About

Northwest Embroidery provides custom logo apparel and promotional products for both businesses and individuals.  The company specializes in building its clients' brand identity through wearable marketing ideas. Product lines include embroidered jackets, caps and patches as well printed t-shirts and sweatshirts.

Northwest Embroidery was founded back in 1977 by Jim Mickelson almost by accident.  At the time, Jim was traveling from Washington to Alaska every other week to work as an administration manager for the Alaska Pipeline when came up with the idea to sell embroidered caps to fellow pipeline employees.  Originally he sewed all the patches onto the caps himself while back home in Washington.  When his trial run of 300 sold out in three days, he knew he was on to something." he says.  "I had all this room in the plane, so I filled it with hats. I just kept hauling hats up there and selling them until I started making more money selling hats than working for Atlantic Richfield."

The company originally occupied a rented location in downtown Tacoma, WA with just a single 11 head embroidery machine.  Within just a few years, the company moved to its current facility in nearby Milton, with two buildings and almost ten times the manufacturing capability. Today, there is even a branch office in China to handle large specialty orders.  Jim is now joined by his two sons, bringing the company into its second generation.