News

Supplier S&S Activewear (PPAI 256121, S12), headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cincinnati, Ohio-based supplier TSC Apparel (PPAI 174523, S12).

Founded in 1988, S&S has grown to approximately $1.5 billion in sales. With about four million square feet of warehouse space and more than 2,000 employees, the company specializes in distributing blank sportswear, corporate apparel and accessories. It has also made significant investments in national distribution capacity and technology, and has expanded geographically with three acquisitions since 2010, including the acquisition of Technosport in 2020, one of Canada’s largest wholesale apparel distributors. TSC Apparel was established in 1976 and has grown into a national distributor of blank apparel and accessories, and now serves more than 30,000 customers.

"We saw a great affinity between TSC and S&S," says S&S CEO Jim Shannon. "We both built our business through a positive company culture, retail-brand focus and the development of relationships with employees, vendors and customers."

TSC CEO Dave Klotter adds, "We see this as an exciting next chapter for our company. Through a similar customer-centric approach, S&S will be able to build on our success that will greatly benefit our industry."

Today, S&S says its products can reach 99 percent of the U.S. within two days and 44 states in just one day. The acquisition of TSC Apparel is expected to bring it a greater depth of inventory and allow it to offer the marketplace an expanded line of products.

“We're excited to inherit such a well-established company," says Frank Myers, S&S's chief operating and financial officer. "For years, we have thought it made a lot of sense to acquire TSC, not only for both our companies, but for our industry as a whole. We are bringing together two organizations dedicated to creating a first-class customer experience."

Vantage Apparel, the industry’s number one source for branded apparel and fulfillment, announced today the launch of its all-new, redesigned vantageapparel.com which includes enhanced features for customers, including a new design tool which lets distributors add decorated apparel orders to their shopping cart.

With assistance from a 3^rd party research agency, Vantage underwent many months of gathering feedback from customer focus groups, referencing best-in-class design, usability and workflow practices from some of the top apparel retailers in the world.

“It was extremely important to reimagine the experience of ordering apparel in the promo industry, says Rob Watson, Vantage’s Chief Experience Officer. “Not only was it paramount to enhance the look and feel of the site, but it also needed to have superior back-office tools for distributor partners to track orders, access their invoices, and also create a reorder with one-click.”

Supplier Goldstar, headquartered in San Diego, California, has filled key roles in its sales and marketing teams. Megan Hernandez joins Goldstar as south-central region sales manager. Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Hernandez joins the company after spending the last five years with two other supplier companies and will work with distributors throughout Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Supplier Hirsch Gift (PPAI 221823, S10) has formed an exclusive partnership with retail brand Serene House. The brand offers personal air care products and fragrances to help improve its users’ sense of well-being through scent, sound and visual aesthetics.

Serene House essential oil diffusers are manufactured in a company-owned factory, which allows for enhanced quality assurance, while all essential oils are sourced and assembled in the United States. Serene House products are sold in a variety of retail stores such as Nordstrom, Bed Bath & Beyond, Urban Outfitters and Kohl’s.

Brittany Frase, national sales manager for Houston, Texas-based Hirsch Gift, says, "Serene House is the perfect complement to our family of brands, and a great addition to the growing personal health and wellness segment of the promotional products industry."

Supplier Edwards Garment (PPAI 198530, S11) is in the final steps in its acquisition of Bishop Custom Clothing, which is now rebranded as EdwardsX. The acquisition strengthens Edwards Garment’s position as a global brand providing a broad assortment of career apparel products and services to the industry.

“Bishop, now EdwardsX, was acquired in 2019 and throughout these past two years, the leadership team began merging services to take full advantage of the many synergies between the two organizations,” says Jose Gomez, Edwards Garment president. “It was time to complete the integration with a fresh rebrand of this great team.”

American Solutions for Business raised $500 for the Pope County Veterans Services in Glenwood, MN through an online fundraiser. The money raised will be used towards rides for vets to get to their appointments. The Pope County Veterans Service has highly trained professional advocates for Veterans and their families. They collaborate with the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs and Veterans Service Organizations in securing benefits for veterans.

