APE APE April 2020 | Page 46

INDUSTRY NEWS Free for All Stencil Plus is showing how free stencils can turn big profits J eff Romszewicz, founder and President of Stencil Plus in Charleston, S.C., learned everything he needed to know about entre- preneurialism in elementary school – but he wasn’t in class. The legend goes like this: One day, as an enterpris- ing youngster growing up in Michigan, he noticed his class- mates’ pencil supply wasn’t meeting their daily demand. Romszewicz saw that not only could he help his fellow stu- dents, he could actually turn a profit at the same time. In a matter of days he became the student body’s one-stop shop for pencils. It was there, during recess and lunch peri- od, an entrepreneur was born. Though he’s moved on from black-market pencil dealing to open several successful businesses, Romszewicz said his overall aspiration hasn’t changed much since those ear- ly days. “The goal,” said Romszewicz, “has always been to establish long-lasting relationships with our clients by catering to their individual needs.” From Pencils to Stencils Romszewicz first recognized the need for worksite stencils while working in asphalt and www.callape.com sealcoating. Finding the sten- cils he needed to complete various striping and pavement marking projects was a con- stant obstacle. Seeing the need in his marketplace for custom stencils, Romszewicz found- ed Stencil Plus in 2018. His vision for Stencil Plus was to cater to contractors like him who needed stencils at a com- petitive price from a quick, re- liable vendor. In the two years since, Sten- cil Plus has become one of the largest stencil suppliers in the southeast. With a fully staffed design team and cutting-edge CNC machines, Romszewicz and his crew have earned a reputation for tailoring com- plex design solutions to precise specifications for jobs of all siz- es. The company also offers a menu of pre-designed stencils for everything from basketball courts to handicap-accessible parking spots. “We believe in providing outstanding customer service and delivering high quality products to our clients at com- petitive industry pricing,” said Romszewicz. “That’s what sets us apart in this industry, and that’s the secret to our success.” Why Free Logo Stencils? Despite the success, Romsze- wicz hasn’t lost sight of the oth- er element of entrepreneurship that he fell in love with during those early days – helping oth- ers solve a problem. That, he said, is why Stencil Plus offers free logo stencils to its custom- ers. The idea took form during Romszewicz’s first week of owning his asphalt and paving business in 2016. While the first few weeks are tough for any new business, Romsze- wicz’s experience was almost insurmountable; following just his third day of operation, thieves broke into his building in the middle of the night and stole most of his equipment. While his business eventually recovered, Romszewicz said it was a harrowing setback. The experience, in turn, taught him that branded equipment stands a better chance of being recovered following a theft. It was at that moment, said Romszewicz, that he had a big idea: to brand every piece of equipment – for free. Romsze- wicz said the hardship he suf- fered motivated him to help others avoid the same pitfall. “That’s why we are commit- ted to providing free compa- ny logo stencils to our clients, so they can easily brand their equipment,” Romszewicz said. [46] “If we can save someone else the headache I experienced with something as simple as a company logo stencil, I believe we are positively impacting the industry and taking things to the next level.” A Step Above the Rest Romszewicz said while the free logo stencils have helped es- tablish his company as a trust- worthy partner in the market, the real differentiator has been the same solution-driven ap- proach he developed way back in elementary school. “We believe the best way to earn your business is through upholding our core values of trust and transparency,” said Romszewicz. “We do so by providing our clients with consistent, quality service and products.” That, as Romszewicz has learned, is always in demand. To learn more, visit StencilPlus. com; email sales@stencilplus. com or call 1-877-372-6055 1.800.210.5923