Taylor Swift has played a pivotal role in the growth of Opti Print & Fulfillment, PPAI 100’s No. 80 supplier.
The Dallas-based company, which increased revenue by 184% from 2021-2024, supplied almost all the printed materials for “The Eras Tour,” which consisted of 149 shows across five continents and generated $2.2 billion – making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.
“She was our major customer in 2024,” says Brad Bartlett, president and owner of Opti Print, which has provided materials for other musical artists, such as The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Ariana Grande and more.
- Bartlett says Swift’s team reached out through American Solutions for Business, PPAI 100’s No. 9 distributor, when the pop icon wanted a cover for “The 1989 World Tour” guide.
Bartlett attributes his formal music education to his success in becoming a service provider to famous singers and bands.
“Having played professionally for over nine years, I’m able to talk the talk, walk the walk and have instant credibility because I understand the marketplace and how musicians think,” Bartlett told Graphics Pro earlier this year. “But the most important thing is we have unique products and an amazing track record of helping other musicians get exactly what they want.”
Opti Print is one of the two dozen companies that achieved a three-digit growth rate from 2021-2024, according to data from The State Of Growth 2025.
Obviously, not every promo firm can claim a superstar of Swift’s caliber as a client. But the companies on the list do share similarities in terms of sales and marketing strategies, operational efficiencies and goals for 2025 and beyond.
Pareto’s 80/20 Rule
The 80/20 rule (also known as the Pareto Principle) asserts that 80% of outcomes happen because of 20% of inputs. In business, the 80/20 rule is used to identify the clients who generate the most revenue and then nurture those relationships.
Experiencing 276% growth over the past three years, Virginia-based TK Promotions, PPAI 100’s No. 95 distributor, follows the rule to generate 80% of its revenue from 20% of its clients. “We’ve doubled down on strategic accounts we call ‘Tier-1 clients,’” says Todd Mawyer, CEO of TK Promotions, which targets the healthcare, transportation, real estate and higher education markets.
Todd Mawyer
CEO, TK Promotions
Chicago-based distributor Printable, which achieved a 333% growth rate from 2021-2024, also strives to follow the 80/20 rule.
“We’re making sure we’re connected to those 20% on LinkedIn,” says Mitch Silver, vice president of sales and marketing at Printable and a member of PPAI’s 2025 #Online18. “We’re also working to ensure we’re connected with others at that company that aren’t in our database, like other event planners, HR team members and marketing, events and sales leadership.”
These promo firms aren’t just doubling down on specific clients they already have; they’re pursuing prospects they feel would be ideal partners. “We’ve been more strategic on targeting new business,” says Joe Brown, CEO of Fort Worth, Texas-based distributor HF Custom, which increased revenue by 189% from 2021- 2024.
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“Our focus is companies we can grow with – customers who revenue-wise may get overlooked by the larger distributors, but they’d be perfect for what we do.”
Brown attributes his company’s growth to sales reps consistently sending out spec samples and lookbooks to top customers, including major universities throughout Texas, every week. “We want to work with people who want a partner and something more than just a transactional relationship,” he says. “We don’t find much stickiness with transactional customers.”
Josh Robbins
President, Vault Promotions
On the supplier side, Hendersonville, Tennessee-based Vault Promotions, which has grown revenue 213% over the past three years, has also abandoned its scattershot marketing mentality for a more targeted approach.
“When we started out, we wanted to be known so we casted a wide net,” says Josh Robbins, president of Vault Promotions. “We email blasted and went to every single show we could. We’ve really changed our efforts to now focus on working with clients who work best with us, paying them the most attention. We’ve stopped fishing and started hunting.”
Double Dipping
Taking upselling to the next level, a couple of firms have attributed their impressive growth rates to offering multiple solutions to the same client base.
A second-generation promo pro, Glen Suchecki is the president and CEO of Uni-Serv Advertising, PPAI 100’s No. 98 distributor, which specializes in custom uniform programs. Suchecki is also the founder of FKG Equipment, which provides equipment, furniture, lighting, construction materials, graphics, flooring, décor and more essentials to chain restaurants.
- Both companies operate out of the same location in Neptune City, New Jersey, and they’ve been catering to the same clients to great success – Uni-Serv’s growth rate from 2021-2024 was 906%.
“We lock into a program with national chains, such as Jersey Mike’s Subs, where they can’t leave us for usually three years,” Suchecki says. “We supply all their equipment, tables, chairs and light fixtures from FKG, and then uniforms and incentive programs from Uni-Serv. Those businesses feed off each other.”
