Minority Owned Business Doubles in Size and Celebrates Third Expansion; Reliant Apparel
Running a successful minority-owned business can be challenging enough, especially during Covid-19. But Reliant Apparel, a Black-owned and woman-owned business is showing the world how it’s done.
Founded in 2011 by Clinton Appelhanz and his sister Anna Stauffer, Reliant Apparel provides custom products and gifts to businesses of all sizes. Going against the odds, Reliant Apparel is growing again and celebrates its third expansion since its start as a small, but mighty business in downtown Topeka.
Phenomenal Growth
Reliant Apparel started in the back of a fair-trade gift store, Boho Mojo, in downtown Topeka with production machines set up in the basement and back rooms. As products and services grew quickly and opportunity opened up, Reliant Apparel eventually took over Boho Mojo’s retail store space in 2017 at 631 South Kansas Avenue.
Reliant Apparel revamped its new retail space the following year with a remodel in 2018. The owners invested heavily in a new storefront sign and awning, updated floors, lighting fixtures, mannequins, decor, and customer meeting rooms. It became a perfect showcase to the public for Reliant Apparel’s unique printing capabilities and professional graphic designs.
They created kiosks for customers to design customized apparel products in-store. Aggressively innovating and pursuing new business made it essential for Reliant Apparel to add more production machines to support its growth and meet growing demand. Reliant has doubled the number of its machines since its remodel in 2018. For all in-house production, Reliant Apparel has acquired a mix of machines to provide a wide range of custom services:
Roque automated presses
Vastex manual press
16 color Amaya embroidery machines
Epson “Direct to T-Shirt” printer
Custom applique and vinyl cutters
Sawgrass sublimation printers
Online Innovations
Reliant Apparel also recognizes that companies and organizations need web stores along with a timely, reliable vendor to successfully sell merchandise online—especially during social distancing. Within the past year, Reliant Apparel has been helping its customers set up online web stores that businesses can brand as their own to share with others for their selling purposes. This is especially helpful for artists building merchandise for their bands with Reliant Apparel’s subdivision, Onstage Merch, that specializes in supporting musical groups (onstagemerch.com).
Appelhanz and Stauffer believe in helping and supporting businesses of all different sizes and are especially passionate about helping entrepreneurs and artists get started. Online web stores make it easy for individuals or businesses to sell their merchandise online without having to keep a large inventory on hand.
Meet the Owners
Owners Appelhanz and Stauffer, say that having a diverse management team stimulates creativity to help Reliant bring more products and services to its customers—delivering unparalleled value.
The Reliant Apparel team represents a mix of ages and cultural backgrounds.
“One person’s experience can directly benefit another if we listen and allow everyone to work together. Here at Reliant Apparel, a diverse team helps bring more ideas—and more success to our customers,” says Appelhanz.
Appelhanz is responsible for business planning, marketing direction, and equipment upkeep. He brings a decade of experience in managing the state-of-the-art machinery and production systems that allow their business to produce large quantities of products within a short time frame. His artistic passions and creativity shine with each project.
Stauffer is responsible for running the business operations. She manages a wide range of business needs from advertising, planning activities, managing production schedules, and much more.
Production Powerhouse
Quality is Reliant Apparel’s top priority when it comes to both talent and product; so printing, embroidery, and graphic designs are all produced in-house. Reliant works directly with its customers on product designs and has acquired a multitude of printing machines over the past 9 years including special equipment for sublimation, embroidery, high-volume quality production, and more to offer a full spectrum of services and products for its business customers. Consider these factors added in:
Small businesses make up 99 percent of Kansas businesses
Only about 10 percent are minority-owned
And only 7 percent of Kansas businesses are owned by women
Reliant is most excited about its recent partnership with the Advertising Specialty Institute to expand its products to a full line of virtually endless promotional product possibilities (reliantapparel.com/promotional). Businesses of all sizes can select from a wide variety of custom product options to support their business, university, band, special events, and more.
“We create an environment that makes it easy to collaborate, create, and be inspired. We’re thrilled to offer more product options for our clients to help them see what’s possible for their business,” says Stauffer.
Service Customers Nationwide
Reliant produces custom work for local and national customers including ASICS, Capitol Federal Savings Bank, Greater Topeka Partnership, Mize CPAs, Reser's Fine Foods, USD 501, USD 345, Washburn University, Mars Chocolate North America, Target Distribution, Cumulus Broadcasting and more.
More about Reliant Apparel
In 2016, Reliant earned the Minority and Women Business of Distinction by GO Topeka.
Reliant Apparel specializes in custom products and apparel:
Screen printing
Embroidery
Applique
Direct to garment
Heat transfer
Custom promotional products
“Design Your Own” apparel graphics
Reliant also has the following certifications:
Washburn University licensed
Kansas State University licensed
SAM/DUNS government certified
USD 501 certified
Learfield licensed
Affinity Gateway Greek licensed
More information is available on its website: reliantapparel.com
