ISU alumni Joshua Mayes and Chad Smith shared fun experiences during college.

They took embarrassing photos, dated roommates and even took a weekend trip to Colorado just so they could use a sled.

To top off their college experience, the dynamic duo launched Nice Face Clothing in 2004, a clothing company made up of t-shirts printed with funny taglines.

“Once we graduated and left Ames, it was kind of a way for us to keep in contact throughout the years as he moved off to the west coast and I moved down to Houston,” said Mayes.

Both living on the fifth floor of Friley, Mayes and Smith were bound to meet.

“Like any freshman going off the college we were curious who our neighbors were,” Mayes said. “We had similar interest in music and sports. It’s just kind of a natural transition of hanging out, going to parties together and studying together.”

The friendship evolved into a business when they decided to print both inside and public jokes on t-shirts to earn some cash on the side and have a new adventure. With Mayes being a college representative for Playboy and Atlantic Records, the two had a large network to build off of.

“Seeing someone wearing our shirt at a house party or Paddy’s was all the rewards we were looking for,” Mayes said.

As business partners, Mayes and Smith were sure to run into creative differences, but the two handled them with ease.

“Whenever we have a difference we look at it as an opportunity to find a bigger solution somewhere in between,” said Smith. “We [have] pretty different personalities.”

The purpose of Nice Face Clothing soon extended to providing business experience, growing their skills and practicing cash flow maintenance.

Mayes, who is a year older than Smith, moved on after graduation to pursue his career with NASA on the west coast.

Meanwhile, Mayes moved to Houston and continued his education locally. While Nice Face Clothing fizzled, it did serve it’s purpose as the classmates continued to talk almost daily.

“At one point Josh and I got tired of being business partners and wanted to go back to just being friends,” said Smith. “I think we were both sort of relieved when we just hung it up.”

After about a few years of only being friends, Maye’s bought his grandfather’s company in 2011 and encouraged Smith to return to business. This time in the oil industry.

As a business-to-business company, MSI Supply Inc., sells products directly to oil businesses including valves, fasteners and pipes being used for oil field application. While still a small company, MSI Supply Inc. received the Houston’s #6 Fastest Growing Private Companies by Houston Business Journal.

“We try to triple every year, and in doing so the company just keeps getting bigger and bigger,” said Mayes.

Over the last 10 years many things have changed for the two, including priorities.

In college, making cash while going to school was a way of getting by, but now they have families to provide for. While their friendship still remains intact, conversations naturally revolve around their excitement about the company’s progress. However, they don’t mind taking a trip down memory lane.

“When Chad and I go on vacation or something like that, we do try to shut off work and just laugh and tell stories,” said Mayes. “But, it’s kind of funny it always comes back around to the next idea we can introduce and the next fun venture we can explore to continue growing MSI.”

Having only been reunited in business for the past two years, Mayes and Smith still hope to expand the company, maybe even to Iowa.

“For us it continues to be a really fun ride,” said Smith. “We are really thankful for everything from Iowa state giving us the opportunity to meet and come together and learn the things that we learned while we were there and all the opportunities that continue to come our way now.”