Berryville-based apparel-maker's sales soar 92% in 3 years

Patrick Pierce (left) loads shirts onto a screen printing machine as Martin Monague handles completed shirts at Kerusso in Berryville. The company estimates that it controls about 75 percent of the Christian T-shirt market.
Patrick Pierce (left) loads shirts onto a screen printing machine as Martin Monague handles completed shirts at Kerusso in Berryville. The company estimates that it controls about 75 percent of the Christian T-shirt market.

BERRYVILLE -- Christian apparel-maker Kerusso has come a long way from its start selling T-shirts out of a garage in Eureka Springs nearly 30 years ago.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette

Shelves are filled with finished Christian T-shirts at Kerusso in Berryville.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette

Hailey Davis counts and organizes Christian T-shirts at Kerusso in Berryville. The company ranked No. 3,479 on Inc’s 2016 list of the nation’s 5,000 fastest-growing, privately held companies.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette

Sheryl Sanders folds finished T-shirts at Kerusso in Berryville. The company’s name means “to preach” in Greek.

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NWA Democrat-Gazette

Vic Kennett, founder and chief executive officer of Kerusso; photographed on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016, at the Berryville business.

Today the company is a major player in Christian clothing circles and employs more than 160 workers at its 100,000-square-foot facility on a 10-acre campus in Berryville.

Kerusso saw 92 percent sales growth over the past three years, according to Inc. magazine. The company ranked No. 3,479 on Inc's 2016 list of the nation's 5,000 fastest-growing, privately held companies. Kerusso has found itself on the list six times over the past nine years.

The company sold 3 million T-shirts in 2015, has its products distributed to 65 countries around the globe and supplies more than 5,400 retailers.

The U.S. apparel and footwear segment is expecting continued growth, according to information provided by global market research company Euromonitor International. Sales of footware and apparel in the U.S. stood at $266.8 billion for 2015, a 2.2 percent increase over the year before. The category is expected to see a total of 8.3 percent growth over the next five-year period.

Sales of shirts and blouses were $25.4 billion in 2015, a 2.4 percent increase from the year earlier. Euromonitor predicts sales in the segment will grow by nearly 5 percent over the next five years.

Kerusso, which means "to preach" in Greek, grew little by little, company founder Vic Kennett said.

Kennett estimates Kerusso controls about 75 percent of the Christian T-shirt market. But nowadays the company sells more than T-shirts, adding hats, hoodies, toys, gifts, accessories and jewelry. Kerusso designs its own products and also produces some under license, including shirts and jewelry for the faith-based films Courageous, Fireproof and War Room.

After a failed attempt to open a fitness center, Kennett borrowed money from his siblings to start his fledgling T-shirt business in 1987. He was eager to use his shirts to spread his Christian faith, but he was also adamant that he'd do it while being fiscally conservative, eschewing debt.

"The one thing I had was passion," Kennett said.

Today Kerusso's business is primarily wholesale, with its T-shirts sold in a wide variety of general retailers, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as well as specialty shops such as Christian bookstores. Kennett said that with many brick-and-mortar stores under increasing pressure from online competition, Kerusso is selling more of its shirts directly through the company's website.

"We sell a lot online and it's growing," he said. "We have to meet the customer where they are."

CBA, a trade association that represents Christian product providers, said 2015 saw $8 billion in total revenue from sales of Christian Bibles, books, gifts, apparel and music -- a less than 1 percent decrease from the year before. The figures are based on sales data software that looks at actual sales at Christian stores. Gifts, which include apparel, made up 18 percent of total sales in 2015.

Kerusso is known for T-shirts with a Christian message wrapped in a pop-culture reference, be it from Star Wars or Pokemon Go. Kennett said the company is now offering other more targeted apparel lines.

The company's Grace & Truth line is aimed at women, using quality fabrics, more fashionable fits, and a subtle and lighthearted message. Kennett said the line is perfect for the woman who feels strongly about her faith but who doesn't want an "over-the-top" message on her shirt. The Cherished Girl line has more flamboyant colors and has a Southern vibe that's fun and whimsical, he said.

"We see these shirts as culturally relevant while being graphically appealing, " Kennett said.

Kerusso also is expanding its business through a new division, Kerusso Ministry Solutions, which offers merchandising along with logistical, brand and e-commerce support to larger, nonprofit Christian ministries.

"The way we see it, let us put our almost 30 years experienced to work for you, because we have the same mission," Kennett said.

And in the end, it's that mission that keeps Kennett energized and his business moving forward, one step at a time.

"That's what it's all about -- turning people's attention toward God and our Savior," Kennett said. "Plant a seed, start a conversation and let God do the rest."

SundayMonday Business on 10/16/2016

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