For Immediate Release
December 13, 2022
Kansas City, MO – Two local Kansas City businesses have announced an exciting new partnership. Vintage-made-fresh apparel company Charlie Hustle has selected Crux KC as its marketing “un-agency” of record. The partnership was made official in late November 2022.
Charlie Hustle—known for its premium quality clothing with unique vintage art design takes on modern brands including local and regional teams and collegiate brands like the University of Kansas and the University of Missouri, and the iconic KC heart—will work with its new marketing partner to further expand the reach of its fan-favorite products.
Charlie Hustle’s local roots run deep. Founder and CEO Chase McAnulty started the company in 2011 as a student at the Kansas City Art Institute as an entrepreneurial continuation of his hobby of collecting vintage tee shirts. Since its start-up beginnings, Charlie Hustle has grown to become one of Kansas City’s most recognizable brands. The company has been named one of the Kansas City Business Journal’s Best Places to Work, one of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Top 10 Small Businesses, and received the chamber’s Mr. K Small Business of the Year in 2021.
“Kansas City is our home,” said McAnulty. “When we were searching for a marketing partner, we knew investing in a Kansas City business was one of our top priorities. We can’t wait to get to work with the Crux KC team and continue to elevate the Charlie Hustle brand.”
Crux KC, operating out of their new office location in Crown Center, was started by Founder & CEO Melea McRae in 2016. Since then, Crux has grown to an active roster of more than 70 clients with a team of 45. The company’s rapid growth has landed them on the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies, and Crux has been named one of the Kansas City Business Journal’s Best Places to Work and Champions of Business honoree, one of Ingram’s Magazine’s Best Companies to Work For, and a Greater Kansas City Chamber Top 10 Small Business two years running. Crux also recently received Nonprofit Connect’s Community Champion award.
“We’re thrilled to work with an iconic, stalwart Kansas City brand like Charlie Hustle,” said McRae. “I couldn’t think of another company more well suited to partner with as we both continue to grow and invest in our respective businesses and the Kansas City business community.”
Another driver for this partnership is both companies’ strong dedication to supporting entrepreneurship and the community in Kansas City. Through Crux for a Cause, the marketing “un-agency” grants one nonprofit client $30k of pro-bono marketing services annually, and Charlie Hustle partners with national and local Kansas City charities to create Communi-TEES™ that give back proceeds to support each cause.
Charlie Hustle joins Crux’s growing roster of Kansas City brands, including Community CareLink, Copaken Brooks, FAS Wealth Partners, Hunt Midwest, KC Common Good, Lifted Spirits, Q39, ReeceNichols, TreviPay, and many others.
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About Charlie Hustle
Inspired by the classic designs in sports and popular culture, Charlie Hustle uses modern apparel as a canvas to express its love and passion for vintage clothing. Based in Kansas City, the vintage-made-fresh apparel company is known for its iconic KC Heart design, notable collaborations with local and national teams, charitable organizations, and municipalities as well as its motto to “Evoke Happiness” in everything it does. Charlie Hustle operates a brick-and-mortar store in the Kansas City Country Club Plaza as well as its online shop and partnerships with apparel stores across the country. Learn more at CharlieHustle.com.
About Crux KC
Founded in 2016, Crux KC is Kansas City’s “un-agency,” combining the leadership of a fractional CMO with a marketing-department-as-a-service model to provide simple, smart, and affordable full-funnel marketing solutions for clients. Because when you’re a business leader looking for growth, you’d rather just get to the point. Crux is your in-house marketing team—outsourced. Everything you need, nothing you don’t. Learn more at cruxkc.com.
