Running

Head: MY EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY TEES

My Experience at University Tees
Megan Carrasco
Kent State University

MY EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY TEES

Working for University Tees has been a commitment of mine for the past three
years. I was hired as a Campus Manager in March of 2013 and am still currently employed
as both a Campus Manager and an intern through May 2016. I have learned a lot about this
company. I have interned for a total of over 6 months and have worked on all sides of the
operation. A quick overview would reveal that University Tees is a custom apparel
company based out of Lakewood, Ohio. We provide everything to the customer from the
sales pitch, to the design of the artwork to the production and finally shipping to the
customer. We also have an entire department dedicated to serving the customer after the
apparel has been shipped to assist with any misprints, tracking issues or damaged apparel.
This company is completely customer focused as well as focused on the well being of their
employees. There are four main areas I feel are essential to focus on in order to explain my
experience and new understanding of the practical applications of communication at
UTees. First, I will talk a little about the culture. This will include values, mission statement,
physical space, and extra curricular activities. Second, I will explain my understanding of
the unique hierarchal structure of the company, and where a lowly intern fits in. Third, I
will explain my unique role as an intern. And finally, assess the valuable skills I have
learned in these past few years.
The culture at University Tees is one of the most unique environments Ive ever
been in. The physical space is probably the most obvious reason for that. In the office, all
desks are tables, where everyone sits next to each other. Some employees have optioned to
have standing desks. Some employees sit on yoga balls. The only closed off room in the
office, is that of Nate, our human resources guru. Other than that, everyone, including the
President and Vice-President, sit at these long white tables with everyone else. The room is

MY EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY TEES

arranged sort of by departments, with OnPoint members at the first set of tables, Business
Development Leaders at the second two, and the artists are all together on the left side of
the room. Past the BDLs is the kitchen and then two meeting rooms. The physical space of
the office allows for ease of communication between departments and collaboration. Every
person has a rolling cart under their desk with a pillow on top of it that is designed to have
others sit with you at your workstation. Dress is casual. We are a custom apparel company,
so jeans and t-shirts are pretty much the only apparel you see. There are often dogs
frequenting the main office. It is a policy that as long as your dog behaves, furry friends are
welcome in the office. Some notable guests are Stella, Vincent, Tuck and Lady. The overall
atmosphere in the office is positive, relaxed and collaborative. Meeting rooms are set up
with cameras and speakers in order to include our employees in remote locations.
University Tees also has offices in Dallas and Chicago, as well as some employees who work
remotely from Indiana and Minnesota.
However, there are some perks of working in the home office. Aside from dogs and
an open atmosphere, University Tees puts on several different extra curricular programs
for their employees. When it isnt busy season, members participate in a weekly book club
meeting. Books are chosen from an assortment of motivation and leadership development
books chosen by the group leaders. There is also an option to do yoga during lunch or join
the office walking club for some exercise during the day. Finally, the office just recently
adopted Lunch Owl, a program that delivers healthy meals for lunch once a week.
Employees have the opportunity to select from various menu items and University tees
covers $5 of the meal.

MY EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY TEES

The mission statement and values that University Tees has adopted are the
guidelines for everyday interactions and the culture in the office. They dont only apply to
how we treat our customers or how the business is run. The values run all the way through
the company to the lowly intern whose opinion is valued comparable to any other
employee. The espoused values of University Tees are: delivering happiness, long-term
mindset, continuous improvement, passion and enthusiasm, worthwhile work, fanatical
attention to detail, entrepreneurial attitude, welcome & embrace change, resourcefulness
and do what we say we do (DWWSWD). These values encompass University Tees as a
brand. All of these traits are expected of their employees and Campus Managers and in
turn, something we look for in prospective hires as well. UTees takes the time to invest in
our employees. Several of the key team leaders spend time at various leadership
workshops throughout the year to improve the way they operate. Nick and Joe, the cofounders of the company are heavily involved in the day-to-day management of University
Tees.
My interpretation of these policies as it relates to organizational communication, is
that Nick and Joe have sought out to create the most comfortable and inclusive
environment possible in order to encourage company loyalty and produce better sales. A
company that invests this much time and effort into the well being of their employees
understands the fundamental concepts of a millennial workplace. The entire business is
focused on a college market and I would say a majority of the employees are less than 30
years old. There is flexibility and an environment that caters to the wants and needs of a
young workforce. They offer things like flextime and self-accountability to bring a brand
loyalty and a desire to perform well. University Tees stared in 2003 with four employees

