back in with the team at a reception for sales leaders and vendors. Sitting at a table with former alphabroder employees, I’m struck by how normalized their experience already seems. I’ve been on the acquired end of a merger in a past career stop and know how stressful and worrisome these can be. But no one seems troubled at all. A scroll of LinkedIn shows people I know around the country who seem to be settling nicely. Cheron Greene, the 10-year alphabroder VP, announced her new role as S&S VP of sourcing and sustainability: “Thrilled to step into my new role … excited to bring energy and passion to the journey ahead.” There are plenty more alphabroder vets recognizing new career paths in the combined company. Obviously, and regretfully, redundancies are created in most any merger. But this one does appear to be pretty smooth by any standard. Consolidation is nothing new to the promo industry at this point. In fact, it appears poised to accelerate, as many large industry players near the typical private equity exit ramp. In April, No. 11 PPAI 100 supplier Koozie Group was acquired by a new private equity firm, which merged it with No. 31 supplier Garyline. More are on the way. What’s Next At this point, there is not another alphabroder deal for S&S to make. The company has a competitor in SanMar that likes its position. So, for S&S, the focus will again be on organic growth. Pair that with international expansion, the development of new channels and driving growth in categories that have historically been underrepresented in the promo industry, like workwear. One of the earliest post-merger decisions S&S made was to separate Prime Line – the hard goods division historically housed within alphabroder – into a standalone business unit with its own ops structure. Industry vet Eric Leven was named general manager. “It needs to scale,” Myers says. “We’ve invested in a dedicated sales force. We’ve invested in a new website. We’re investing in some really exciting product stuff. Our intent is to go and take a bunch of market share there. We like the market. It’s a big market. It’s a growing market. I think we can service it in a way that’s superior to others, and we need to – and will – grow it quickly. “With all this tariff stuff going on, there’s opportunity. There are people who are facing pretty serious challenges, and we’re well resourced, well capitalized and committed to the channel. That’s the spot where M&A can be interesting.” S&S is owned by private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. Behind any deals S&S or its sponsor may do from here, the strategy will be toward technology as an enabler. Nowhere is innovation more visible than inside S&S’s distribution centers. The company has committed Benchmarking PPAI 100 Suppliers KPIs for the industry’s leading companies. Average Median 2024 Revenue $138.4M $22.6M Revenue Change Since 2021 29.9% 11.8% Distributor Clients 5,522 3,208 Total Order Count 86,129 37,000 Integrated Orders 33.5% 25% Gross Profit Margin 35.8% 37.5% Sample Costs 2% 1% Factory Employee Turnover 14.8% 8.7% Office Employee Turnover 8.4% 6% On-Time Shipping 96.3% 98.5% Suppliers | Must Read PPAI • JUNE 2025 • 43
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