Why we don’t wear black t-shirts

A few years ago, I switched the color of Umpire’s t-shirts to improve our communication.

Spoiler alert: it worked.

Here’s what happened.

👕👕👕

When Umpire was first getting started, our uniform was black t-shirts with our logo on the front.

This felt like a good compromise between professional and comfortable, as far as uniforms go.

(Wearing khakis and collared shirts to clean up a flooded basement like Those Other Guys just didn’t seem very practical.)

The black t-shirt choice seemed like a good one, until I realized something: the reason most people love a black t-shirt was the same reason Umpire should retire ours.

That reason? Black t-shirts don’t show sweat.

(Stick with me here.)

If there’s anything I’ve learned after more than 30 years of working with people, it’s that there are many ways you can communicate you care.

✅ answering the phone when someone calls (or returning their call quickly)

✅ showing up when you say you will

✅ treating someone’s home with the attention and respect it deserves

—those are a few of the big ones.

But there are smaller ways to communicate you care, too: ways to show that you mean what you say.

At Umpire, the small things matter to us. We want to show you we mean it when we say we‘ll work hard to care for your home in the wake of damage or disaster.

So a few years ago, I changed our t-shirts from black to gray. Now, there’s no hiding the sweat when we’re thoroughly cleaning and restoring your home!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Umpire Mitigation acted quickly when we needed help. Steve communicated directly with us and took care of everything. He sent his crew the next day and they did a thorough job. During a stressful time, it was nice knowing these things would be taken care of efficiently and with a great deal of care." - Kim Turner

The color of our t-shirts may sound like a minor detail.

But sometimes it’s the little things that make all the difference.

Questions? Opinions?

I’m just a phone call or an email away.

Take care,

Stephen

PS Fast-forward to today, and the Umpire t-shirt comes in all colors (don’t worry - you can still see us sweat in all of them). Want one for yourself? Hit reply with your shirt size and I’ll mail one to you. (Limited to the first 5 replies only, so don’t think about it for too long!)