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Shockwaves from the tragic events of 9/11, which shook the security of our nation three years ago, pulled the financial rug out from under 36-year-old Vandergrift area native Joe Moore.

"The first time I ever was laid off was after September 11," he said. "I was on the road selling posters for Trans International Posters, and had 109 stores in three states -- Walmart, Toys-R-Us, Ames, mom and pop stores."

Trans International is the largest poster company in North America. "They have licensing rights for major league baseball, NFL, NHL, Warner Bros., Disney, just about anything you can imagine."

After 9/11, he said, "Ames went out of business, and I lost a considerable chunk there. Toys-R-Us and even Walmart's sales slowed down after that."

The lay-off was supposed to be temporary, but instead of waiting around, Joe decided to take control of his situation.

"With my first unemployment check, I also got a thing from the small business program at St. Vincent which was tied in with community college," he explained. "They took eight candidates from Westmoreland County, I believe, and I was one of the ones that they chose."

Prior to his tri-state poster route, Joe spent 10 years working at Tees-N-Tops, a shop that specializes in personalized t-shirts and other apparel in Vandergrift.

"I liked the business," he explained, "and I guess when things get tough, you fall back on what you know."

The 1986 graduate of Kiski Area High School today is the owner of the Your Name Here shop along Market Street in Leechburg.

"I moved downtown here in February of this year," he said. "Before this, I was in the small business building at Parks Bend. My office was right next to Strongland's."

Business was good at Parks Bend, he added, "but I always wanted to have a little retail store and when this place became available I thought it would be perfect."

At Your Name Here, he said, "In-house, I embroider and screen print."

The custom embroidery he provides is done via a single-head 10-color industrial embroidery machine. For screen prints, "I have a four-color, four-station screen printing press in the back."

Joe also does sublimation printing, he said, "which is printing on different substrates -- aluminum, polyester, stuff like that."

The aluminum usually is printed on in the making of awards or plaques. He also can personalize items such as clocks and mouse pads.

"I work, generally from 7:30 in the morning to about 8:30 at night, usually six days a week," Joe said, "but I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I have control of everything here," he added. "I do everything from the artwork and design, through the production and delivery."

And the bookkeeping. "I also clean the toilets, make bank deposits, kill spiders, whatever needs done."

His family, wife Chrissy and nine-year-old son Dean, lend a hand whenever they can. But Chrissy's time is limited, for she already has a full-time job working at Leeds Promotional Products, the company which supplies the tote bags Joe personalizes at his shop.

The offerings at Your Name Here are not limited to personalized items. Joe also sells plain, unadulterated t-shirts and sweats, as well as tees he imprints with the various ready-made transfers he carries.

"Today's transfers actually hold up better than the screen prints," he said. "The tranfer-printed t-shirts got a bad reputation in the 60s and 70s, because they would peel off. Today's transfers actually melt in around the fibers, get a grip, and are quite durable."

A new item Joe picked up on is custom printed flags. He just got in a batch of Leechburg Blue Devil flags.

"I don't do the actual printing on the flags," he said. "You need a bigger printer and press for them, so I can do the design, but I send them out to be printed."

To start his business, Joe didn't rely on the standard small business loan. "I was about five years away from paying off my home in Vandergrift, and I took out a home equity line of credit and financed it myself."

If a small business can thrive on personality, Joe is bound for success.

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