I saw this write-up in the metrodukes alumni newsletter after seeing them taking the picture up in the second deck last weekend. The towels look pretty sweet. With 5% of proceeds going back to the duke club, this is another JMU alum entrepreneur to support!

http://www.jmutowel.com/

Quote:Dukes in Action

Once upon a (JMU) towel

The summer of 2014 will be remembered for, among other things, the birth of The JMU Beach Towel!

“I just wanted a JMU beach towel!” said Pamela (Johnson) Viers (‘92). When Viers casually mentioned her desire to April Armstrong (‘92), her so­rority sister and JMU suitemate, they wondered if other Dukes might want one, too.

More than 250 towel orders later, due in large part to the towel’s social media presence (Viers’ husband, Kevin (‘93), handles the website), another JMU success was born. The JMU Beach Towel is 30" x 60" and showcases the Duke Dog against a vibrant JMU purple background. The team went with the standard college towel used by NCAA Division 1 schools, and then bumped the weight up to set the JMU Beach Towel apart. The trio also donates 5 percent of proceeds to the JMU Duke Club.

“We knew from the start that we wanted this towel to foster connection with JMU family at beaches, pools and sporting events; increase recognition of JMU as a top-quality university; and to visibly promote giving back to JMU,” they said. The JMU Beach Towel is helping to connect the Madison community one beach or lawn chair at a time on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

Pretty cool would have sold a lot better in the spring.

They were selling them in the spring, I just don't think they advertised too well. I got mine in June. They are pretty good quality...for a beach towel.

(09-19-2014 12:35 PM)lingerba Wrote:  They were selling them in the spring, I just don't think they advertised too well. I got mine in June. They are pretty good quality...for a beach towel.

Not that it really matters that much to me, but is this an officially licensed product of JMU?

(09-19-2014 01:32 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(09-19-2014 12:35 PM)lingerba Wrote:  They were selling them in the spring, I just don't think they advertised too well. I got mine in June. They are pretty good quality...for a beach towel.

Not that it really matters that much to me, but is this an officially licensed product of JMU?

Do you get a sexy bikini-clad co-ed with your towel?

(09-19-2014 01:32 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(09-19-2014 12:35 PM)lingerba Wrote:  They were selling them in the spring, I just don't think they advertised too well. I got mine in June. They are pretty good quality...for a beach towel.

Not that it really matters that much to me, but is this an officially licensed product of JMU?

The way I first saw it was it showed up in LinkedIn being pushed by the NOVA Alumni Association. I took the link and posted it to the Duke Club's Facebook page and it was pretty promptly taken down. Aaron Epstein called me right after that to ask me where I found it and he explained that the Duke Club didn't know anything about it and that the logo was an old version. So all of that made me think - no - it's not officially licensed. A few days after that I got an email from the towel people saying that the order was delayed so they could correct the colors. So that makes me think that they were making it compliant with what the Duke Club wanted.

So where ever it stands, licensed or not, the Duke Club is aware of it so that makes me think they have licensed/approved the logo usage.

Yea, it's one thing to make your own cornhole boards or whatever but when you start selling something with the school logo on it you have to go through the process of getting permission to use those logos in a commercial marketplace. Perhaps they've done that but you can't just start producing things for public sale without going through all the proper checks and permissions on trademarks and stuff. It says 5% of proceeds go to the Duke Club so the probably got that worked out.

I didn't realize this in the past but it was a kind of cool learning experience for me a couple years ago that there are very specific standards regarding the university's logos.

http://www.jmu.edu/identity/wm_preview/logo.shtml

(09-19-2014 05:12 PM)lingerba Wrote:  

(09-19-2014 01:32 PM)BleedingPurple Wrote:  

(09-19-2014 12:35 PM)lingerba Wrote:  They were selling them in the spring, I just don't think they advertised too well. I got mine in June. They are pretty good quality...for a beach towel.

Not that it really matters that much to me, but is this an officially licensed product of JMU?

The way I first saw it was it showed up in LinkedIn being pushed by the NOVA Alumni Association. I took the link and posted it to the Duke Club's Facebook page and it was pretty promptly taken down. Aaron Epstein called me right after that to ask me where I found it and he explained that the Duke Club didn't know anything about it and that the logo was an old version. So all of that made me think - no - it's not officially licensed. A few days after that I got an email from the towel people saying that the order was delayed so they could correct the colors. So that makes me think that they were making it compliant with what the Duke Club wanted.

So where ever it stands, licensed or not, the Duke Club is aware of it so that makes me think they have licensed/approved the logo usage.

Considering you said they have been around since the Spring, it makes me think they are not actually sending 5% to the Duke Club.

I got one , they are very nice and did have the ncaa official stickers on them

http://jmutowels.wix.com/jmutowels1


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have 2. they're great!

(09-19-2014 07:17 PM)jmusuperfan Wrote:  http://jmutowels.wix.com/jmutowels1


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Thanks for the new link. Love the Key Bridge Boathouse (RIP Jack's) shot!