Must Read | The State of Growth 2026 Distributor Benchmarking TABLE 1: Revenue Change Since 2022 Distributors $100M+ 18% Distributors $25M-$100M 29% Distributors $10M-$25M 16% Distributors $3M-$10M 21% Distributors Under $3M 8% The most striking aspect of the data, according to Brittany Frase, chief revenue officer at MadeToOrder, PPAI 100’s No. 55 distributor, is growth being strongest in the midsized company range. “Those distributors (like MadeToOrder) tend to be the most flexible, while larger distributors are scaling more through systems and existing accounts,” Frase says. It comes as no surprise that the lowest growth came from the smallest firms, according to Michael Wolaver, founder of Magellan Promotions, PPAI 100’s No. 96 distributor. “As this industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, smaller organizations face an increasingly difficult challenge competing against larger, better-resourced distributors,” Wolaver says. “Those with the bandwidth to integrate and implement technology solutions will hold a distinct advantage. I predict that gap will only widen for smaller organizations over time.” TABLE 2: Revenue From New Clients Distributors $100M+ 8% Distributors $25M-$100M 11% Distributors $10M-$25M 16% Distributors $3M-$10M 16% Distributors Under $3M 20% Chelsea Williams, owner and CEO of Spark Branded Solutions, PPAI 100’s No. 76 distributor, says her nearly four-yearold company is seeing a significant influx of opportunities across both existing clients and new business, signaling that brands are continuing to invest in merchandise as a strategic marketing tool. “What’s most telling isn’t just past performance, but what’s ahead,” Williams says. “Based on what’s in front of us, I fully expect us to outpace the industry by the end of the year, which just reinforces that this isn’t a short-term spike. It feels like a bigger shift in how companies are approaching branded merchandise altogether.” TABLE 3: Gross Profit Margin Distributors $100M+ 34% Distributors $25M-$100M 35% Distributors $10M-$25M 36% Distributors $3M-$10M 36% Distributors Under $3M 36% Stewart Switzer, president of Executive Advertising, PPAI 100’s No. 69 distributor, says his company experienced 79% growth from 2022 to 2025, nearly doubling sales to $12.5 million last year. “Our gross profit before expenses (just after product expenses and shipping) used to be 36.2%,” Switzer says. “One of my goals in 2024 was to be more profitable, so we made some program changes, and in 2025 we ended at 40.1% gross profit margins.” TABLE 4: Average Order Size Distributors $100M+ 2,861 Distributors $25M-$100M 3,476 Distributors $10M-$25M 1,820 Distributors $3M-$10M 2,541 Distributors Under $3M 2,438 26 • JULY 2026 • PPAI
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