When Coastal Carolina University punched its ticket to the College World Series, longtime transportation partner CLC Worldwide found a bold way to help them arrive in style — with a custom-wrapped motorcoach unveiled just in time for the team’s journey to Omaha.
“This is our team, and to be able to do something like this — it’s going to be great advertisement for the college itself,” says Gillian Reinhardt, CCO and owner of CLC Worldwide, a United Motorcoach Association Member.
CLC Worldwide, based in Myrtle Beach, Florida, provides motorcoach services to the southeastern U.S. and beyond and has made the Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing companies in the United States.
The matte black bus with CCU’s signature teal accents rolled out this month, wrapping up a whirlwind 48-hour project.
“It was actually a three-day project crammed into two,” Reinhardt says. “We had to clean it, remove the old lettering, and then get right to work.”
The inspiration to move quickly came after CCU’s dramatic victory over Auburn in the NCAA super regional. The Chanticleers, who won the College World Series in 2016, again captivated fans as underdogs by reaching the championship series before falling to Louisiana State on June 22. This year’s team was led by rookie head coach Kevin Schnall, who played on that 2016 championship roster.
School spirit
Reinhard credits the successful wrap to the team at Design the Sign, a woman-owned business she discovered through the local chamber.
“They’ve been one of our best vendor partnerships. I called and said, ‘Hey, we’re bringing a bus Friday,’ and they said, ‘Cool.’ No questions asked.”
The designer behind the wrap and the business owner are both CCU alumni.
“It was cool because they got to do something like that for their school,” Reinhardt says. “We wanted it to stand out — the matte black with the teal is just striking.”
CCU posted a video of the bus’s debut on social media. It has already racked up more than 145,000 views.
“It was supposed to be a surprise for the team, but upper management at CCU was so excited they released it early,” Reinhardt says.
CLC Worldwide took on the project at no cost to the university, a gesture of appreciation for its longtime client. “We really see our clients as partners,” Reinhardt says. “They’ve been good to us, and we wanted to do something special in return.”
Reinhardt, a former photographer of 20 years, documented the entire transformation through time-lapse video. “It’s been amazing walking around showing people — everyone freaks out. It’s definitely a head-turner.”
The team may have headed to Omaha as underdogs, but thanks to this special effort, they traveled like champions.
