License to Sell: VHCS works on licensing local merchandise

In an effort to help local sellers and ensure the quality of school-branded merchandise, Vestavia Hills City Schools has been working to create licensing agreements with local businesses in the past few months.

Whit McGhee, director of public relations for VHCS, said it’s something many school systems in the state are taking an interest in. School systems have been creating unique logos and trademarking them, such as the school’s logo, lettering and more, he said.

“We want to ensure that our institution is presented consistently,” he said.

The school’s logo is a “visual identity” of the school, McGhee said. The school received a logo packet during a 2015 rebranding and is now trying to protect that. While the Board of Education in 2017 began receiving state trademarks, there have been times where websites and sellers have made slight alterations in order to sell Vestavia gear, he said.

Because of Vestavia’s success on and off the field, their identity has grown to the point where gear can be sold from anywhere, even in places like Washington state, McGhee said.

“We are a national brand,” he said.

Still, the school system wants to support local sellers, McGhee said.

“This is a school system and community that has always believed in unparalleled community support,” he said.  “We want people to shop local.”

Last summer, McGhee began formalizing relationships with local businesses that have already been supportive of the school district. The licensing agreements allow the businesses to have access to the system’s logo packet, so what they sell is of the highest quality and is official Vestavia merchandise, he said.

In exchange, the business gives a portion of the revenue from the sale of that merchandise, usually 10%, to the school system, McGhee said.

Having licensing agreements also gives the school system the ability to shut down those selling gear without such an agreement, he said.

Current businesses with a licensing agreement to sell Vestavia merchandise are: Bandwagon Sports, Big Color, BSN Sports, Classic Traditions, One Stop Promotions, the Vestavia Hills City Schools PTO Council, Tag Specialties, The Vestavia Store, Homewood Sporting Goods and Joyful.