“This is a great help for those veterans that can’t drive, and this program has been a part of the county for over 30 years,” explained Hugh Reimers, Pope-Stevens County Veterans Service Officer. “This money will continue to make transportation a viable option for the veterans in our community.”

The mission of the Pope County Veterans Service Office is to work collaboratively with the Department of Veterans Affairs and to enhance the quality of the lives of Veterans through advising, counseling, claims assistance, education, advocacy, and special programs. 

If anyone is or knows a vet that is in need, please contact Hugh at 320-634-7846.

Vantage Apparel, the industry’s number one source for branded apparel and fulfillment, announced today the addition of industry superstar, Josh Appelbaum as its Vice President, Digital Transformation and a member of the company’s senior leadership team.

As VP, Digital Transformation, Josh will be responsible for working crossfunctionally to bring strategic insight and operations expertise to the everchanging world of branded apparel, on-demand decoration and eCommerce services; a channel he has excelled for the last 11 years in the industry.

A Madison, Wisconsin resident, Josh has spent the last decade as leader in apparel and decoration on demand; working with some of the largest apparel companies in the industry. He has earned countless awards in sales and innovation throughout his industry tenure and has spearheaded digital partnerships before they were cool.

“We’re thrilled to expand our commitment of offering world-class experiences with a faster, more intuitive ecosystem here at Vantage and having Josh join our team will allow us to realize those ambitions even faster,” says Rob Watson, Vantage’s Chief Experience Officer. “As we look to reimagine solutions that offer efficient, top quality programs in decorated apparel to our customers, Josh’s expertise in sales and technology leadership will help us deliver on that promise.”

PPAI announces its newest board members, Chris Anderson (left), CEO of Braintree, Massachusetts-based supplier HPG; Denise Taschereau (center), co-founder and CEO of Vancouver, British Columbia-based distributor Fairware Promotional Products, and Melissa Ralston, chief revenue officer of Tampa, Florida-based supplier Koozie Group.

“We are thrilled to leverage Denise, Melissa and Chris’ talent, expertise and energy to further PPAI’s vision and mission,” says Todd Pottebaum, MAS+, PPAI board chair.

Anderson and Taschereau have been elected to the PPAI Board of Directors following approval of the slate by PPAI members in last month’s election; they will serve a four-year term. Ralston has been appointed to a two-year at-large director position on the PPAI board. All three new directors will begin their terms immediately following The PPAI Expo 2022 in January.

PPAI’s board is the Association’s governing body and plays a major role in directing its strategic activities, adopting policies and approving budgets to carry out the work of the Association.

American Solutions for Business announced that Craig Sahli has joined American Solutions for Busines as a sales associate. Craig is an industry veteran with over 35 years in print and 25 in promo. He operated independently for 16 years, and in recent years was with Kaiser and Blair.

Located in Tulsa, OK, Sahli is ready to leave his mark on the industry. “It’s never been more important in this evolving marketplace to be on the right team, and that’s the reason I’m here. I’m thrilled to be a part of the American family.” said Sahli.

Polyconcept North America (PCNA)—parent company of suppliers Leed’s (PPAI 112361, S13), Bullet (PPAI 113079, S12), Journalbooks (PPAI 110769, S10), Trimark (PPAI 198982, S10) and ETS Express (PPAI 135148, S11)—has announced a new retail partner, JanSport. The backpack brand not only expands the company’s offerings in the bags category, but also its eco-friendly styles, as the majority of JanSport packs available at PCNA will be made in part with recycled materials.

“JanSport is a brand whose legacy precedes them,” says Liz Haesler, chief merchandising officer for PCNA. “They represent a feeling of nostalgia for so many people and we are thrilled to add them to our impressive portfolio of retail brand partners. As a leader in the bags category, we take great pride in making sure we provide our distributor partners with the best selection of quality, on-trend pieces. Not only does JanSport offer a great selection of packs made in part with recycled fabrics, but their packs are designed to last and come with a limited lifetime warranty, minimizing the brand’s waste and environmental impact—so with every sale, we are one step closer to protecting our environment.”

PCNA is launching the brand with a JanSport backpack style, and more bags will be added by the end of the year and into 2022.