Dispatch: Couple Inks New Future in Logo Biz

Long before the Great Recession nearly toppled the financial industry and cost millions of Americans their jobs, Rocky Point local Donald D’Aquila saw his own industry nosediving.

D’Aquila was a test engineer in one of Long Island’s illustrious defense companies, overseeing the quality of plane parts before they were used. His company was based around government contracts, but it was the end of the Cold War and government contracts were on the decline.

“My husband’s company was shrinking,” his wife, Carol D’Aquila, said. “Defense was moving off Long Island. He felt he was going to be laid off … he took a severance package.”

The D'Aquila's decided to change course altogether. The couple started Silk Screen Images in 1992, which today serves Rocky Point School District and Brookhaven Town, among other clients, with logo-embossed T-shirts, sweatshirts and other items.

The couple was inspired to start their business when at an Entrepreneur Expo at the Huntington Town House, "We saw a tall, attractive blonde girl who was doing silk screen part-time; she was selling and demonstrating equipment," she said.

With no prior art background or merchandising experience in the garment industry, the couple put down $900 and financed $8,000 to buy the equipment.

"My first account was for my old job, Todd Travel," she added.

Getting the business off the ground, however, wasn’t without its struggles. On one occasion, for an early contract, they were putting logos on T-shirts for a company picnic and missed one crucial step in the process.

“We didn’t cure the ink and when the customers did their first wash, the logo came off,” Carol D'Aquila explained.

But the business grew, with evidence of it ubiquitous in the community. The athletic T-shirts, sweat shirts and pullovers worn by all the athletes in the Rocky Point School wear are provided by Silk Screen images.

“Originally, Don was doing the physical work and I was doing the marketing,” said Carol.

After 9/11 changed the country’s outlook  – and spending – on defense, her husband was called back to his old job. Carol continued the business, at the same time being active in other aspects of the school community.

The couple also have two children in , and Carol is in her eighth year as a board member of the Rocky Point Booster Club.

The club raises money for Rocky Point athletics, with activities such as Ladies Night Out, Homecoming, and Craft Fairs. She's also a member of the PTA.

In addition to the school and Brookhaven Town (the company provides lifeguards at the Mastic Pool with T-shirts, sweats and pullover hoodies), St. Anthony’s CYO and the American Lung Association are among the clients of Silk Screen Images.

“We strive for good customer service and competitive pricing,” she said.

And like many Long Islanders, they are considering moving from the area after their children graduate high school.

“It’s just too expensive here," she said. "We see it when we bid for a job out of state, where other companies can get their material for cheaper.”