Dignity Apparel hopes to add 50 jobs in its mission to provide life

May 30, 2024

WATERLOO, Iowa (KWWL) Its mission says it all. "To create dignified, life-changing jobs."

Dignity Apparel, a garment shop on Sheffield Avenue in Waterloo, has been doing that now for the past year and a half.

Dignity is a subsidiary of Image Point, a well-known, longtime Waterloo company, founded by Pat and Jeff Swartzendruber in 1977.

Using an all-union workforce, Dignity Apparel creates union-made apparel from 100-per cent American made materials.

Dignity is currently located in an old warehouse building on Sheffield Avenue in Waterloo.

Dignity recently received an award from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, which will allow dignity to purchase a new 77,000 square foot building as part of a $4.5 million capital investment for the future of the company. That is expected to create another 40 to 55 high quality local jobs and more employment opportunities for the Cedar Valley's immigrant refugee population.

Unions all across the country are Dignity's biggest customers. Decades ago, Image Point's first union customer was United Auto Workers Union Local 838 in Waterloo. That long relationship continues today.

Among its products, the Dignity Apparel garment company makes many different styles of clothing, including polo shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies, hoodie zips, ragland, tee-shirts, jackets, ladies tunic tee.

Any specialty order can be filled by Dignity. Dignity even has a special polo called the Sullivan Polo, named in honor of Waterloo's famous Sullivan Brothers of World War II.

From their first day on the job, Dignity employees are members of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Local 246, based in Des Moines.

From its humble beginning in 2022 with just three employees, Dignity has added several dozen new workers. with very unique backgrounds.

What helps make Dignity Apparel so unique is its unique employees. Many are from the Cedar Valley refugee community.

CEO John Ruyle says, "We're looking and saying, if we're able to create jobs for those who are excluded from the workforce, it's a wonderful benefit for them and their families, but also for us."

"It gives us a solution to bring people in. We have to invest more time and energy in training and translation, but, it's incredibly rewarding because what we've seen is people aren't looking for a handout. They need that opportunity. You can train them and give them a marketable skill, they will work hard, be productive, and get to a place where they can add value to you. As a company, that helps a lot in a tight job market like the one today."

For many of Dignity Apparel's employees, it's their first job in the United States.

Under the Image Point umbrella, Dignity Apparel has hired new employees from many different countries, including the Congo, Bosnia,

Malaysia, Thailand, Mexico, Ukraine, and Afghanistan, just to name a few. any of them have come to the United States, after fleeing their troubled nations. However, many arrive here speaking no English, which poses a huge barrier in trying to secure employment.

Image Point founder, Jeff Swartzendruber, says,"As a Christian, I know that I am responsible for God to treat employees right and the labor union values are fair wages, treat your people right. That has worked very well for us."

"In the very beginning, we were able to source American made garments, so we can service our union clients. It was very easy to get jackets, shirts, polo shirt, and shirts that were union made. But, through the years, those factories have closed or have been acquired."

"We thought it best to get our own, begin to manufacture our own. Dignity Apparel, the vast majority of people we brought in from

the refugee community here in Waterloo."

CEO Ruyle adds, "It's helpful to draw the distinction between economic migrants, who would make a choice to leave their home country and come to the U.S. for the sake of earning money. Refugees are forced to leave they are displaced from their home country, often due to violence or oppression, so they have to leave. They're not choosing to leave from there. They generally end up in a refugee camp in another country, before they're granted asylum here in the U.S. If they're here in the U.S. it means that we have brought them into our country and given them asylum."

"There are two aspects to this. One is the unique impact that a business can have. It's very difficult for any other entity to have in creating jobs, especially when people are excluded from the workforce. Everyone we brought on at Dignity Apparel is excluded or has a lot of challenges with entering the workforce."