RBS Activewear - Blog

2024's Year Of Change

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Wed, 17 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

In a major announcement, RBS Activewear has declared 2024 as a year of transformation and growth. The popular activewear company, which has been a staple in the industry for 37 years, is not only simplifying its name but is also witnessing a shift in ownership, marking a new era for the brand.

As of this year, RBS Activewear is shedding its dual company name, Thunder Bridge Trading Company, and embracing a simpler, more straightforward identity – RBS Activewear. This decision aims to eliminate any confusion between the company and Thunder Bridge Trading Company, which was initially established in 2007 to distinguish between businesses and schools associated with RBS Activewear. Ritschard Bros. Shirt Printing which was established in 1987, changed to RBS Activewear for simplicity in 2003.

The move towards a single and unified brand name, RBS Activewear, reflects the company's commitment to clarity and provide a seamless customer experience. This change is expected to strengthen the brand's identity and reinforce its position in the market.

But the evolution doesn't stop there. Alongside the rebranding initiative, RBS Activewear is witnessing a significant ownership transition. Keith and Tina Ritschard, the dedicated founders and long-time owners of the company, have officially passed some of the ownership to their two daughters, Melissa Rufener and Elizabeth Halvorsen.

The decision to involve the next generation in the leadership of RBS Activewear signifies a commitment to family values and a sustainable future for the company. Melissa and Elizabeth bring fresh perspectives and a wealth of experience to the table, ensuring a smooth transition and the continued success of RBS Activewear.

Melissa has been with the company fulltime since 2016, after graduating from UW Platteville with a business degree. Elizabeth joined the company in 2019 after she graduated from UW Oshkosh with a Journalism and Public Relations degree.

"This change is a strategic move to ensure that RBS Activewear remains a dynamic and forward-thinking company," stated Keith and Tina Ritschard. "We have full confidence in Melissa and Elizabeth's ability to lead the company to new heights while upholding the values that have been the foundation of RBS Activewear since its inception."

The Ritschard family's decision to entrust the leadership to the next generation is a testament to their dedication to the company's legacy. The new leaders, Melissa Rufener and Elizabeth Halvorsen, expressed their enthusiasm for the opportunity. "We are honored to take on this responsibility and build upon the incredible foundation laid by our parents. RBS Activewear will continue to evolve while maintaining the high standards our customers expect."

As RBS Activewear paves the way for a refreshed identity and new leadership, customers can expect the same commitment to quality, innovation, and customer satisfaction that has defined the brand for years. The future looks bright for RBS Activewear as it enters this exciting chapter in its history, poised for continued success and growth in the dynamic activewear market.

National Pet Day

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

We heard it's National Pet Day! 🐶

We wanted to make a post in honor of our work mascots, Winston and Bailey, who put a hard day's work day in and day out down here at RBS! You may see them around, but more likely you may hear them with all their snorting, snores, and grumbles!

If you're ever in our building you can usually find them begging for treats around the building, but sometimes you see them out in the sorting room where our online stores are carefully hand sorted for each customer and individually bagged. We hope next time you enter the building you get a good little greeting by these two fury friends and they hope to have a few belly scratches!

Get To Know Tacara

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Fri, 22 Mar 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Get to know some of our amazing staff members! 👕

Tacara started with RBS in February 2013 - over TEN years ago! She is originally from Juda, but now resides in the Argyle area. She is our Office Operations Manager and is in charge of many tasks. She manages daily accounting transactions and bookwork, works with vendors and pays vendor bills, manages and directs her office team members, manages inventory, and leads and directs her staff on any new system processes and implementations when they arise. Tacara loves and always looks forward to the annual work Christmas parties. She enjoys getting together with her co-workers, laughing over drinks and conversations with their family members, and meeting new faces.

When she isn't at work Tacara loves to spend time with her family and friends and being outdoors. Her kids got her hooked on the TV show Young Sheldon and it is now her favorite. She loves snowmobiling and has driven her snowmobile from Argyle to the top of Wisconsin reaching Red Cliff with her husband which is over 375 miles!

