By Clarissa Gauna, MS ’23
With two degrees in business, Justin Puente, BBA ’15, MBA ’17, has skillfully combined his learned expertise with his natural design talent to carve out a niche in the T-shirt design industry, with his beloved alma mater among his favorite customers.
Puente is the proud co-founder of Bull Moose Printing, LLC, a print and design company dedicated to creating one-of-a-kind T-shirts for events and organizations across San Antonio. With Puente at the helm, Bull Moose Printing prides itself on making the process quick and easy, while creating quality designs that stand out from the rest, something that is especially important during Greek life recruitment and other events happening on campus. Look no further than this year's official UIW homecoming shirt and promotional materials to see some of his impressive work.
Puente understands well that the groups with the “coolest T-shirts” tend to attract the largest crowds at their events, as he was part of a handful of clubs and organizations while at UIW, such as Residence Life and Housing (ResLife), Campus Life, Campus Activities Board (CAB), Student Government Association (SGA) and the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He also served as a peer mentor and orientation leader. When asked about his fondest memories while in school, he shared that tailgating with his fraternity brothers during football games stands out as one of the greatest experiences. He reminisced about the joy of cheering on the Cardinals alongside his friends and the UIW community, a feeling that solidified his sense of belonging and reaffirmed that UIW was truly his home.
As the first in his family to attend college, Puente’s parents wanted him to choose a university where he could reach his fullest potential, all while remaining close to home. As soon as his family toured the University of the Incarnate Word and met the dedicated staff, they all felt an instant connection and knew it was the right choice. Puente described it as feeling “a sense of family the moment we stepped on campus.”
Today, he looks back on his time at UIW knowing that it completely prepared him for life after college. Puente credits H-E-B School of Business and Administration Professor of Marketing Dr. Scott Roberts for teaching him everything he knows about business. Being a co-founder of a small business is no easy feat, but the tools he was given while earning his BBA and MBA have been instrumental to his success. Additionally, he expresses his gratitude to the Campus Life administration team, particularly former dean, Paul Ayala, for encouraging him to explore the interests that have become his career. Puente says that Ayala recognized his talent for design and knack for business and continually gave him opportunities to grow in both fields. This included sending him to educational conferences and training courses and recommending classes that ultimately gave him the courage to open his own business. Puente says, “I owe this man my life, and I cannot thank him enough for giving me a shot on his team.”
Though he went to school to learn how to run a business, Puente had a natural ability when it came to design. He says that the artistic part of him came from his mom who encouraged him and his sisters to express themselves through crafts. When he was younger, his mom even took them to sell their arts and crafts at local art shows, always pushing them to be creative.
Back then, he may not have believed if someone told him that years in the future, his artwork would be proudly worn by thousands of UIW alumni, students and community members. But after designing the official 2023 and 2024 UIW Homecoming T-shirts, that’s exactly what has happened. Puente described it for us, saying “Everyone had seen the design and sent it my way asking if I had made it. The love and support I have received with people recognizing my work is something that I am truly thankful for.”
Ana Bribiesca Hoff, director of Alumni Relations, explains, “We love working with Justin because of his timeliness and his talent for executing our vision. Of course, we also love the fact that we are able to work with an alumnus-owned business, especially for homecoming, and get a quality product.”
This year's homecoming theme was “Let Your Spirit Ring”, celebrating UIW’s newly installed Robert C. Crosby Spirit Bell; dedicated in loving memory of a long-time UIW supporter and friend. The Spirit Bell is poised to become a symbol of pride and play a significant role in the University's traditions, now ringing to celebrate athletic victories and collective achievements. Puente featured the spirit bell in this year’s homecoming T-shirt design, where it joined other iconic UIW landmarks, images and phrases.
When he is not designing the latest and greatest T-shirt or cheering on the Cardinals during football season, Puente can be found running with his wife, Ellie. Together, they have completed 4 marathons, 14 half-marathons and too many 10Ks and 5Ks to count.
“We are avid Run Disney participants,” Puente says, “and we enjoy our annual trip every January to participate in the Walt Disney Marathon Weekend.”
Despite his many completed races, his proudest achievement to date is starting his own business. This pride is always emphasized when he is walking around town and sees one of his designs “out in the wild”. Puente says, “Looking at my designs on everything from small stickers on cars to giant billboards across the city, reminds me of how far I’ve come.” Having worked in an apparel company similar to his, Puente knew he had the ability to do this line of work for himself full-time. More than anything, he wanted the freedom to design without limits.
The journey to start Bull Moose Printing, LLC was no walk in the park, as Puente and his business partner opened at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the world was in upheaval, Puente was unsure how his business would survive, let alone take-off. However, he credits his strong relationships with UIW, specifically with departments and organizations on campus, for giving him a chance, despite the uncertainty of what the “new normal” would be.
His advice to anyone who wants to follow a similar career path is to start on something small and watch it grow. Puente explains, “You can start anywhere, just like I did. I went from joining Campus Life and making their brochures and posters, to now doing this as my career.”
Puente’s story is not just about a successful business; it is a testament to the power of dreams, community and the belief that, with hard work and creativity, anything is possible. He may not recall the exact moment his career began to flourish, but he knows it all stems from his experience at UIW.