school, but I’ve been here for now 20-plus years full time, and the only way I knew how to run the business was the way my dad ran the business – to really be engaged and hands-on. “For me, if I don’t have a good handle on the business, if I don’t have that knowledge, if I’m not traveling, if I’m not seeing it, I can’t be an effective leader. It’s just the only way that I’ve ever known how to manage the company.” Lott is at ease taking the headshot photo that appears on the July cover of PPAI Magazine. He’s cool with the big conversation on what SanMar represents in the promotional products market, why it is so firmly entrenched as the largest supplier, and on the future of the industry. But his mind is also free enough to have perfect clarity on whatever seemingly small detail is right in front of him. He pauses before sitting down at a conference table and offers the final go-ahead on plans to have T-shirts printed and delivered to every headquarters employee the next morning should Seattle’s new NHL team, the Kraken, win their playoff Game 7 against the Dallas Stars tonight. With the Kraken playing so well in only their second season, hockey fever has swept the entire Pacific Northwest. Although we’re visiting from Texas, our group is not here to talk about hockey. As Lott knows, we’ve spent the last several months conducting research into the top companies in the promotional products industry. We’ve sought to define not the largest enterprises, but the leaders, the ones that are best positioned for the future and represent comprehensive excellence in all the ways a firm might aspire: revenue, growth, responsibility, innovation, industry faith, online presence – even employees’ happiness and professional development. And SanMar has won, we tell him. SanMar is the No. 1 supplier in the first-ever PPAI 100 ranking of the industry leaders. Lott is gracious. He is humble. But he is not surprised. “It was the headshot that gave it away,” he says with a smile. But one must wonder if he ever really had a doubt, going back to the first phone call he received explaining the new project, now the highest honor PPAI bestows on member companies. SanMar is that strong. But it wasn’t always. What makes each PPAI 100 supplier an industry leader? media.ppai.org/ ppai-100-2023 Must Read | Suppliers Rank Score Company 2022 Revenue (Millions) Change Since 2019 1 440.46 SanMar $3,700.0* 51% 2 S&S Activewear $2,150.0 62% 3 alphabroder $2,000.0 18% 4 Hit Promotional Products $611.0 23% 5 Gemline $151.5 63% 6 Next Level Apparel $340.0* 51% 7 PCNA $857.3 5% 8 HPG $269.0 31% 9 SnugZ USA $112.5 96% 10 Koozie Group 319.0 3% Score equals the total number out of a possible 500. * Estimate. 2019 revenue calculated based on figures reported to PPAI and others. All 2022 revenue figures have been certified by a company representative unless denoted. SUPPLIERS TOP 50 Revenue Growth Industry Faith Professional Development Responsibility Innovation Employees Happiness Online Presence Suppliers Earned HIGH MARKS in The Following Categories 42 • JULY 2023 • PPAI
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