Her favorite product we offer is the Bella Canvas Triblend Tee. She loves how soft it is, it comes in many color options and it even washes really well! https://www.rbsactivewear.com/apparel/unisex-short-sleeve-jersey-t-shirt/ Keep watching for more "Get To Know Our Staff" spotlights! 👀

Get To Know Tracy

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Get to know some of our amazing staff members! 👕

We would like you to meet Tracy who started with RBS in October 2023. She is originally from South Wayne, but now resides in Argyle where RBS is located. She is a sales coordinator and assists her two sales reps with any online stores, custom or stock art requests, sublimation, screen print or embroidery orders, phone calls and emails from customers. She has been a great addition to our staff and we are happy to have her on the RBS team. Even though she hasn't been working at RBS long her favorite memory right now is the work trip to Dallas, where she got to see first-hand the products that we offer and got to know her colleagues better.

Tracy is a very hard worker and has two other jobs as a bartender. When she isn't working she enjoys spending time with her horses and dogs, her kids and grandkids, gardening, fishing and hunting and cooking/baking.

Keep watching for more "Get To Know Our Staff" spotlights! 👀

2021 RBS Scholarship Winners

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Fri, 07 May 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Congratulations to our 2021 RBS scholarship winners!

Earlier this year, we announced the first-ever RBS scholarship program. Applicants were asked two essay questions – How has involvement in a sport or school activity impacted you and why should you be awarded this scholarship?

What is exciting about this scholarship is that it will not only be used to help a student further their education after high school but will also help give back to the organization or sport of their choosing with a $250 credit to their program.

We received so many awesome submissions, and we truly wish we could reward them all. However, after our team extensively reviewed and voted on the entries, we chose our four scholarship winners.

Congratulations to the following students:

Congratulations to Belmont High School's Riley Christensen.

Riley will be attending UW La Crosse for Exercise Sports Science.

A $250 credit will go towards Belmont High School’s Football Program.

Congratulations to Clayton High School's Abigail Schradle.

Abigail will be attending UW Eau Claire for Nursing.

A $250 credit will go towards Clayton High School’s Volleyball Program.

Congratulations to Loyal High School's Alana Lynn Piller.

Alana will be attending UW Stout for Food Science & Technology with a minor in Chemistry.

A $250 credit will go towards Loyal High School’s FFA Program.

Congratulations to Mineral Point High School's Jacob Klein.

Jacob will be attending Martin Luther College for the Pre-Seminary Program.

A $250 credit will go towards Mineral Point High School’s Band & Choir Program.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to apply for our scholarship. As we said above, we received so many awesome submissions making this a truly difficult decision.

Be sure to visit our RBS Scholarship Program page starting Wednesday, September 1st, 2021 for another chance to receive a $250 scholarship and $250 credit towards the program of your choosing.

Meet Katlyn: Graphic Artist

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 11:00:00 +0000

Meet one of our graphic artists, Katlyn Hansen.

Katlyn has been working here at RBS Activewear/Thunder Bridge Trading Company for just over two years. She graduated from Juda High School and currently resides in Monroe. Katlyn graduated from UW-Green Bay in 2017 with a double major in graphic design and studio arts. Her previous job before joining our team was at Shopko in the art department! She was one of the designers that helped create the mailers that were sent out to their customers and other marketing materials such as billboards and newspaper ads.

As one of our graphic artists, she is responsible for designing artwork that is printed on apparel or other items. She also sends the art to the screen-printing department that needs to be put on the screens in order to print on the garments.

As a graphic designer, each day Katlyn gets to work on screen print design approvals that get printed on tees or other products. She says what she loves the most about her job is “creating designs that our customers can wear for years to come,” she said.

What Katlyn likes most about her job is the freedom to be creative and to find fun solutions to customer’s design ideas. Her favorite memory from work was getting to go to the Impressions Expo in Long Beach this past January! She learned a lot about the art of screen printing and graphic design within the industry. She really enjoyed it as she was new to all of it when she went.

