Abbie is a UF graduate class of '08. For seven years she worked in the apparel industry in a couple different roles as a buyer and merchant. In 2015 she decided to take on a new adventure to work under her mom for Garland Activewear. Garland Activewear is a women owned apparel manufacturing that specializes in gymnastics apparel. Everything is made here in the USA. Her impact was felt immediately as soon as she came into the business. She was soon promoted to VP where she was able to continue to build on her successes she had from her previous job. She started to increase their online presence by creating an online shop. She started going to several shows throughout the country to increase awareness. She was instrumental to helping optimize production by buying a state of the art cutting table that helped manufacture leotards more efficiently.
Abbie has consistently grown her sales 20%+ every year and is now earning well over $1M+ in revenue every year. She has grown the brand from competition leotards to also include Acro uniforms as well as travel wear with jackets and leggings. Abbie has also brought her leotards to the collegiate level. She has several club and collegiate teams that now wear Garland Leotards. The company has had to move twice due to the growth and has recently bought a building to be able to continue to handle the growth. Abbie bought the company outright from her mom in 2022.
Along with running Garland Activewear, Abbie is a mother of two young children. In 2020 when her existing apparel manufacturing business had slowed down due to the customer base temporarily closing their operations due to Covid-19, Abbie started Tidewater Tots, a children's swimwear brand. Tidewater Tots mission is to provide simply adorable American made swimwear for children. Their mix-and-match, tumble-proof, high quality swimwear is always made in America, supporting American workers.
http://www.garlandactivewear.com/
Abigail Paul, BSBA ‘08
President/Owner
Manufacturing
Jacksonville, FL
#2024#Manufacturing#Jacksonville#FL