PPAI 100 is an exclusive, research-backed ranking of the 50 leading distributors and the 50 leading suppliers in the promotional products industry. Companies are scored based on a variety of metrics.
PCNA (PPAI 113079, S15) is one of many industry suppliers answering the call for responsible sourcing. In the spring of 2022 it launched ProudPath, an online platform that helps distributors navigate the company’s social and environmental policies including responsible sourcing, diversified manufacturers and the use of local materials.
In addition, PCNA is now sourcing 90% of its cotton from India and Bangladesh, instead of China, and is using inspectors to vet its partners in China.
The company, which has grown organically and through strategic acquisitions since its founding in the early 1970s, now includes Leed’s, Bullet, Trimark, ETS Express and JournalBooks. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polyconcept, a global company operating on five continents and selling in more than 100 countries.
PPAI 100 is an exclusive, research-backed ranking of the 50 leading distributors and the 50 leading suppliers in the promotional products industry. Companies are scored based on a variety of metrics.
Serving the promotional products industry since 1927, Peerless Umbrella (PPAI 112666, S10) snags a spot on the PPAI 100. Today, Peerless is a leader in umbrella technology and the largest umbrella company in the promotional products industry.
The New Jersey-based supplier has partnered with EcoVadis, a universal sustainability ratings provider, to monitor sustainability performance and provide transparency to partners and stakeholders. Peerless continues to look for opportunities to reduce, reuse and recycle. All shipping cartons are made from 100% post-consumer recycled material, and for every RPET umbrella purchase, Peerless donates to the Rainforest Action Network.
Peerless has also adopted PPAI’s Code of Conduct.
PPAI 100 is an exclusive, research-backed ranking of the 50 leading distributors and the 50 leading suppliers in the promotional products industry. Companies are scored based on a variety of metrics.
Global fashion house Perry Ellis International (PPAI 255232, S8), a household name for decades, is a designer, distributor and licensor of a broad collection of high-quality men’s and women’s apparel and accessories.
Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, the Doral, Florida-based company offers an extensive portfolio of nationally and internationally recognized brands. Within the promo industry, the corporate sales division represents Perry Ellis, Calloway Corporate Apparel and An Original Penguin golf apparel.
After being publicly owned since 1993, the company became privately owned by its founder, George Feldenkries, in 2018.
PPAI 100 is an exclusive, research-backed ranking of the 50 leading distributors and the 50 leading suppliers in the promotional products industry. Companies are scored based on a variety of metrics.
Pro Towels (PPAI 112755, S8) is one of the largest towel and textile suppliers in the U.S.
Over its 35 the years, Pro Towel has expanded its towel selection to include specialty towels for the golf, fitness and sports fan markets, plus blankets.
Based in Pittsburgh with facilities in Camarillo, California, and Richmond, British Columbia, the company also operates a manufacturing facility in Abbeville County, South Carolina, which underwent a major expansion in 2016. That same year, the company dipped its toe into the footwear market with its acquisition of industry supplier Neet Feet.
In January 2023, CEO and Owner Kevin Nord announced a partnership with Web Services Pros and ShopWorks that will boost accessibility to his company’s products, catalog and inventory through a significant IT integration.
PPAI 100 is an exclusive, research-backed ranking of the 50 leading distributors and the 50 leading suppliers in the promotional products industry. Companies are scored based on a variety of metrics.
Bolingbrook, Illinois-based supplier S&S Activewear (PPAI 256121, S12) convincingly captures the No. 2 spot on PPAI 100, buoyed by envious revenue growth, a strong web game and a serious approach to responsibility.
The company has experienced hands at the wheel as well, promoting Frank Myers, a 14-year veteran of the S&S, to CEO in October, and is backed by its recent acquisition by a private equity firm. S&S has also made some significant moves to expand its footprint – in late 2021 it acquired major supplier TSC Apparel and only six months later brought TSF Sportswear into the fold.
S&S may be one of promo’s largest suppliers, but it remains agile and has introduced some eye-catching new products. At The PPAI Expo 2023, the company’s Quickflip Apparel line took the inaugural win at “The Pitch,” promo’s version of The Voice in which suppliers tried to win over a panel of veteran distributor judges.