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.

Illinois-based HALO (PPAI 106462, D16) announced at The PPAI Expo in January that the company hit the $1 billion mark in 2022, driven by 1,800 team members in 42 offices and eight fulfillment centers worldwide. The company launched its robust sustainability program in 2019 and enrolled in the UPS carbon offset credit program in 2020. Currently 95% of incoming and outgoing domestic shipments are certified as carbon neutral, and in 2023 HALO earned an EcoVadis Silver Rating, ranking in the top 22% of companies assessed. These efforts place HALO among top-performing organizations when it comes to sustainable and responsible operations. “Our culture of ingenuity, accountability and inclusion has provided a foundation for delivering superior results,” said Jim Stutz, HALO executive vice president of sales, marketing and business development.

Harper + Scott (PPAI 626454, D10), based in New York City with offices in Guangzhou, China, has been in operation for almost a decade. Founded in 2014 by Michael Scott Cohen and Jon Alagem, the company works with a range of high-profile clients – among them Netflix, Sephora and Tim Hortons – to design, produce and deliver branded merchandise. In 2020, the distributor earned its B Corporation certification.

In February, the fast-growing company joined the Legacy Group as the buying group’s latest distributor partner, and in December 2022, it collaborated with Chick-fil-A on the release of a merchandise collection right before the holidays.

HH Global (PPAI 769028, D2), a worldwide distributorship headquartered in Illinois, represents thousands of brands in 90 countries. With its creative production and procurement technologies, the company enables clients to track spending, measure performance and reduce waste. Services include digital asset management, custom web storefronts for multiple languages and currencies, custom client dashboards and more. Sustainability is also a key focus, with significant achievements in carbon reduction for clients, as well as reduced emissions and electricity use year over year. Most recently, HH Global received approval of its net-zero targets for greenhouse gas emissions from the Science Based Targets initiative.