Started in Merrill. Still here.
Kim and John Gillman founded ATS in Merrill in 1989 with Dennis Barthel, now retired. The company outgrew that building and has run from a 60,000 square foot facility on Three Mile Road in Monitor Township ever since. A further 40,000 square feet of warehouse and production space is being added now.
We grew by adding what customers kept asking for
ATS started as a screen printing shop and grew into a contract printer working for other brands. Embroidery came next, then promotional products, then large format, DTF, and warehousing and fulfillment.
None of it was a strategy exercise. Each capability got added because customers kept asking who else they had to call, and the honest answer should have been nobody.
- A contract printer first — half our work is for other brands
- Six automatic presses and 100 embroidery heads
- Stickering, car and boat wraps, and large format signage
- Warehousing, fulfillment and blind shipping in house
- Founded
- 1989, in Merrill
- Facility
- 60,000 sq ft
- Expansion
- +40,000 sq ft
- People
- 90+
- Owners
- Kim & John Gillman
The work leaves Michigan
Fishing brands, television shows, national concert tours, the Olympics, marathons. Orders that ship one box to one address, and orders that ship seventy thousand hats to seventy thousand people.
- Fishing and outdoor brands
- National concert tours and television
- The Olympics and major marathons
- Drop shipments worldwide, direct to the customer
We hire where other shops do not look
Between seventy and a hundred people work here on any given day, and a lot of them came through doors most employers keep shut.
- High school co-op students and Bay-Arenac ISD students
- Do-All Inc. employment services
- Retired workers who want part-time hours
- Parents who need the schedule to fit the school run
“We looked for many different avenues and non-traditional places. We think that there are valuable people and valuable assets there.”
Bill Coppens · Operations Manager
“We help clients take their brands to new heights by providing all-encompassing custom apparel and promotional services.”
Our mission
Six values, and we mean them
These are not wall decorations. They came out of the work and they are what we hire and promote against.
Pride
We take immense pride in delivering meticulously crafted custom apparel and promotional solutions that reflect our dedication to excellence.
Collaboration
Close collaboration with clients and partners means every project benefits from a synergy of ideas and expertise.
Quality
Stringent standards in materials, workmanship and processes — the hallmark of everything that leaves the building.
Analytics
Data-driven decisions that optimize our processes and give clients real insight into their brand programs.
Integrity
Ethical business practice, transparency and unwavering honesty in every interaction. The bedrock of how we operate.
Growth
Growth beyond business expansion — we invest in our team’s development, personal and professional.
Tell us what you need made
Garment type, quantity, decoration method, and your in-hands date. We’ll come back with a real number.