who is don’t lose hope?
Don’t Lose Hope Screen Print has been taking care of customers in the Salem and surrounding areas since 2007. Back then, I (Rodney) would find my customers via Myspace and work out of my garage, completing orders. After almost 20 years, I am so proud of the reputation DLH has built - primarily through word of mouth and repeat customers.
Although we make our living with apparel and accessories, at DLH we know that the true reason we shine is our customer service and reliability. Every single order we work on is custom - and that requires top shelf communication.
We’ve worked diligently on our internal systems and workflows to ensure that mistakes are avoided and we are able to accurately inform you on turnaround times for every order.
At DLH, we strive to do good to our local community, and our planet. We offer multiple apparel brands to choose from that are eco conscious, and we’ve taken every measure we can to minimize waste and usage of chemicals during the production process.
As ambassadors for the craft and trade of screen printing, my team is proud to be involved in screen printing industry education and leadership opportunities, events, and open houses at our Salem, Oregon production facility.
We understand that garment decoration is much more than a service we provide - it’s a tangible reflection of your brand and your company’s impression to the world.
If your team could use a trusted partner that strives to impress with our service and quality, we’d love to learn more about your company in order to provide some custom recommendations and help you stand out from your competitors in store, on the floor, in the field, at an event - and more.
Thank you for your consideration and for the opportunity to share who we are.
Stay Rad,
Rodney C.
(founder)
why would anyone become a screen printer?
let our founder tell ya why.
2007-2021
Rodney learns the craft of screen printing in his high school graphic design class
and makes a decision that
changes the course
of his life
It almost seems like screen printing was something I was born to do.
After learning the principles behind screen printing in that class, I was hooked.
I pioneered a program to begin printing apparel for fellow schools, essentially running my own print shop at 15. One day, biking around town, I decided to walk into a local print shop on a whim to see if I could earn some cash doing something a little more exciting than flipping burgers…the owner asked me, “Can you start now?"“
And from there, it was history.
I had learned different screen printing techniques in my graphic design class & from my time working at other print shops, but there was a depth to the craft I had yet to uncover…which was what kept things interesting.
I came across a youtube channel where Ryan Moor, from Ryonet, was one of the only screen printing professionals sharing knowledge freely…and then all the pieces I had gathered from books, online forums, and my other teachers really began piecing themselves together.
Like many printers, I was in a rock band - and what do bands always need? Merch.
Myspace was my marketing avenue in the 2010s, & quickly my client base began to grow beyond the local area thanks to word of mouth. Every single penny I earned, I invested back into the business. I knew this was the life for me, and with exposure to the commercial world of screen printing through Ryonet, I knew that working my way up to better equipment was essential.
Years passed, and I never quit printing, learning, and re-investing back into my dream. Spending money on other things was absolutely tempting! But I had a goal of remaining debt free as long as possible.
As I re-invested into the business, I upgraded my equipment, and slowly but surely…I found myself with a pretty legit operation.
A few lucky breaks contributed to growing the business - namely two top clients (that we still work with today) who were impressed with the quality of gear I put out, and took a chance on a kid with long hair who seemed like he knew what he was doing.
I found a great space in town that gave me the opportunity to print somewhere besides a garage, and DLH continued on - from after high school, throughout my 10 years of management at Best Buy, while I attended university full time, and throughout the pandemic - Don’t Lose Hope has been the most constant thing in my life.
When I was just about done with my stint in university, I was given an opportunity I couldn’t turn down. With the promise that I would be free to continue building DLH, I accepted a position as production manager in a large, local screen printing shop with a crew I could trust. It was a great gig. This is where I became familiar with automatic presses, and got to see what running a successful, larger print shop looked and felt like.
Without getting into the details, after about a year there - I found myself jobless, and back at square one.
So began another period of working a full time job, and clocking in to screen print after my full day’s work was done. Thankfully this job helped keep DLH debt free - although it was surprisingly busy during the pandemic. But like so many others, once the pandemic was “over” - I was ready to make the leap and go ALL IN on this thing I had been building for almost 15 years.
It was time to trust that what I had built was ready.
2021
after multiple shop locations, it’s time for a permanent spot. luckily, we found the perfect space! there’s just one catch…
It’s a fixer upper…
No big deal!
By some miraculous twist of fate - I found what looked like the perfect spot for a new DLH headquarters soon after I was told my current shop space was going bye-bye. It was a huge relief…enough that the idea of fixing up the place didn’t seem to be too big of a trade off. Ironically, my wife & I had just purchased a house that needed a complete remodel…but we couldn’t let this shop space slip through our fingers. It was perfect. We signed the lease. The work began.
While printing the largest order yet for DLH, we were moving in, almost completely redoing the place, and onboarding our first employee, Aaron. Did I mention that I had meticulously researched and also pulled the trigger on the biggest purchase of my life at the same time?
When I said that I knew it was time to go ALL IN on the business, I meant it. Serious screen printers know that investing in an automatic screen printing press is the key to growing your business - as well as I knew my craft, there’s no comparison between the efficiency & production capability of going automatic. Not to mention the toll that pulling squeegees takes on your body - it’s pretty physical, and all those years were making themselves known in my body.
And in an extremely discouraging twist of fate, the equipment we invested in was continuously delayed. For months. About 8 months. Which was kind of a huge deal, considering we had given the green light to a contract client for a GIANT increase in business with the peace of knowing we’d have the auto by then! Except we didn’t.
It’s still not certain how we pulled off pumping out the amount of prints & garments that Aaron, Elisa, & I did in our bare bones shop, in the dead of winter, with just 2 manual presses. But we did.
When we had almost given up on the idea of our press ever showing up (remember when those cargo ships were stuck in the Suez Canal? Yeah. Our press was on there, fresh from Poland…), we got the call that it was on its way.
The day it arrived off of the truck felt surreal. And the first time we powered it on and ran a job, it felt like angels had descended from heaven just to sing hallelujah in our ears.
It was one of the best days of my life.
2022-2024
and continue
to grind.
we secure a remarkable dream team, upgrade our equipment twice in one year
Ever since then, things have been blur.
One of my longest held dreams came true - hiring my best friend, Jason, who had been helping me for years when I needed an extra set of hands at the press. My wife, Elisa, said goodbye to her career in the beauty industry in order to focus on scaling the company with me full time. With more hands helping to push - it felt like the boulder we had all been pushing was finally starting to move.
In the last year, our team has almost doubled.
OJ, Margarita, and Shane are integral parts of our team that all came out of the blue with a passion to work somewhere that they mattered, and could help grow a movement while making the world a better place - having fun while we’re at it.
There is no way that DLH would be where it is today without the dedication of our fellow teammates. Sure, clients come first…but without the team, we aren’t able to serve our clients in the way we are so proud to do.
I started screen printing because I love it, but these last few years have given me a love for something new. Inspiring my team.
What’s next
for dlh?
After almost two decades of business building under our belts, we’re gearing up for a lot of big things at DLH.
We hope to create magic with more artist collaborations, continue cooking up creative content, and as always, taking part in continuing education & uplifting the screen printing industry.
There’s a lot we have in store, and while we don’t want to give too much away & spoil the fun - there’s always 3 things you can count on from Don’t Lose Hope:
Having fun
Taking care of our team
Giving our clients incredible service
Want to stay in the loop on our future plans? Make sure you’re on our email list here.
