Through the years, Hearlihy and HIX Corporation have built a strong partnership, one that has helped students learn screen-printing skills that have led them to competition at SkillsUSA National Championships. “Our booth is gaining a reputation and being called the ‘T-shirt People’ by attendees and other vendors,” said Hearlihy’s Kevin Bolte.
The SkillsUSA National Championships, held in Kansas City, Missouri, every June during the National Leadership and Skills Conference, is a chance for high school and college students training for different trade, technical, and skilled service occupations to compete in hands-on activities based on their skill set. This year more than 5,400 students participated in 91 different competitions.
HIX Corporation, an industry leader in the manufacture of heat transfer and screen-printing equipment, conducts the National Screen Printing Competition at SkillsUSA. The company provides all of the equipment, screens, supplies, and a lot of personnel to run the event.
Hearlihy holds direct garment screen-printing demonstrations during the conference and also gives competitors a chance to practice their skills. “Over the last three years, all of the students who have placed in the top five have visited our booth several times to use the equipment and ask questions,” Bolte said.
“This year, every student who spent additional time with the equipment in the Hearlihy booth came and thanked me in person for letting them have practice time and get a few tips and pointers. They all felt that it gave them an edge over the competition and they had more confidence.” This year, Hearlihy also provided laptop bags for the first-, second-, and third-place students and donated screen-printing curriculum to the first-place winners in the secondary and post-secondary school categories.
But the partnership between Hearlihy and HIX is not exclusive to SkillsUSA. HIX National Sales Manager James Ortolani said the partnership has helped HIX move into markets it would not be reaching otherwise. “Our partnership with Hearlihy is very important to us,” Ortolani said. “We are a top-notch equipment factory complete with an aluminum-casting foundry, CNC milling stations, and certified engineers on staff, but we are not experts in the distribution and presentation of our equipment and services to the school market, and that’s where Hearlihy steps in to complete the puzzle.”
HIX and Hearlihy, both based in Pittsburg, Kansas, developed a screen-printing curriculum that Hearlihy sells to schools. Both companies have benefited from this partnership.
“When you combine HIX Corporation’s background in the textile printing industry with Hearlihy’s position in the education market, you really have a winning team and the perfect educational partner for schools wanting to set up a top-quality screen-print lab complete with curriculum and DVD training tools,” Ortolani said. “And now that HIX Corporation hosts the National Screen Printing Competition at SkillsUSA, our two companies’ relationship will continue to grow.”
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