Katlyn’s favorite product here at RBS Activewear/Thunder Bridge is the Bella + Canvas Sponge Fleece Hoodie style #3719. She loves it because of its super soft and cozy. It’s the perfect hoodie to wear on a cooler day and to curl up in. The Sponge Fleece Hoodie is unisex and available in both a hoodie and full-zip version. It comes in a variety of great colors that are perfect for your school team, school spirit wear or business!

When she isn’t working, she enjoys reading a good book, watching Netflix or spending time with friends. Currently, her favorite book is The Book Thief and her favorite Netflix series is Parks & Rec. Katlyn’s favorite podcast is currently My Brother, My Brother and Me which she enjoys listening to while at work.

Katlyn loves to travel! Katlyn’s favorite place she’s ever traveled is London, England. She loved it because she got to experience walking in ancient places like the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey, which are hundreds of years old. Katlyn’s best travel advice is to put down your itinerary sometimes and leave some activities to chance! If each day is planned out it doesn’t leave room for finding surprises outside of the normal tourist stuff.

New Hire: Rhonda Olson

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Fri, 12 Mar 2021 10:30:00 +0000

Rhonda Olson, of Brodhead, has recently started in December as our Northern Wisconsin and Exterior States Sales Representative in our outside sales department.

We are excited to have Rhonda on our team as she makes a great addition. At her previous job, The Bramble Company in Brodhead, she was a Senior Internal Sales Supervisor where she gained four years of sales experience and customer service. She also studied at Black Hawk Technical College where she received her associate degree in Marketing.

“I am excited to have joined the RBS team! I love a family-like atmosphere, that offers products that my family and I have ordered through school, clubs, etc. I know they are great quality items and I’m now able to offer them to my customers. I am looking forward to keeping working with our team, and customers,” Rhonda said.

Rhonda is originally from Monroe, WI, but she now resides in Brodhead with her husband and three children. She enjoys watching and cheering for her three children Garrett, Keegan and Braelyn in their sporting activities.

The best advice Rhonda has ever been given is, “what seems important right now will be small compared to some days ahead.” She was given this helpful advice by her Uncle Jeff. When meeting Rhonda for the first time you might notice she is giving, loving and strong-willed or at least that is how her friends and family would describe her. She is looking forward to working with our current and future customers and is excited to dive right in.

Meet Ranee: Inside Sales Representative

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Wed, 03 Feb 2021 13:00:00 +0000

Meet one of our inside sales representatives, Ranee Olson.

Ranee has been working here at RBS Activewear/Thunder Bridge Trading Company for 11 years! As an inside sales representative, her job entails customer service with a smile! She fields phone calls and emails from her customers all across the Midwest. She’s even taken trips to visit a lot of her customers in Wisconsin. Her duties include gathering information to get an order written up, putting in design requests for her customers, and following up to make sure her customers are satisfied with their custom screen print apparel, promotional goods, or other items they have ordered.

Ranee said all of the products we offer are great, but most of her favorites come from Holloway and San-Mar. Currently, her top two favorite apparel options are the Bella + Canvas unisex tee Model # 3001CVC-AL and the Ladies’ version of the Stretch Contrast Pullover Model # LST854-S. The Bella + Canvas unisex tee is a soft blend that is perfect for screen print! It comes in a wide variety of colors. The Ladies’ Stretch Contrast Pullover is a moisture-wicking pullover mixed with a solid color and reflective hits. It has plenty of stretch for easy movement. This pullover jacket is perfect for an embroidery logo.

Ranee grew up in Blanchardville, WI, graduated from Pecatonica High School and went to MATC Madison, WI where she graduated from the Medical Assistant Program. She now lives in Argyle, WI with her husband and youngest son, Ryan. He graduated from Argyle High School in 2019 and now works at InterCon Construction. Her older son, Kyle graduated from UW Platteville and now works at Menards in Johnson Creek.

