Peter Benway always dreamed of becoming an entrepreneur. At the tender age of 19, he turned those dreams into reality, opening a screen-printing business, BSP Apparel Studio, in 2010 as the sole proprietor. The company — which recently moved into a greatly expanded office and showroom in North Salem — decorates printed and embroidered garments from T-shirts to uniforms to tote bags (even underwear, if requested!). Benway’s clients include local businesses and nonprofits, such as Neighbors Link, the Town of Bedford, and Arco Cleaning.
Benway, a Fox Lane High School graduate, says he loves the creative aspect of the business and helping clients come up with eye-catching graphics and logos to get their messages across on apparel items. He gets tremendous satisfaction when seeing his products worn at local events.
Suprisingly, Benway doesn’t hire experienced machine operators or graphic artists. Instead he prefers to offer his seven employees skill training. “There are a lot of processes and variables in this business, so I prefer to hire people based on their character and teach them the skills necessary to produce a great product,” he says.
It is likely that Benway will be looking for additional employees when he opens his new 18,000 sq. ft. space, which will have the capacity to print large bulk orders of 1,000 or more pieces easily. It’s a big jump for Benway, but as his business has grown from $50,000 in his first year to just shy of $1 million in revenue last year, he’s clearly ready for the next step.