Meanwhile, Jeff Grippando is the president of North Canton, Ohio-based distributor GBS BrandConnect, the relatively new promotional products division of GBS Corp. In fact, when the industry veteran joined the company five years ago, promo was considered an afterthought, something print customers may occasionally ask for.
Jeff Grippando
President, GBS BrandConnect
“When I got here, we were well below a million dollars in promo sales,” Grippando says. “I really didn’t have anyone on my staff at the time with a promo background, so I had to train everybody and hire talent.”
Grippando recruited former colleagues Holly Kirkner and Nadav Raviv, a 2023 PPAI Rising Star, to educate the team, secure new accounts and sell branded merch to GBS’ long-term clients, such as national banks, insurance firms and local hospitals.
- As a result, GBS BrandConnect experienced a 261% growth rate from 2021-2024.
“I had the customers because they were buying print, direct mail, warehousing, distribution, kitting and fulfillment, so we just started selling another level of service to them with branded merchandise,” Grippando says. “We still have a long way to go, but I’m pleased with what we’ve accomplished in the past few years.”
Digital Transformation
As customer expectations evolve, promo firms must leverage digital tools to streamline operations, personalize marketing and enhance user experiences.
For example, ACE Specialties, PPAI 100’s No. 56 distributor, credits the technology platform it developed in 2021 for its 307% growth rate. The Lafeyette, Louisiana-based company, which has been the official merchandise provider of the Trump campaign since 2015, has parlayed that role into serving a vast portfolio of Republican candidates.
Christl Mahfouz
President, ACE Specialties
“The technology made it possible for conservative campaigns, organizations and causes to launch print-on-demand products on their website,” says Christl Mahfouz, president of ACE Specialties. “We make it and fulfill it any time an order comes through. We do bulk orders and a lot of drop shipments. We stay busy even outside of election season.”
Aliso Viejo, California-based distributor Brandwell, which experienced a 200% growth rate from 2021-2024, has invested a lot of money in building a Salesforce automation tool that’s compatible with ZoomInfo, LinkedIn and other platforms. The tool is necessary for sales reps to grow their books of business as much as they want, according to Griffith McDaniel, president of Brandwell.
“When you get really busy as you’re growing, marketing and business development tends to fall to the wayside,” McDaniel says. “But when you stay consistent with outreach and opt for quality over quantity, the pipeline gets fuller. By having some technology that makes it easy and creates good habits, even though you’re putting out fires, it makes sure you don’t ignore business development.”
Griffith McDaniel
President, Brandwell
Uni-Serv Advertising has also invested a substantial sum in software, Suchecki says, that combs the internet for mentions of “uniforms,” “RFPs” and other keywords that the firm can capitalize on. A friend of one of Suchecki’s sons, who all work at the distributor, will then email the person to try to set up a deal.
“When we do an RFP, it’s in full color with pictures – there’s a lot that goes into it,” Suchecki says. “It’s more than just the Word document that most people do. We have so much to offer that we get invited almost every time. Our rate of winning an RFP is high. We’ve yet to lose a chain customer, which tells you how we operate.”
And then there’s Vault Promotions, which spent roughly $250,000 to develop its own ordering portal so it could plug into distributors’ webstores and accept orders on demand. “It has become the backbone of our business,” Robbins says.
Glen Suchecki
President/CEO, Uni-Serv Advertising
Name badges, which Vault specializes in, can be a hassle for distributors to sell to end users because there’s a personalization aspect for every item. “Generally, they view it as a low-dollar item, but it’s not,” Robbins says. “The margins are great, so it’s about teaching people the best way to sell it to make it profitable.
“People were stuck in this old habit of cutting $20 purchase orders and invoices rather than selling it as a program,” he adds, “and now you have this single large purchase order and can allow our technology to do the distribution and fulfillment side of things.”
The new platform automates not only sales but also production. After all, when you’re shipping out 900 badges a day to 900 different locations, you need to have your ducks in a row. “We built this system like it’s a CRM for ourselves,” Robbins says. “It has made life easier for us.”
Word-Of-Mouth Marketing
Referrals are universally cited as the primary marketing method of these high-performing firms.
“We’ve never done marketing, SEO or any of that stuff,” Brown says. “Customers give referrals – it’s all organic growth.”
Like HF Custom, Brandwell also hasn’t done much prospecting or outreach. Working with several nonprofits such as the Taco Bell Foundation, Make-A-Wish and Special Olympics, McDaniel says his firm has been lucky to be “right place, right time” and primarily benefits from word-of-mouth marketing.
Joe Brown
CEO, HF Custom
Meanwhile, the Printable team has also made a concerted effort to seek out other opportunities within its clients’ organizations by asking for referrals to other departments. “To bolster this effort, with PCNA’s help, we built a website offering a referral gift link to all those that connect us with a colleague,” Silver says.
