By Eric Scott

“Fashion icon” was not in the job description that attracted Facilities Engineering Manager Kimo Treadway to Northrop Grumman nearly 10 years ago. But today, Kimo and the Rolling Meadows Facilities team’s colorful, eye-catching attire spark plenty of buzz.

While visiting the on-site employee store in 2019, Kimo saw a black shirt featuring a nonprofit’s branded logo on the sleeve. He learned that sales from the shirt benefitted an organization supporting wounded military veterans. Inspired by the cause — and with the support of his team — Kimo made these black shirts his team’s unofficial Thursday uniform. People soon started asking the team what their shirts meant and Kimo realized he was onto something.

"The smiles I see on peoples' faces, the double-takes — that's always a lot of fun," Kimo said.

Now, on Thursdays throughout the year, team members coordinate to proudly wear shirts highlighting different causes and heritages. What began as an effort to broaden awareness of wounded American veterans has grown into an endeavor that moves the needle on a culture of togetherness.

Turning Heads, Brightening Hearts

When considering other causes to promote, Kimo and his team decided the second shirt would focus on breast cancer awareness and prevention. The flamingo-pink design that he and his colleagues developed was a bright idea, in more ways than one, and resonated with many of the site’s employees. That included Facilities Engineer Kim Winnie.

“Last year, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and it was very hard for me to watch her go through treatment,” said Kim, whose mother is now in remission. “When asked about my shirt, I looked at it as a conversation starter. I was impressed by how people were willing to share stories, all by just seeing someone in a pink shirt and ribbon.”

Among the six shirts in the current collection, including a Hawaiian design for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May and another for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September, there’s one that’s especially meaningful for Joe Bergamo, manager of facilities maintenance.

“My 19-year-old son, Alex, was diagnosed with autism about eight years ago,” said Joe, who has talked candidly with his teammates about his son’s journey. “I was asked what I thought about the team wearing autism awareness shirts and I loved the idea.”

Knowing how meaningful it was for Joe to see that that his colleagues have his back, Joe’s team beamed with pride as they wore their blue Autism Awareness Month shirts throughout the facility in April.

“I brought a team picture of everyone wearing that shirt home,” said Joe. “Alex looked at it and smiled. He didn't say anything, but I knew it really meant something to him. It was probably the first time he realized people understood him and were on his side. He felt that reassurance, that people were there for him.”

Passion for Fashion

New shirts in the design phase include one for Mental Health Awareness Month in May and another for Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month in November. Picking out shirt designs and colors is collaborative; everyone on the team is welcome to suggest different ideas and choose colors that work well with awareness ribbons and symbols. Above all the positive compliments and the awareness each shirt represents, it’s the team unity aspect that means the most to Kimo.

“To get all these people to wear the same shirt, no matter what, is pretty amazing. There are no questions asked and the feeling is, ‘Let me know what the shirt is, and I'll wear it,’” said Kimo.

For Joe, it’s the message behind each shirt that hits home.

“What we wear shows solidarity amongst our whole team,” he said. “The shirts tell people connected to these various causes: we understand you and we support you.”