ASAP Screenprinting, Embroidery & Promotional Products celebrates 22 years in business

ASAP Screenprinting, Embroidery & Promotional Products is celebrating  22 years in business and remains dedicated to supplying clients with quality custom promotional products. From the beginning, ASAP has focused on exceptional customer service, quality and superior artwork.

Started in 1990 by Darrell Meade, a Bethel resident since 1987, ASAP began as a small, one-man shop with Meade’s first location in Salisbury, Md. As the business grew, he found he needed more space, so in 1991 Meade moved ASAP to a facility in Laurel. As sales and production increased, he also found he needed some help to manage exponential growth. Tom Sylvester of Crofton, Md., a friend of Meade’s since 1979, was the perfect fit.

Sylvester’s experience included many years of upper management for a large textile company in Maryland. Through his experience and Meade’s dedication, they were able to not only grow ASAP, but to ensure that the growth experienced by the company was healthy.

By 1997, they made the decision to move ASAP’s production facility to Millersville, Md. Their hope was that by moving to a more densely populated area, ASAP would naturally grow, allowing the firm to serve a larger customer base. With Meade continuing to live in Sussex County, ASAP was able to still take care of the existing Delaware clients while also building relationships with new ones. The move proved to be successful. ASAP’s production more than tripled, and the business continued to grow.

In 2004, ASAP opened a second office in Seaford. This was a business decision that proved to be advantageous. Opening a second location can be a challenge in itself, but the owners made sure that the basic cornerstones of ASAP remained unchanged. Their commitment to exceptional quality, cutting-edge artwork and a focus on friendly customer service were and still are their biggest and best assets and have allowed them to maintain their place in the market.

In the 22 years since ASAP’s inception, the owners have given back to the community over and over again. On Sept. 11, 2001, the world of every American was forever changed. ASAP found a way to help. After designing a T-shirt that read, “9/11, Freedom Will Be Defended,” ASAP was able to donate thousands of dollars from the sale of the shirts to the American Red Cross.

Before and after 9/11, ASAP has annually donated back to the community by offering behind-the-scenes support to many nonprofit customers, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Delaware and Maryland, the American Lung Association of Delaware, Hospice of the Chesapeake, the Anne Arundel County Burn Foundation, the Sussex County Health Promotion Coalition and the Sussex Pregnancy Care Center, just to name a few.

Currently, ASAP offers a fully staffed art department allowing the employees to work with customers to create customized designs. ASAP’s production facility includes three automatic and two manual presses. This allows the capability for handling large-quantity orders for events such as Delmarva Bike Week, The Florida Powerboat Association, The Delaware State Fair, Pork in the Park and the Nanticoke Riverfest.

ASAP can and has handled everything from designing artwork and/or logos to printing the T-shirts and supplying promotional products for the events, to working directly with the event coordinator as a consultant.

ASAP also gladly welcomes smaller orders, such as items needed for family reunions, school fundraisers, churches, restaurants or nightclubs. The owners and staff at ASAP believe that every order and every client is important, regardless of how large or small.

The majority of ASAP’s client base originates from the Delmarva area, but the firm also handles orders for clients from all over the U.S., from California to Texas, from Florida to New Hampshire, and all points in between.

ASAP has long-standing relationships with many clients stretching a decade or more. This is a testament to the great service and quality products offered that keeps clients coming back year after year.

Meade and Sylvester encourage the public to stop by the Delaware or Maryland showrooms to say hello and check out what they do. They refer to ASAP as “Your One Stop Shop for All Things Promotional!,” which seems to be fitting, considering they offer screen printing, embroidery and ad specialty items, along with top-of-the-line art and e-merchant services.

ASAP Delaware is on Route 13 in Seaford, at 22536 Sussex Highway. ASAP Maryland is  off Veterans Highway at 8207 Cloverleaf Drive, Millersville. Call 302-262-3394 for the Delaware office, 410-969-4583 for the Maryland office, or toll free at 888-556-2887 or go to www.asapstuff.com.