New World Order | Must Read nimbly within the industry’s evolution. But they were no longer just competing with small groups of people. OrderMyGear had resources BrightStores never would, not to mention the track record of growing a company. There was only one way for those resources to become available: agreeing to an acquisition. “Our collective expertise is unmatched,” Halama says. OrderMyGear, according to Ignacek-Sutton, was “the perfect partner,” due not only to the companies’ shared vision but the way each felt about their respective clients and staff. She estimates that the average tenure of BrightStores employees is about seven years. “I think that speaks volumes,” Goodwin says, “and we want the exact same thing here.” At a bigger company – under the umbrella of the two companies there will be about 130 employees, as opposed to about 20 at BrightStores previously – those long tenured BrightStores employees will inherit more than just resources; they will have greater opportunities to advance within the company. The right perspective on technology helped each of these companies reach success, and that shared perspective helped bring them together. BrightStores had a front row for the technology’s rapid implementation of technology and e-commerce. “I’ve seen little tiny companies grow into something magnificent, and I’ve seen big companies wither away because they just won’t embrace the technology,” IgnacekSutton says. Group e-commerce made simple is ultimately what these companies can offer the promo industry – exciting ways to grow business, delivered without a high barrier of knowledge for clients. Promotional products existed well before the internet, which is why some within the industry resist its resources even now. But OrderMyGear and BrightStores are in the business of changing that behavior, and it’s why Kaplan refers to the acquisition as “one of the most important partnerships that’s going to happen that can actually truly change the game in the industry.” The pandemic forced businesses to understand how they can survive through e-commerce. OrderMyGear expects to help them thrive. “The race started,” Goodwin says. “Catch up.” Putting Gas On The Fire Ignacek-Sutton admits that the hardest part in this initial stage of the merger is patience. She has seen OMG’s resources from afar, and it’s tempting to let her team loose like kids in a candy store. But Kaplan says that 2023 will be “business as usual” apart from both staffs getting better acquainted with their new colleagues. Make no mistake, the two will eventually become one company offering a functional version of the best that each company has to offer. But Goodwin, who is running point on the integration, is determined to make the early stages “less about the integration of the technology and more about the integration of the people.” BrightStores’ employees will be welcome to come operate out of OMG’s swanky office, walking distance fromDallas’ music hub known as Deep Ellum, but no one will be forced to move, and Kaplan anticipates that OMGwill invest in a shared office space in Denver, as well. They are each teasing to their respective clients the opportunities that this will mean for them, but everything takes time and precision, just like the acquisition itself. It was late summer when, in good faith, Halama opened up to letting his company be acquired by OrderMyGear. The OMG team immediately got busy with due diligence, researching the realistic options for such a move. OMG and BrightStores will eventually become one company that aims to offer a functional version of the best that each has to offer. PPAI • JANUARY 2023 • 73
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