Myers’ own broader view of life has brought him a family – a wife and two kids, ages 9 and 5. He admits he could still stand to be less focused on his work – he starts at 3 a.m. many days – but he’s grounded enough to manage the house by himself while his wife goes to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with friends in May. He credits much of his success to the support of his wife and their strong marriage. It’s all made possible, evidently, by sticking to priorities and avoiding distractions like social media. Myers is still just 41, and he sees plenty more room to grow from here in the decades ahead. For he and his team at S&S, the future is more energizing and exciting than the past. The Big Deal For years, alphabroder was the company S&S Activewear chased. Larger, more established, better known across certain segments of the market. At points since Myers joined the business, it was five times the size of S&S. He remembers printing out its financials – then publicly available – and using them in early salary negotiations. “They were totally the Goliath,” he says. And then last summer, S&S acquired them. The move instantly reshaped the power structure of the apparel supply chain. Whereas previously SanMar did nearly as much business as its two largest competitors combined, the playing field leveled virtually overnight. S&S had long since outgrown its early roots, but this was different – alphabroder was a rival, not a regional player. The acquisition added not just volume and customers, but legacy systems, facilities, brands and people, many of whom had spent years competing with S&S. This wasn’t an ordinary acquisition, but one potentially transforming to an industry. “There was a sense of accomplishment,” Myers says, “but it wasn’t like a moment where we went to [alphabroder headquarters] and spiked the football on the star.” There was too much respect for the legacy alphabroder team, their capabilities and accomplishments over the last 30 years. Too many people to align, warehouses to evaluate and systems to connect. The real work was only beginning. Just a few weeks before the deal was announced, S&S hired Toby Whitmoyer as chief commercial officer, a newly created role overseeing all sales, marketing and product teams. A veteran of the alcoholic beverage industry, he had led integrations before. He knew the strain they put on people and process. He also saw the opportunity. “It wasn’t a takeover,” Whitmoyer says. “In a sense, it was a combination, trying to combine the best of both companies to build a scale player. To be the leader in the space is the intention.” I meet Whitmoyer in Salon Rose as well. He’s not quite a year into his role, having joined a team that was already moving fast. The ink was barely dry on the deal when work began to consolidate operations in Canada, where S&S had a foothold through its 2021 acquisition of TechnoSport. Behind the scenes, systems were already being evaluated. Distribution centers were on the whiteboard. And Prime Line – alphabroder’s hard goods division – was being positioned for a strategic relaunch. It was clear the integration wouldn’t be a slow transition. That wasn’t S&S’s style. Canada went first. The U.S. is to follow with an integration that should announce completion any day now. There will be one website – one source, intended as a new and improved approach to the way S&S engages and supports its customers. It isn’t the end of anything. It’s meant to be the start of something not just bigger, but better. Integration At Speed If there’s a defining trait of S&S Activewear’s operational culture, it’s velocity. The company doesn’t linger. It moves. As it worked to close the alphabroder acquisition, the integration process was already well underway. The Canadian market offered a proving ground for how quickly and effectively two companies with Suppliers | Must Read “It wasn’t a takeover. “In a sense, it was a combination, trying to combine the best of both companies to build a scale player. To be the leader in the space is the intention.” –TOBY WHITMOYER S&S ACTIVEWEAR CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER Toby Whitmoyer PPAI • JUNE 2025 • 41
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