If you live in Valpo or the surrounding area, you’ve probably heard of Rusthead Design. Steve and his business partner Eric Jones have created custom t-shirts for many businesses, events, and organizations in our area, including the Popcorn Fest and the Valparaiso Chamber. If you’ve been fortunate enough to work with Steve, you already know that he’s a very down to earth, reasonable guy who takes great pride in what he does. What you may not know, is that shirts were not Steve’s original career plan.
Steve, who is originally from Crown Point and an Andrean High School alum, started his journey with a science scholarship to IU. After a year at IU, he decided it wasn’t a good fit and transferred to Prairie State College in Illinois, where his talent for graphic design was embraced and began to flourish. Steve completed his associate’s degree at Prairie State and went on to complete his bachelor’s degree at Purdue Calumet where he met his business partner, Eric, in a design class. Little did those two know that the Rusthead Design team was being formed that day.
In 2009 while Eric was in New Orleans helping to rebuild after hurricane Katrina, Steve contacted him about joining forces and their partnership began. They started out in Steve’s parents’ basement making top quality, eco-friendly work, and they remained there for two years until they eventually set up shop next to Simko Signs on route 2, and Rusthead has continued going strong to this day.
Steve says that they rely completely on word of mouth for their business and that because of the quality, competitive pricing, and eco-friendly products they use, the work speaks for itself.
Hedges says, “We don’t really advertise; we just try to deliver the best shirts we can at a very competitive price. We try to add new things regularly and stay on the cusp of design.”
Outside of Rusthead design, Steve has been married to his lovely wife Amanda for almost two years and they have an adorable dog named Meryl. Steve and Amanda recently purchased a home in Hobart and are looking forward to getting to know the town more. They enjoy being active outside and have been very involved in our community through the local chambers as well as supporting small businesses, and environmental cleanup projects.
Hedges says that what he loves about Valpo is, “Networking, getting out, and talking to people who own small businesses. Small business owners here understand the hard work that goes into running your own business. The great thing about Valpo is the support of small businesses by residents shopping local.”
One of the ways that Rusthead Design and Simko Signs give back to our community is through their networking and coffee event they host monthly. They encourage organizations and businesses in our community to come out, have some great coffee and make the connections that keep our community thriving.
Stop on by next month at their new location at 1454 S. State Road 2 in Valparaiso, and you’ll see firsthand why Steve was nominated as this week’s Life in the Spotlight.