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Rising Stars
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FEATURE
K
evin Mullaney loves seeing
someone wearing a branded
polo—so much so that he’ll often
say, “Hey, I like your shirt!” That
always gets the person talking about
where they got it and why it’s their
favorite. “I love seeing our shirts
worn around town,” says Mullaney,
who is vice president/partner for
distributor Brandito in Henrico,
Virginia, a Richmond suburb. “I feel
they are brand ambassadors for their
company, and in turn, ours as well.”
Originally from Westfield, New
Jersey, Mullaney earned a B.S. in
communications and a minor in media
studies from Radford University in
2006, then went to work for a local tech
company, Snagajob, selling software.
He loved it, but in 2011 the company
was going through significant changes
and Mullaney thought it was a good
time to explore new opportunities. “I
reached out to Brandito’s CEO Michael
Lovern because I had been following
his company and knew they were doing
great work and developing a strong
reputation in the city,” he says. “And
I’m a sucker for a fresh polo so I knew
selling swag had some perks.”
Mullaney, 32, became the
company’s first employee that year
and fell in love with the industry.
Since then the company has carved a
niche business for itself by developing
innovative solutions and working to
be their clients’ most valued partner.
Toward that goal, Mullaney has also
established himself as a critical link
with his suppliers and their reps.
“Kevin is literally the definition of a
go-getter,” says his nominator Amanda
Delaney, sales associate at supplier
SanMar. “He not only goes after
business with a fiery energy, he’s quite
possibly one of the most positive people
I’ve met in my 14 years in the industry.
His energy level and willingness to learn
and adapt to what his customers need
is contagious—you can’t walk into a
room and not simply be drawn to him.”
Mullaney hasn’t always seen
himself that way, and he wasn’t always
so confident either. Earlier in his
career he felt challenged by his own
insecurities and self-doubt. Through
the years though, he learned to make
the difficulty work for him. “I’ve been
blessed with attention deficit disorder,
so I’ve had to learn how to manage
those symptoms in the professional
world and channel that energy into
something positive,” he explains.
He’s also found success by
under-promising and over-delivering.
“It’s about being transparent
with your customers,” he says.
“That’s how you earn their trust,
and in turn, their business.”
Not only does Mullaney make
a good impression on his clients,
suppliers who work with him find
him unforgettable. “First is the bow
tie,” says nominator Mark Chipchase,
owner of Mac Marketing, a multi-line
rep firm in nearby Norfolk. “He always
comes prepared for his client meetings
wearing a bowtie and with more energy
than a Starbuck’s cafe. Kevin and
Brandito are bucking the old sales
style of dropping off catalogs. He and
his team are true consultants that start
taking in information about a client as
soon as they walk in the door. They
also take a consultative approach to
understanding a company’s mission,
values and obviously their corporate
colors to make sure that every product
he pitches is going to be something
that people use again and again.”
Chipchase shares an example of
Mullaney’s creativity developed for a
Brandito client show two years ago.
Instead of using a ballroom, Mullaney
arranged the show at a brewery client’s
facility, with suppliers displaying
Kevin
Mullaney
VICE PRESIDENT/PARTNER
Brandito
HIS INSPIRATION
He says he’s inspired by
entrepreneurs who put their
time, sweat, money and passion
into their dream, such as Shawn
Boyer, the founder of his previous
employer, Snagajob, and his
current boss at Brandito, Michael
Lovern. “It has been an honor
and privilege to follow behind
such great leaders.”
THE INDUSTRY IN FIVE YEARS
He hopes suppliers continue to
mirror retail trends and focus
on developing products geared
towards tech companies. He’s
also looking forward to five years
from now when the 10-day
turnaround is a thing of the past,
and catalogs are digital instead
of printed.
ON HIS TO-DO LIST NOW
Increase client base in Northern
Virginia, step up social media
presence, get better at golf and
sell, sell more and keep selling!
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SEPTEMBER 2016
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