Furthermore, referrals have been instrumental in Vault Promotions adding more users to its platform. “Once one person has integrated their programs with our system and sees how easy it is, they’re much more willing to suggest you to their co-workers or industry peers,” says Robbins, co-founder of Promocations, an innovative twist on networking events.
“Referrals have been our lifeblood. We’ve put more focus on actually building relationships with people so they can be our tribe and help us out in pitching this system. We also establish relationships within a lot of these buying groups. If we set one Proforma office up with this great product and integration, it’s much easier for them to tell other Proforma distributor owners.”
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While having Trump’s endorsement boosted ACE Specialties’ profile amongst potential Republican clients, Mahfouz says her goal for this year is to invest in marketing.
“Honestly, we have zero outside salespeople and zero marketing efforts,” Mahfouz says. “We’re really focused on turning that around because we have a great service to offer. The ‘Made in USA’ mission is bigger and hotter than ever.”
M&A Activity
As the industry continues to consolidate, acquisitions remain a quick path to growth – when done right.
Arch Promo Group, PPAI 100’s No. 28 supplier, has been expanding rapidly in the promo space with seven strategic acquisitions since 2016.
“This is our strategy to sustain growth,” says Steve Ehlert, national general manager of Arch Promo Group. “With us adding all these different facilities, not only are you getting a new brand, location and product, you also bring in the experience of the general managers. They exchange ideas, sharing their strengths and concerns to make us all better.”
Steve Ehlert
National GM, Arch Promo Group
During the 2021-2024 timeframe, in which the St. Louis-based firm achieved a 416% growth rate, Arch Promo Group acquired HOWW Manufacturing Company, Drum-Line and StrombergBrand Umbrellas, among other companies.
“Our goal is to acquire successful companies, remove their headaches and stay out of their way,” Ehlert says. “For example, we’ve seen a huge increase in sales for Stromberg since the acquisition because we made a large investment in inventory.”
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STRAN, PPAI 100’s No. 12 distributor, made a signification investment in the casino and gaming industry when it acquired Gander Group, a company that focuses on casino continuity and loyalty programs.
- At the time of the acquisition last year, STRAN leadership indicated the deal would contribute to a projected annual revenue of more than $100 million.
- The Quincy, Massachusetts-based firm achieved a 187% growth rate from 2021-2024.
“The Gander acquisition was a piece of that growth, but so was our acquisition of TR Miller and other smaller acquisitions,” says Howie Turkenkopf, vice president of marketing and business development at STRAN.
“We also saw significant organic growth driven by both new customer acquisition and growth within our existing accounts. Since our IPO in 2021, we have executed upon a growth strategy that involves each of those elements and we continue to remain focused on that strategy while also placing new emphasis on profitability.”
Howie Turkenkopf
VP of Marketing & Business Development, STRAN
Robbins says Vault Promotions’ acquisition of Gateway Marketing Concepts (also known in the promotional products industry as GMCline) in 2020 was the impetus for its new ordering portal.
- As part of the agreement, Vault also took ownership of Fleisher Products and Signs and MediMag assets.
“During COVID, we had to figure out how to market without trade shows and events, so we went into acquisition mode instead of marketing mode,” Robbins says. “You can spend your marketing budget on an acquisition to acquire a good company and key accounts rather than spending money fishing for accounts. We were able to bring on some large clients, which forced our hand to build this new system, giving us the money and the priority to do so.”
Taking a different M&A approach, Printable in 2023 purchased a smaller book of business from a retiring distributor and fellow commonsku user. “We plugged that book into our disciplined, creative marketing machine and were able to see an impact with those clients,” Silver says.
Mitch Silver
VP of Sales & Marketing, Printable
Reading the tea leaves, the leaders of fellow high-growth firms GBS BrandConnect and TK Promotions intend to make their first acquisitions before 2025 ends.
In addition to seeking another distributor in Northeast Ohio, Grippando is eyeing various embroidery shops in the area. “We have the space to tuck that company into our facility, bringing their equipment and people over so we own our own production,” Grippando says. “Think about it: When I came to GBS, we had all these print customers that I could sell branded merch to. If we acquire a distributor, now I have a slew of new customers that I can sell print to.”
Meanwhile, Mawyer says he’s currently in conversations with a distributor in Tennessee. “Part of our 10-year target and three-year picture is to grow to a certain revenue level,” he says.
“Organically, that may not happen, so we’re trying to find a smaller distributor in a space we don’t have expertise in or a market we don’t have any coverage in that we could expand to. We don’t do any company stores, but we could acquire somebody who does and utilize that expertise.”