Ranee’s favorite memory from work is the annual RBS Golf Outings. She also enjoys hearing her co-worker Rhonda F’s stories, especially after the weekend. What she likes most about her job is getting to meet her customers in person, since she speaks with most of her customers over the phone or via email, text or messenger rather than face to face. “It’s always nice to put a face with a name,” she said.

When Ranee isn’t in the office she’s most likely golfing – she’s in a golf league during the summer! Her best golf score at Yellowstone Golf Course is a 44! She loves spending time with her friends and co-workers. She loves the Wisconsin Badgers and her favorite TV show is Criminal Minds. Ranee likes to have fun because she says life is too short so we need to enjoy it while we can! :)

Meet Karin: Receiving Manager

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 11:00:00 +0000

Meet our Receiving Manager, Karin Penniston!

Karin has been working here at RBS Activewear/Thunder Bridge Trading Company for over 13 years. She originally started as a screen printer and later advanced to take over the receiving department. Karin moved to Argyle all the way from Germany, where she grew up! Her parents still reside in Germany and she tries to visit at least once a year – and stock up on her German candy! Karin moved to Argyle because she fell in love with it and it felt like home to her. She has been in Wisconsin for 27 years.

As a receiving manager, Karin is in charge of all receiving and unpacking of incoming merchandise, counting products for each order to get ready for in house decoration such as screen print, and keeps track of inventory. Karin enjoys working with her co-workers and remembers all the times they’ve made her laugh.

“Being the receiving manager is a great responsibility because I am the one who counts products for every order,” Karin said. “I really enjoy the thinking that goes into it.”

Karin’s favorite product that RBS offers is tank tops because it means summer is here. RBS offers a wide range of tank tops from polyester material all the way to a typical cotton tank top.

When she isn’t working, she enjoys gardening and crochet. Karin is always bringing down her crochet towels for us to enjoy! She loves watching fantasy movies and the ID channel. A fun fact about Karin is that she is an amazing cook! Her best dish is German Rouladen, which are beef roll-ups filled with bacon, onions and dill pickle slices, with homemade potato dumplings - yum! Everyone at RBS loves to sample her cooking during our birthday potlucks, especially her German dishes!

Meet Tonya: Outside Sales Coordinator

lizh@rbsactivewear.com (RBS Activewear) — Fri, 19 Jun 2020 13:00:00 +0000

Meet one of our Sales Coordinators, Tonya Kelly!

Tonya has been working here at RBS Activewear/Thunder Bridge Trading Company for over a year. Tonya grew up in Juda and graduated from Juda High School, she then attended Black Hawk Technical College for Early Childhood. She currently resides in Monroe with her husband Jarrett and two children, son Breydin, daughter Tailynn, and two dogs Khaos & Bella.

Tonya’s sales coordinator duties include working with three out of the six sales representatives by writing up orders, processing online stores, ordering samples of products, and submitting proof designs for their customers.

“I love the family working environment and that everyone works as a team,” Tonya said.

Tonya’s favorite memory of working here is from her very first day of starting at RBS Activewear/Thunder Bridge. She said that all the staff members were so welcoming on the first day and willing to lend a hand if you have questions or need assistance.

When Tonya is not working here, she runs her own group dog training classes with her husband called JTK-9 Obedience. She enjoys teaching owners how to train their dogs. They have been training dogs for 15 years. She also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, camping, four-wheeling, fishing, and relaxing in the outdoors.

Tonya’s sports teams are the Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers. She enjoys listening to audiobooks, country music, and loves to watch Disney movies with her kiddos – their current favorites are Sing and Frozen 2.

Tonya said she had a hard time choosing her favorite product that RBS offers because there are so many. She said if she had to choose one it would be 3719 - Bella + Canvas – Unisex Sponge Fleece Hoodie because they are true to size, soft, and very comfortable to wear on cool days. For the hot summer days, she likes the DM138L-S Ladies Perfect Tri Racerback Tank. For an everyday t-shirt, she says 3001CVC-Bella + Canvas – Unisex CVC Jersey tee because they are light and true to size t-shirts.