by Rachel Schreiber

Vinny and Pam Palmieri, owners of Sew M.I. Embroidery, strive to grow their company to incorporate their creative abilities and a passion for aviation related activities. Both are skilled pilots, skydivers and accomplished entrepreneurs.

Aircargo was 24–year-old Pam’s first entrepreneurial venture. She met the planes at the airport to ensure quick clearance and delivery to clients. Pam joked about jumping out of bed at 3 a.m. in sweats throwing on tennis shoes, she’d refer to her ensemble as EveryWhere Wear. When she became a freefall photographer for the skydiving industry, she foresaw a need for a new kind of business; she envisioned jumpsuits that could double as apparel – the true EveryWear for female skydivers. Pam says, “Although there was an interest for this type of apparel, there was not enough of a market to make it profitable.” Vinny was an executive chef, a parachute rigger and a skydiving instructor.

In 1999, Pam and Vinny opened a floral business that catered to the entertainment industry. When the company they purchased embroidered items from went out of business, they saw an opportunity to grow their business. They did research, went to trade shows and purchased their first machine. “The whole process (embroidery) is intriguing, the art and the design. It is a left brain, right brain thing because you’re using the computer to design and digitize the art work so you can put it into the machine,” says Pam.

Their first embroidery job was linens embroidered with the bride and groom’s monogram on them. They’ve also worked for Nestlé, embroidering golf towels for a golf tournament. Pam and Vinny embroidered Nestlé’s logo on blankets used as give-aways at a holiday party, and they provided florals for the event.

Pam says, “Sew M.I. is the progression of doing something creative. We wanted a business where we would not be tied to an office from 9 to 5. We wanted to shape it around our other activities as well as being able to grow our business. Currently, we are working on samples for Women’s Exchange of Washtenaw for their May conference and working with a Colorado based production company.” Sew M.I. has many stock designs a customer can select from or they can digitize the client’s logo for embroidery. Their newest addition to their services includes screen-printing, ad specialty and promotional items.

Vinny and Pam earned their pilot’s licenses within two weeks of each other. They cater to several clients in the aviation industry including skydiving operations, parachute manufacturers, airport operators and charter operations. Pam is the Chair for the 99s PinchHitter course being held on May 9 at Ann Arbor Airport. This course is for anyone interested in learning about flying airplanes and includes four hours of ground training and simulator time for $50.00 including lunch (over a $200 value).

As for the future of Sew M.I. Pam says, “We want to grow the core base of our business by expanding our events related business and providing jobs in Michigan. We are optimistic about where we are headed. There are a lot of challenges for all of us. We just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other and make sure we don’t get bogged down with listening to too much news. We are still buying groceries, putting gas in our cars and people out there still need our services.”

If you found this story interesting, informative or inspiriting, please let Pam and Vinny know. They can be reached at 734-439-0354, sales@sewmi.com or at www.sewmi.com.

Sew M.I. Embroidery
Vinny and Pam Palmieri
Phone: 734-439-0354
Email: sales@sewmi.com
Websites: www.sewmi.com