G&G Outfitters, headquartered in Middletown, Delaware, was founded several years ago by two sophomores at the University of Maryland looking to create lacrosse t-shirts. Doug Gardner and Rich Gergar’s idea took off, and now the company has more than 300 employees and works with numerous high-profile clients, including Burger King, Hyundai and NASCAR.

Gardner and Gergar, still with the company as president and executive vice president, respectively, have established a firm that has also earned the trust of its promo industry peers, per the PPAI 100 review.

Geiger (PPAI 105182, D12), a family-owned distributorship headquartered in Maine, has been in business for almost 150 years. Founded by two brothers, Geiger family members still hold executive positions, and the company has grown from local to international. Geiger embraces multiple sustainability initiatives, most notably installing the largest privately owned solar panel system in the state of Maine in 2018. The array eliminates about 320,000 pounds of carbon pollution from fossil fuel power plants every year, according to the company. “Our building is 100% powered by the sun, and since put into service, it has prevented 1.3 million pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere,” says Chris McKee, senior vice president and chief revenue officer.

Massachusetts-based iPROMOTEu (PPAI 218870, D12) is a network of more than 1,100 independent distributor affiliates and salespeople across the United States and Canada. The company provides extensive support to its affiliates, from back office support and secure tech tools to ongoing education and suggestions on how to reduce environmental impact. The company and its affiliates have earned PPAI Pyramid Awards annually since 2010, and in 2023, iPROMOTEu ranked among PPAI’s #Online18 for its posts full of useful stats, resources and story links. Since 2008, the company also brings the industry together online each March with DunkFest, a friendly competition open to anyone working in the promotional products industry.

Over the past 30-plus years, Toronto-based Genumark (PPAI 266066, D11) has served its clients with a range of promotional merchandise and corporate apparel. And its work hasn’t gone unnoticed, it has earned a “Best Managed” designation by Canada’s Best Managed Companies program for more than seven years.

Genumark has also invested in becoming a more environmentally responsible organization. It recently earned its B Corporation certification, is tracking its carbon offsets, is working with B Corp and NetZero suppliers, and will soon be auditing its Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. The company has gone as far as providing sustainability education for its staff, a commitment to professional education that’s reflected in its relatively high number of employees with CAS, MAS and MAS+ certifications.

In 1951, Fred Goldner, Sr. shifted his Nashville jewelry store’s focus to promotional products, and a four-generation family business story began. Distributor Goldner Associates (PPAI 105311, D10) has grown over the years into new niches and markets. Today, alongside its Nashville headquarters, it operates offices in Orlando and Raleigh, and has been certified as a woman-owned business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council.

Goldner Associates’ strong score on employee happiness in PPAI 100 comes to it honestly. In August, a member of its human resources team shared with PPAI Media the importance it places on employee engagement and listening to their feedback.