5B's Embroidery

In 1980, 5B's was created as a specialty sewing business, operated from the Biles family's basement in Zanesville, Ohio. Within eight months, the business outgrew its humble beginnings and the Biles family rented a small building for the growing company. By 1981, 5B's had seven associates and moved into a 3,000 square foot building in downtown Zanesville. A year later, they purchased their first six-­head single needle computer embroidery machine. In 1984, 5B's moved again, this time to a 12,000 square foot building. With 35 associates and growing, 5B's purchased an art and digitizing system that allowed for greater versatility with designs. In 1985, 5B's landed its first contract with a nationally-­distributed clothing manufacturer. By 1991, 5B's had moved again to a 69,000 square foot facility. Full-­time artists had been employed for four years, along with over 100 other associates. Employment topped the 700 mark in 1993, when the business found itself operating 20 hours a day, seven days a week. In 1994, 5B's was selected as the number one embroidery corporation in the United States by Impressions Magazine, the oldest and largest trade publication in the industry. In 1996, 5B's became one of the largest contract embroidery corporations in the country, with over 700 embroidery heads. A new 170,000 square foot facility was opened, housing embroidery, apparel preparation, customer service, an art and digitizing department, warehousing, and corporate and administrative offices. 5B's still operates from that location today, however, construction began in 2018 on a 50,000 sq. ft. expansion to the current facility primarily to address the rapid growth of the company's screen print and stock program operations. The facility will be operational in the Spring of 2019, with plans for the expansion to house double-digit screen print presses by the end of 2020. Despite the rapid growth and changes throughout the years, 5B's has never lost sight of where the last 37 years in the embroidery business has brought them. From our humble beginnings to the present, 5B's mission has remained the same and continues to be the backbone of our company -­ To be the best privately owned decorator in the world, serving you, our valued customer.