New World Order | Must Read Can They Change The Game? OrderMyGear has been in the team sporting goods space since its inception in 2008. Years before that, founder Kent McKeaigg’s father, Ronnie, was a sporting goods distributor who could have used the platforms that OrderMyGear and BrightStores would eventually provide. Ronnie represents a client that this acquisition hopes to serve across the sporting goods and promotional products spaces. Seamless, effective online stores represent one of the few large-scale innovations this industry has seen in generations, and the potential client list is endless. Goodwin isn’t shy about her ambitions, now that BrightStores is in tow. “I want all 42,000,” Goodwin says, referring to OMG’s estimated market size. To Kaplan, the technology the combined companies offer is about more than maximizing a client’s potential or profits. Effective group e-commerce can improve the quality of life for distributor reps, who can spend less time on the road. They can reach more customers with more ease. It’s something that BrightStores has been doing for over two decades. Both companies can provide resources and tools to make the lives of distributors – and decorators and suppliers – easier. OrderMyGear is ready to make that apparent to the world using the engine that has fueled its growth thus far. “If you can tell the story about how easy it is to actually navigate these systems and use those tools, then you’ve actually won,” Kaplan says. Auping is the news editor at PPAI. A Prized Acquisition Now a part of OrderMyGear’s umbrella following its November acquisition, BrightStores’ accomplishments since its 1999 founding are certainly nothing to sneeze at. • 10,000 company stores launched. • 3.7 million store orders totaling $2 billion in sales. • 11 PPAI awards, including PPAI Magazine Greatest Company To Work For and PPAI Pyramid awards in technology. PPAI • JANUARY 2023 • 75
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