C.C. Creations’ journey from humble beginnings to a massive new facility is stitched together by grit, growth, and a love for people.

The team at C.C. Creations all standing in a group picture taken at an overhead angle
All images courtesy of C.C. Creations

“People still ask where the ‘C.C.’ came from in our name.”

Pat Venteicher, who was the senior vice president of manufacturing at C.C. Creations at the time of writing, says the story of the business begins back in 1982 with only two manual screen-printing machines in a small shop in Bryan, Texas. He says the “C.C.” stands for “Cam (Cope) and Charlie (Galbraith),” who started it all.

Like many apparel decorating shops, the small start led to big growth for the business. “During the rest of the 1980s and 1990s, the company developed under the leadership of Ford Taylor,” explains Venteicher. “During the same time period, Taylor would also mentor a young sales representative by the name of Kenny Lawson, who went on to purchase the company in 2005.”

Now the CEO, Lawson notes that splitting from a parent company at the time posed some challenges. “But it also allowed the company and its leadership the ability to focus on establishing a family-oriented culture and provide customer-driven service,” he adds.

Now a thriving apparel decorating business — that also offers promotional products along with trophies and awards — C.C. Creations boasts a massive 210,000-square-foot Legacy Campus, which officially came to fruition in January 2024. The facility is home to a whopping 27 automatic screen print machines and 159 embroidery heads.

Despite its massive size and impressive capabilities, C.C. still retains its core values of focusing on relationships with both employees and customers.

C.C.’s Big Print Story

Following the 2005 transition, Lawson notes that over the course of about 15 years, the business grew 10-20% every year as Bryan/College Station continued to flourish. “Texas was healthy and growing — we established partnerships with Buc-ees, HEB, and Whataburger,” Lawson says.

And then COVID hit.

The apparel decorating community as a whole took a punch to the chin during the pandemic. With live events coming to a screeching halt and in-person retail hitting a near standstill, apparel decorators everywhere felt the anxiety. Some, like C.C., were able to think fast and adapt.

“We were able to provide essential PPE through masks, apparel, and safety equipment,” Lawson says. “We sheltered, and when it was time to open back up — we did very aggressively.” From there, it’s been all about keeping the pedal to the metal. “We quickly were able to focus on intentional growth in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, along with expansion of our contract partnerships with Nike, Fanatics, Adidas, and new partner Lululemon,” Lawson explains.

Above slideshow: C.C. Creations employees have a loyalty and dedication to top-notch customer service. "Each of us live out our Core Values each day. They are what shape us and make us successful." – Kenny Lawson, CEO

He points to a strong work ethic and dedication to relationships as the leading factors that have kept C.C. in business over the decades. “If it wasn’t for our values, our wonderful employees who strive to DO IT RIGHT and are NEVER SATISFIED, and the customers who push us to be a better company, we would not be celebrating 43 years in the industry,” he believes.

Those 43 years in business have certainly seen a fair share of ups and downs. Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, Lawson feels there are a couple defining moments that stand out to him. One such moment followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks. “Texas A&M had a request that we do a small section of their football stadium in red, white, and blue T-shirts … a 10,000 shirt ask to raise money for victims’ families,” Lawson recalls. It was a one-week turnaround, but the team felt good about the job.

But then the media caught wind of what was going on, and things skyrocketed.

“It quickly turned into a request to red, white, and blue the whole stadium — 87,000 shirts,” says Lawson. “This was in September, one of our busiest months of the year. We went to our employees and asked them: can we do this in five days? For the good of America, and a resounding, “Yes,” we went into 24-hour production mode, and through sheer determination — and a lot of coffee — we made it happen.”

Lawson describes that moment as one of the proudest in his life.

It’s those core values, those defining moments, that Sarah Kryzstofik, VP of sales and marketing, feels sets C.C. apart. “We have a sales team dedicated to finding product solutions, owning our customers’ brands, and providing the highest level of customer service,” she says. “We don’t just print shirts. We develop partnerships and are fanatical about what we do and how we serve our customers, community, and our employees.”

Experience Meets What’s Next

You don’t go 43 years in business without seeing a transformation or two happen in the industry. Today’s apparel decorating community is seeing its fair share of change, and C.C. is not only here to grow and adapt with the world, but continue to define it.

The relationships we’ve built with our customers, our vendors, and our internal team members. It’s literally on every box we ship out!

Venteicher notes that despite the meteoric rise of direct-to-film (DTF) printing and a call for increased digital production, they still have a huge demand for screen printing and embroidery. “In the past three years, as DTF technology emerged in the market, there was a lot of excitement and speculation within the industry about its potential to replace traditional methods like screen printing and embroidery,” he says. “However, the actual impact of this shift seems to be contingent on the customer base.”

For C.C. specifically, he states that in 2024 alone, the company successfully completed approximately 8,500,000 screen-printing impressions. “Moreover, the demand for embroidery remains robust as well,” Venteicher says. “With the inauguration of our new Legacy Facility, we upgraded our previous Tajima Embroidery machines to the innovative TMEZ technology.” He adds that they expect a demand of around 1,200,000 logos this year.

Pat Venteicher says the demand for screen printing highlights the continued relevance for the technology.
Screen printing is ideal for large run requests that require quick turnaround times.
"The demand for embroidery remains robust ," says Pat Venteicher
Pat Venteicher belives that ensuring quality and efficiency in embroidery is paramount to fulfill logo order promptly and maintain customer satisfaction.

Venteicher strongly believes these numbers point to the continued relevance of all apparel decorating technologies, especially screen printing and embroidery. But that doesn’t mean they aren’t embracing new technology or paying attention to the up-and-comers. In fact, doing so is crucial to C.C.’s long legacy of success.

“Automation in manufacturing will play a crucial role in achieving high performance and quick turnarounds to meet customer needs,” Venteicher feels. “Ensuring a 100% on-time delivery rate will be paramount as customers prioritize reliable on-time delivery of their goods.”

Also hot on the radar is AI, with apparel decorators across the country exploring ways to implement it in their businesses. “Companies are leveraging AI and automation for efficient mock-up creation on garments, streamlining the artwork process, and preparing orders swiftly for production,” says Venteicher. “With 26 years of experience in the field, I've witnessed significant technological advancements and automation improvements. Anticipating even faster changes and innovative ideas in the upcoming years, the industry presents both challenges and exciting opportunities for growth and evolution.”

In that spirit, Venteicher offers some advice for other decorators out there that may be new to the space or are early in their journeys. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Networking in the industry has evolved significantly over the last 10 years,” he says. “With the rise of industry conventions, smaller summits, vendor subject matter experts (SMEs), and social media platforms, open conversations are becoming more common. … The industry offers numerous opportunities for success, and I've had the pleasure of engaging with many professionals, [and am] looking forward to witnessing their continued growth and success.”

The 2025 Best of the Brazos Valley Awards

Sarah Krzystofik, VP Sales Operations and Marketing, C.C. Creations

In Bryan-College Station, Best of the Brazos awards businesses who are voted best in their categories by collecting votes from local community members. We have been nominated (and won) in the following categories and years:

C.C. Creations

  • Best Custom Clothing: 2001-2025
  • Best Custom Embroidery: 2012-2025
  • Best Printing Services (Signs): 2021-2025
  • Best Promotional Items: 2012-2025

Retail facility Maroon U

  • Best Accessories: 2021-2025
  • Best Gift Shop: 2016-2022, 2025

The other retail facility won Best Place to Buy Aggie Merchandise 2012-2025.

And we won all of our categories this year for Best of the Brazos — 25 years in a row!