PTAC Success Story

LF. Knitwear

Founded in 1984, and owned by Laura Evans. From its inception, LF Knitwear found its niche market in the professional sports industry. LF Knitwear manufactures knitted sweaters resembling professional sport teams, this includes sweaters for men, women and children in all sizes. Laura Evans acknowledged early on that selling uniforms to the government would require financing to fulfill large orders. Expansion in the government procurement market would be necessary to sustain a growing business.

LF Knitwear became frustrated when government agencies did not respond to her inquiries. LF Knitwear turned to SOBRO/PTAC for technical assistance and financing. LF Knitwear’s vision was to expand into a warehouse, however, lack of access to credit and capital became a stumbling block to growth. “I needed money to pay for space, to attract new customers, to pay for raw materials that these orders required and to pay for workers to complete orders,“ says Laura Evans, president of LF Knitwear. With support from SOBRO/Procurement Technical Assistance Center-PTAC, LF Knitwear was able to build a solid business infrastructure.

PTAC’s technical assistance included marketing, access to government contacting opportunities, access to a network of existing customers, technical assistance preparation of a capability statement, certification and business plan development, and legal referrals. Through SOBRO’s services the business enjoyed a reduction in its operation costs which led to profitability. New bidding opportunities emerged on government contracts projected at $3 million dollars. Plans are being finalized for purchasing a warehouse to support e-commerce needs.