Grandstand

Chris Piper launched Grandstand in 1988 as a fresh graduate from the University of Kansas. “I didn’t want to go into the corporate world, so I started my own business.”

Very quickly, Chris recognized how difficult running a successful business can be, especially in his industry. “I realized that everybody prints T-shirts, and everybody knows somebody who prints T-shirts.” So the business eventually transformed into glassware printing, as well. But the additional product line didn’t solve for all his challenges.

“Our first four or five years in business were rough,” Chris says. “Business school didn't quite prepare me for everything that business is. And that's a never-ending lesson.” Apart from the nuances of maintaining the day-to-day operations, Chris encountered his fair share of industry challenges. “I think business continues to transform on a daily basis, becoming much more regulated. There are a lot more things that you have to be aware of.” For Chris, the key to sustained growth was finding partners who could guide him through those business-related challenges.

“From a partnership standpoint,” says Chris, “you've got to have a bank that supports you. You’ve got to have a bank that understands you.” He recalls his early banking relationships throughout Lawrence being more transactional. What he appreciates about INTRUST is that they know him, and they know his business. “They ask questions. They want to know what's going on,” he says. “When we moved over to INTRUST Bank, I think, right out of the gate, they were sitting with us to understand what our business is, what our needs are, and what our needs are past six months.”

It's this planning for the future that Chris seems to value most. “I get focused on today, tomorrow, next month. INTRUST is looking down the road,” he says. “[They] really help us identify those long-term needs, to be able to get to where we want to go.”

In 2019, when Grandstand needed an additional warehouse added onto their building, they looked to INTRUST for guidance. “We went to INTRUST with the numbers, and they came back with solutions and how to set it up so that we not only had the money to build, but we also had the capital to continue to operate and the capital to grow.”

Chris and his team have prioritized implementing digital processes throughout the company, including becoming the first company in the U.S. to offer digital embossing. “Technology gets better every day,” says Chris, “and I think INTRUST continues to push us in the right direction there, as well.”

“They check in to learn more about the business and provide us, not only solutions, but some advice,” he says. “I'm not in the banking business, so I appreciate having that kind of support.

“Solutions don't come from the ivory tower or a group of four people making decisions for everybody else. It comes from everybody at every level of the company.” Giving people the space to offer ideas and provide sound feedback is how Grandstand continues to grow. “INTRUST listens to me,” says Chris. “But they also give me feedback on things that I need to think about in a different way.”

Today, Grandstand is more than a glassware and apparel company. According to Chris, “at the core, what we're really trying to do is provide solutions for branding.” And that takes having the right people in place. “I really have very little to do with our success,” Chris says. “It's everybody here, our community of people – that's the only way that I think that a company truly succeeds. That's what partnership is about, really. And that's really what makes me the happiest.”