Shannon Bull
Queen of the Tees/President
An A&M Aggie & FWCD Alumni. A Card shark and also a Secret Radio Disney Superstar. Wrangler of us crazies here at TORO.
Stephen
Vice President
Bleeds Maroon and White for the Aggies and a proud FW kid. Best Rugby Player and BJJ practitioner on our block. Prefers the reverse sear method on his steaks. Cookies are his kryptonite.
Rudy
Senior Creative Account Manager
Horn Frog and Southwest Christian School alumni. Best Golf, Golden Tee and Pinball player in our office. His Grandma has a mean Xmas Eggnog Recipe. Always booked at 2:30 with his Dentist
Julia
Account Manager
Longhorn, FWCD and Paschal Kid. Knows everyone in FW, try 6 degrees of FW separation with her. Voted Most likely to strike warrior pose while throwing darts at local FW watering holes.
Debbie
Account Manager
Mother of not just one but TWO Red Raiders. Serial volunteer. Voted most likely to call in sick from the scuba launch in Cozumel!
Francesca
Branding Specialist
Cali-kid turned Horned Frog. mom of royal canines, Chi & Bandit. Talented artist and graphic designer. mxfood & margs are the way to her heart. Life-long obsession with micro. Voted most likely to get jumped for liking In&Out Burger over Whataburger.
Founder Tim Bull and daughter Shannon Bull and son Tyler Bull
TORO Branded Apparel & Merch boasts a strong and storied 5-decade history. For as long as folks have been cheering on the Texas Rangers, celebrating spring at Fort Worth's Mayfest and viewing the Kimbell Art Museum's many masterpieces, TORO has been helping North Texas brands hit the bullseye.
TORO traces its origins back to Lonestar Sportswear, founded in 1972 by then college student Tim Bull. Tim started the business in his garage apartment to help pay his way through attending TCU. At the time, branded apparel wasn't his long-term career plan. But the business took off and became his life's work.
For a few years, Tim ran Lonestar Sportswear out of his home in Arlington. When the business needed more space, Tim rented the apartment next door to house his heat presses and production equipment. With clients like the Dallas Cowboys and Walmart, Tim grew into a 10,000 square foot production facility and retail kiosks in malls across DFW.
Tim Bull always worked on the leading edge of the custom apparel industry. Prior to 1975, most branded shirts were created with a heat press transfer. Lonestar Sportswear was an early adopter of screen printing. It was the first business in North Texas and one of only three in Texas to utilize this technology, as well as being the first to offer embroidery. Having gotten in on the ground floor of the screen-printing industry, Lonestar Sportswear dominated the arena in the Fort Worth/Dallas region and Texas.
Tim grew his business through word-of-mouth and building strong relationships. Nonprofit organizations were a cornerstone of that growth. Among other charitable entities, he established a particularly strong relationship with Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Tim served as a Big Brother in college and throughout adulthood, which became the catalyst to gaining a national presence as a vendor for the organization.
As Lonestar Sportswear grew, so did its footprint. The business evolved to occupy a 25,000 facility that housed 10 automatic machines at its peak. Mall kiosks fueled rapid growth. Tim's company garnered recognition as Best Promo Company in DFW. He gained contracts with the Texas Rangers, the Dallas Stars and the Dallas Cowboys - even being selected as the vendor to produce the Cowboys championship shirts in 1999! Click Here for NFL Films Video.
Tim wasn't focused only on his own success. He not only built and managed his successful branded apparel company, but also helped advocate within and for the industry through his board memberships with Advertising Specialty Institute and PPAI.
In the late '90s, Tim stepped away from the company to focus on raising his children, Shannon and Tyler. When the children were teenagers, Tim launched Texas Custom Sportwear, a branded apparel and promotional product business with the goal to help small and mid-sized businesses and organizations.
Tim's daughter, Shannon Bull, began working for Texas Custom Sportswear while attending college at Texas A&M. After graduating, Shannon convinced Tim that she wanted to learn the family business and make Texas Custom Sportswear her career. He was hesitant. She was persistent.
Tim agreed but expected his daughter to onboard from the ground up. For her first year, Shannon worked in every role of the business from screen printer to embroiderer and from office manager to bookkeeper.
In 2014, Shannon bought into the business and became partial owner of Texas Custom Sportswear. In doing so, she became the third generation Bull in the industry (her grandfather also owned a promotional products business). Three years later, Shannon's fiancé Stephen Rios also bought into the company - further solidifying the status of Texas Custom Sportswear as a family-owned and operated business. Stephen brought significant marketing, sales and business development experience to the team and began as an Account Manager building client relationships.
Tim retired in 2019, leaving Shannon and Stephen - now husband and wife - to assume full management of Texas Custom Sportswear. Since then, the duo has invested in production capacity and efficiency, while continuing the family tradition of building strong customer relationships that evolve into long-term partnerships.
In 2022, Shannon and Stephen initiated a rebrand. Texas Custom Sportswear became TORO Branded Apparel & Merch - a name that marries the Bull family legacy as innovators in the promotional products industry, with the company's present and future as a woman and minority-owned business.
Shannon, Stephen and Rory Rios’
Are you ready to do business with a branding partner that comes from such good stock?
Contact TORO today! (817) 735-3800
