway my team works together to accomplish our goals. We often sit together to discuss new techniques, fresh ideas and how we can improve our turn around time and make our work the standard others reach for. We are proud to be a part of many charities, donating items and services to their cause as well as assisting others in the industry in our areas with problems, need for items we can offer and advise on how to do something. Our years of experience are shared and we don’t believe in having competition among other local apparel decorating companies, we want to be colleagues and aids. The designs I am most proud of is the Florida Map Fish design and probably the one we call the mad dog biker logo. I think the thing that sets us apart the most is our ability to adapt and our slogan “Yeah, we can do that”. Then we figure it out.
What matters most to you?
My employees, our relationship with our customers and the quality of work we produce are the most important to me. I have the most amazing employees who are loyal, trustworthy and will go above and beyond to make our business succeed. Without the wonderful people who work with me, my business would have gone under years ago. Our quality reflects on how we feel about our customers and I believe each of us here at KDdidDesigns treat the products as if they are our own and that our reputation is based on each piece we decorate.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kddiddesigns.com
