Passionate Gan turns printing and embroidery company Ark around with strong passion
From humble beginnings with just three staff, forward-looking Ark today has a 30-strong workforce
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An Ark staffer busy with meticulous embroidery work at the office at Midview City.
PHOTO: ARK Industries
- Marc Gan overcame initial struggles to build Ark Industries, a printing and embroidery company, growing from three staff in 2006 to 30 today.
- Ark Industries specialises in branded apparel for sports brands like Adidas and Under Armour, with a focus on golf-related products and continuous R&D.
- Gan emphasises client satisfaction and artistic creativity in his "Wearable Brand Experience," highlighted by partnerships and his involvement in golf events.
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For the first two years, he went through a challenging time with a big struggle to keep his company afloat.
But things turned for the better in 2008, thanks to his sheer perseverance, strong belief and sturdy passion that the product was saleable.
So from a staff of three in 2006, Marc Gan built his printing and embroidery company and employs a workforce of 30 today.
Ark Industries, named after Noah’s Ark because the biblical story is all about the vessel involved in rescuing people and animals, is mainly a printing and embroidery specialist for branded apparel and has a strong link with popular sports brands Adidas and Under Armour and all things related to golf.
The company, which is one of the supporting partners of The Straits Times & Business Times Corporate Golf League, also pledges in continuous R&D to improve its products’ texture and finish.
The company, based at Midview City at Sin Ming Lane, is the South-east Asia distributor for another prominent brand, Yupoong, the South Korean company that makes Flexfit caps.
In an interview at his busy fifth-floor office with clients streaming in and out for photoshoots, Gan, 46, who studied marketing and finance at Curtin University in Perth, said: “We are proud to have worked with more than 4,000 customers from start-ups, SMEs and MNCs across the world.
“With our own in-house production line and design team, we provide one-stop service specialising in custom corporate apparel and uniforms for our clients.”
And high quality is premium for Ark, which also has a range of corporate partners such as TaylorMade, Titleist Footjoy, JL, Puma. Fila, Sun Mountain Golf and Minimal Golf, recently linked with legendary golfer Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs team in LIV Golf tournaments.
Links with golf companies come as second nature for Gan, a nine-handicapper who started playing the game at seven, encouraged by his parents who were Keppel Club members.
The father of a four-year-old daughter has an older sister, Marilyn, who once played for the national team in events such as the SEA Games and Queen Sirikit Cup.
Gan, who was a key member of the Montfort Secondary School’s tennis, basketball and track and field teams before leaving for university studies in Perth, was fortunate that he stayed nearby the Collier Park Golf course in Western Australia, which gave him many opportunities to improve his golf to a best-ever seven handicap.
His company’s tagline is “Wearable Brand Experience” which sells to golf clubs – from Sentosa to Seletar and Sembawang – and ministries, corporations and individuals who organise golf events and other sports-related activities.
His latest venture, with co-founders Adrian Ang from Pickle & Bones and Jason Lim from Strategist, is a corporate Pickle Ball Invitational for PickleX Cup scheduled for March 26.
“Whatever said and however you invest in machines, mine is a labour-intensive job and artistic creativity is crucial,” added Gan, whose embroidery works can be done on shirts, bags, shoes and many other leather products.
Despite his busy schedule, the athletic Gan finds time for running and cycling during weekends, but his golf-playing opportunities are limited as he prioritieses time for his clients and partners.
Recently Gan, who also acts as sales director, tied up a deal to supply the ST & BT league with bags that can be carried in the buggy or even on trips.
As Gan looks back on his 20-plus-year meaningful career, he says with pride: “For me client satisfaction is always key, and for that you have to spend time and effort.”
