How a Bartlesville T-shirt business grew from a sunroom to national brands

Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post
Aug. 26, 2026

An unassuming storefront on Frank Phillips Boulevard houses a small local graphics company with a national reach.

Owner Vince Cunningham of Cunningham Graphics said his clients have ranged from local organizations and companies to national brands including Budweiser, O'Reilly Automotive and Thrifty.

Vince Cunningham works at a screen-printing press inside Cunningham Graphics in Bartlesville. Cunningham started the business in 1992 after learning the trade while attending Pittsburg State University.
Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post

But Cunningham isn't out there chasing jobs.

"Everything is word of mouth," he said.

Cunningham credits attention to detail with helping build the business.

"I can make a nice design, but if the design isn't burned on the correct mesh screen, your T-shirt is junk," he said.

Cunningham learned the nuances of screen printing from a perfectionist boss while studying at Pittsburg State University. While in college, Cunningham worked at National Mills, an apparel and screen printing company. His boss taught him all he had learned after decades in the business.

He initially wanted to pursue architecture. Still, a push from Bartlesville High School art teacher Bill McKinney sent him toward a commercial graphics degree at Pittsburg State University, which grew into the dream of starting his own screen printing business back home in Bartlesville.

Cunningham moved home after college and started his company in 1992 from his parents' sunroom.

"In the beginning, I was waiting for the phone to ring," he said.

Today, he's planning 30 jobs ahead.

This is a family business. Cunningham's first employee was his mother, who started keeping the books and sending out invoices. Eventually he convinced his wife, Karla, to join him after her 37-year career as a teacher.

His son also spent time operating the company's six-color screen-printing press before pursuing a career in accounting.

Screen-printing equipment fills the Cunningham Graphics shop in Bartlesville, where the company produces apparel for local customers and national brands.
Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post

For the Thrifty Rental Cars job, Karla remembers pitching cots in the warehouse so they could catch a few hours of sleep while they ran the screen printing machines for 24 hours. They had to get the job done in a tight window while balancing work for other clients.

One high point in his long career was having two of his designs accepted into the Budweiser apparel catalog, a spot that designers compete for.

"It was a huge honor," he said.

Over time, Cunningham expanded the company's offerings. Today, they offer design, screen printing, embroidery, promotional products, vinyl and workwear. In 2012, he bought the building next door to have enough space for vinyl-cutting.

Even after 34 years in business, Cunningham still gets a rush out of seeing people wearing his designs.

"I like seeing my T-shirt designs out in the wild," he said.

You can find Vince's work all over town in Bartlesville. He has clients like ABB, Philips Petroleum, Bartlesville schools, Lincoln Electric, Blue Whale Materials and Philipps 66. Back in college, his boss at National Mills told him printing T-shirts was like having walking billboards all over town, and that has proven true for Cunningham.

Cunningham attributes the company's longevity to the quality of its work and the relationships it has built with customers.

"If you give your clients 110%, they'll stay with you," he said.

Vince Cunningham and his wife, Karla Cunningham, stand inside Cunningham Graphics, their family-run Bartlesville business of more than three decades.
Kimberly van Veen | The Wiley Post