Today we’d like to introduce you to Jack Doherty.
College Hype got its start when founder Jack Doherty was a student at Westfield State College. Jack and a friend Tim Brillo got the idea to have some fun and poke some fun with T-shirts and their shirts became a hit on campus. Their first shirt was “Westfield State: no fun allowed.”
From there, Jack got the idea to give the business a go and launched it under the name College Hype in 1987-88. The “eat, drink, get written up” shirt led to the first post-graduation shirt, “The party’s over: now what do we do.” And for Jack, that led to the creation of the company. At first he operated beside a funeral home, then in his mother’s basement in Dorchester. Twenty years ago, Jack took a big step and acquired some retail space on 540 Gallivan Boulevard, where the business is today. Although, in the last twenty years, they have increased their square footage significantly.
They started printing for restaurants, hospitals and corporations — and along the way picked up some work with local media including Fox25, and WBZ. They worked with restaurants and some famous folks including Grady Little, Curt Schilling (and in fact produced a “Why not us” shirt as the Sox went into the playoffs in 2004.
Then the company began developing special lines for the communities of Boston, including Southie Apparel, Dorchester Apparel, and have expanded that out into other neighborhoods. The “Dorchester Apparel” has grown significantly in popularity with the introduction of new lines including “Dorchester Born, Raised and Proud” and “Originally from Dorchester.” And, let’s not forget the popular “All Roads Lead to Dorchester.” This apparel is available in store and online.
College Hype works with a number of local charities including the Martin Richard Foundation (MR8).
In fact, Jack Doherty was in President Donald Trump’s book (Entrepreneurship 101), and Bill Brett’s book “Boston Irish.” College Hype apparel has been seen on the movie “Gone Baby Gone,” and “The Town.” The company does a lot of work with the Wahlberg family.
Today, the company has come a long way from the dorms of Westfield State. With 12,000 square feet of space and 25 employees, College Hype is a key part of the Dorchester community and beyond.
Apparel of all kinds for community events, branding and sometimes just for fun — College Hype also offers a wide range of promotional products, with logos to help build the brand.
Has it been a smooth road?
Having the right team in place has always been one of the strengths of the company. In 2013, Jack suffered a heart attack while playing hockey and was in cardiac arrest for seven minutes. With a team of hockey players and paramedics, coupled with strong care at South Shore Hospital, he made a full recovery – but was sidelined for three months. “It was so important to have a strong team in place who could keep everything running smoothly while I was out.” he said, noting that in business things can be very unpredictable.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
College Hype specializes in screen printing and embroidered apparel, which is designed and produced on site in Dorchester. The company is set apart in that it is a key part of the communities it serves. There is also a strong website/online component so that merchandise, whether it’s apparel or promotional products, can be ordered from anywhere. The company is staffed with entrepreneurial, creative people who are problem solvers, visionaries and not order takers.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
This is a great place to do business. Dorchester is a tight-knit community with a lot of civic pride – and I would always recommend this area to others who are starting a business.
Contact Info:
- Address: 540 Gallivan Boulevard, Dorchester, MA 02124
- Website: http://collegehype.com
- Phone: 617-282-8883
- Email: jdoherty@collegehype.net
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/collegehype/
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