From the Team Room to Team Room Design: An Operator’s Creative Journey

Military life can leave behind a lasting connection to certain people, traditions, and places, even after a person has moved on from active duty. For one former Special Forces team sergeant, the team room became more than a practical military space. It represented friendship, shared responsibility, creativity, and a strong sense of belonging. Those experiences eventually inspired Team Room Design, a family-operated creative business that combines custom craftsmanship with military culture and veteran community.

Within a Special Operations unit, the team room can serve as a gathering place for many aspects of daily life. Teammates may rest there, prepare for missions, handle administrative responsibilities, discuss plans, or simply spend time together after difficult assignments. Because so much time is shared in the same environment, the room can become closely connected with the identity of the team. Even after members move to different assignments or leave military service, the memories and relationships developed there can remain important.

The origins of Team Room Design can be traced to Benny’s time in Germany, where he was assigned to a Crisis Response Force. During that period, he created plaques recognizing members of his unit. Over time, he became dissatisfied with the generic farewell pieces commonly presented to departing service members. After years of dedication, difficult assignments, and personal sacrifice, he felt that a standard plaque did not adequately represent what an individual had contributed to a team.

Benny decided to approach the problem differently by creating personalized plaques himself. Rather than producing identical recognition pieces, he wanted each design to communicate something about the recipient, their accomplishments, and the unit they had supported. His artwork provided an opportunity to preserve individual stories and create something that could remain meaningful long after a military assignment ended.

When Benny later moved to Fort Carson, he continued developing his creative abilities and producing custom work. His projects gradually became more sophisticated as he experimented with different artistic approaches. In 2020, his wife, Arrycca, encouraged him to turn his creative efforts into a formal business. She eventually took on the role of owner and chief executive, managing the company’s business responsibilities while Benny concentrated primarily on design and production.

Their partnership reflects the teamwork that originally influenced the company. The business was never intended to exist solely as a way to sell customized merchandise. Benny and Arrycca also envisioned creating an environment where friends, veterans, and members of their wider community could work together and maintain meaningful relationships. In this sense, the company seeks to carry the spirit of the military team room into civilian life.

For many veterans, leaving active duty can involve a major change in daily routines and social connections. The close relationships created through military service can become harder to maintain when people relocate, change careers, or return to civilian communities. Benny’s vision is to create a workplace where people can continue interacting, collaborating, and spending time together. The idea is to provide more than employment by creating a familiar social environment built around shared experiences and mutual support.

As Team Room Design expanded, Benny gained access to equipment that allowed him to explore new forms of craftsmanship. Woodworking and metalworking tools made it possible to develop products with greater variety and detail. Polyresin customization also opened additional creative possibilities, allowing him to experiment with textures, shapes, colors, and layered designs. These capabilities helped the company move beyond traditional military plaques and develop a broader collection of custom products.

Apparel eventually became another important part of the company’s creative work. Benny initially began creating shirt designs because he wanted clothing that better reflected his own interests and personality. Existing options did not always capture the themes or visual style he was looking for, so he began developing his own graphics. What started as a personal creative project gradually became a commercial opportunity and expanded the range of products associated with the business.

Stickers provided another way for Benny to share his artwork. His growing collection of designs eventually attracted the attention of Black Rifle Coffee Company. Benny first encountered founder Evan Hafer at the 2019 SHOT Show, and the two remained connected through social media afterward. Their relationship later developed into collaborative creative opportunities, including artwork for a sticker club and designs for apparel.

The collaboration allowed Benny to combine his artistic approach with themes familiar to military and Special Operations communities. One limited-edition shirt concept featured imagery involving a Special Forces operator, coffee, and a skull. The concept drew inspiration from the rhythm of military operations, where completing a mission could eventually give way to removing equipment, relaxing, and enjoying a quiet cup of coffee.

The artwork also communicated an idea about the influence of small teams. Special Forces units often operate in relatively small groups while carrying out missions whose consequences can extend far beyond the size of the team itself. That contrast between a small group and a larger impact became an important part of the design concept and also reflects the philosophy behind Benny’s business journey.

At its heart, Team Room Design is centered on the belief that creative products can preserve memories and communicate personal experiences. A customized plaque can represent years spent serving alongside a particular unit. A shirt or sticker can provide another way for someone to express a connection to military culture, personal interests, or shared experiences. The value of these products comes not only from their physical construction but also from the stories and relationships they represent.

The company’s development also illustrates how skills acquired during military service can evolve into new professional opportunities. Benny’s experience with teamwork, discipline, responsibility, and creative problem-solving provided a foundation for building something outside the traditional military environment. Arrycca’s involvement added business leadership and organizational direction, allowing the creative side of the operation to develop alongside its commercial needs.

The broader goal remains connected to community. Benny hopes the business can eventually provide opportunities for people within his network while giving veterans and friends a place to remain connected. The concept of gathering together after work, sharing ideas, helping one another, and maintaining friendships reflects the environment that originally inspired the company.

Team Room Design therefore represents more than a custom manufacturing business. Its story is rooted in the lasting relationships created through military service and the desire to preserve those connections after leaving active duty. Through woodworking, metalworking, artwork, apparel, stickers, and personalized recognition pieces, the company provides different ways for people to express identity and remember meaningful experiences.

The journey from creating farewell plaques in Germany to establishing a family-run creative business demonstrates how a simple idea can grow when it is connected to personal experience and community. Benny’s dissatisfaction with generic military recognition led him toward personalized craftsmanship, while Arrycca helped transform that creative effort into an organized enterprise. Together, they continue developing a business shaped by service, creativity, friendship, and the enduring spirit of the team room.