MY EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY TEES

and we now have over 100 and three regional offices. The goal of Nick and Joe is to create
the best job on campus for college students and behind that goal is an empowered staff
ready to make that happen. Their understanding to change from a traditional workplace
environment fosters happiness that in turn fosters growth.
As an intern, I have learned a lot of valuable skills form working in this type of
environment. My role was a general intern. Therefore, I worked all across the departments
and aided in projects that spanned from photo shoots to art feedback to website design. My
role was to provide insight and feedback to anyone who needed it, along with doing some
menial tasks like organizing the warehouse. Most importantly- I learned the importance of
being multi-faceted and interdepartmental understanding. I think one of the biggest flaws
in University Tees when I started interning was the lack of understanding between
departments. The operations team didnt understand the way sales procured orders or why
they would be pushed through incomplete. The sales team was struggling to understand
why the art team revisions were slow or why artwork wasnt reaching their creative
potential. The innovation team struggled to understand the needs of Campus Managers.
Through my time with University Tees as an intern, I was invited to be a part of so many
different discussions where my feedback was both encouraged and valued. Some of my
favorite meetings with the Innovations Team were when something I said turned a light on
in the heads of our developers. In one particular instance there was a drop down menu of
products for our customers to select from. They felt very empowered by this creation, and I
pointed out that using the brand and product number means nothing to the customer or
the Campus Manager. We usually search for products by type (long sleeve, short sleeve,
tank) and then by brand. This was something that hadnt even occurred to them. My

MY EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY TEES

perspective was really unique in my role in that I got to work with so many departments. In
a meeting with art director, Matt Bestic, we talked about approaching artwork from a
Campus Manager perspective, a graphic designer, customer and nationwide customer. We
used feedback from surveys and vetted how the feedback could potentially be applied. I am
also a member of the CM honors focus group that meets monthly via phone conference to
talk about general company concerns. From this conversation, I was able to relay to Matt
that our best performing Campus Managers are not concerned with which artist does their
art, as long as it is completed correctly and on time. This was a huge break through for the
art department, who works so hard to build relationships with Campus Managers that may
not be necessary moving forward.
Most importantly, Vice-President, Joe Haddad, invited me to be a part of the Process
Mapping initiative. I am now considered part of the 12 core leadership team members of
University Tees for a four-day leadership exercise. The goal of the workshop is to work
through our current processes and find waste within them. We will be doing a complete
analysis of everything we do as a company and trying to find ways to make it more
customer centered and eliminate duplicate processes. I am the only Campus Manager on
the team. We also have Vice President Joe, our CTO, the heads of operations, art and finance
as well as the customer service team. The goal is to create a more technically functional
company and eliminate the multi-step processes that may be unnecessary and also perfect
that which does work. This opportunity allows me insight into several different parts of a
multi-million dollar business. To future employers, I can stress that I understand
coordination efforts between departments, waste management, interdepartmental
cooperation and a working knowledge of how to best collaborate. I bring the ability to

MY EXPERIENCE AT UNIVERSITY TEES

work in any department and handle multiple tasks. I have a concrete knowledge of the best
customer service practices for this company and most are transferable to any other job.
Deliver a quality product, put the customer first, proactive engagement, set expectations.
My sales experience allows me to see all sides of University Tees. I have graciously been
given leadership roles and influence as to how this company operates.
As an intern, I was given the opportunity to write and brand an entire Customer
Service Guide to be used by over 300 Campus Managers Nationwide. I wrote a 10-page
document outlining best practices; preventative measures top 11 most common issues and
ways of handling them and used our values as my guiding principles. As a Campus Manager
with over $200,000 in lifetime sales, I have become so accustomed to working in this
environment, and I could bring my problem solving skills, creativity and vast knowledge
and interworkings of this company to any other job.