The document discusses the fastest growing companies in the promotional products industry from 2013-2015. It profiles Brandinc US Inc., a distributor that grew 1,200% during this period. Though growing rapidly, Brandinc takes a measured approach to growth, focusing on key industries and clients to maintain its agility as a small business. It leverages staff expertise in specific industries and customizes its pitches for each client. While envisioning large future growth, Brandinc's president wants to expand strategically to prevent operational issues from rapid expansion. The article also provides tables listing the top 10 fastest growing distributors and Canadian companies.

1. 50 AUGUST 2016 | COUNSELOR
Fastest Growing Companies
By Betsy Cummings
COMPANIES
FASTEST-
GROWING
The industry’s most explosive risers
are redefining the path to success.
T
he fastest-growing distributor has grown by
1,200% in the last three years, yet somehow
has restrained itself to focus on manageable
growth. The fastest-growing supplier would
take a single-piece order of its innovative
products over a 1,000-piece order every day of the week.
Clearly, there is no set playbook to making the list of the
fastest-growing companies in the industry (which is mea-
sured by revenues from 2013-2015). What these companies
do share is a strategic vision to set themselves apart from
competitors – and a fanatical commitment to not deviate
from that path. By doing so, they are raising the bar on how
quickly the best promo product companies can grow.
50 AUGUST 2016 | COUNSELOR

2. 51COUNSELOR | AUGUST 2016
TOP DISTRIBUTOR
T
ad Webster is not opposed
to growth. As a distributor
who’s experienced $4 million
in business this year alone
amid “phenomenal” sales,
he’s eager to keep deals booming. It’s just
that he’s focused on doing so in a way that
doesn’t mean his company, Brandinc US
Inc. (asi/145212), gets so big that it loses
its small-business agility. “We’re small and
scalable and very creative,” says Webster,
the company’s president and managing
director.
Though they may appear that way to
their clients (even by design), the com-
pany is backed by a large, worldwide net-
work of offices to help Brandinc have a
global reach when needed. It’s helpful for
everything from order fulfillment to prod-
uct sourcing to faster, cheaper worldwide
shipping. It provides added confidence
for large corporate players to know their
premiums are being supplied by a corpo-
ration every bit as global and savvy as they
are. The combination of a boutique firm
with global supply chain capabilities is a
unique combination that sets the distrib-
utor apart. “When you can go into a pitch
and talk about your experience in a partic-
ular industry, along with your strengths as
a collaborative group and your ability to
support [the customer] on a global level,”
Webster says, “that’s different than what
the rest of our industry is doing.”
The company’s emphasis regarding
its worldwide reach with offices around
the globe has helped it land several large,
global corporate clients. “Let’s say [a cli-
ent] is an airline,” Webster says. As an
international carrier, it’s important for
them to know that their global brand is
being supported by a company that offers
distribution centers at four locations
(Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore and Que-
bec) around the world, he says. “That’s
huge,” Webster insists, since managing
and controlling product imports can be
one of a distributor’s biggest headaches.
Brandinc is based in London, and Web-
ster – a Los Angeles-based promotional
product veteran who had previously
worked for Cyrk, Promo Shop and Made
to Order – brought the company stateside
in 2014. Currently the company only has
salespeople and clients in California and
Canada – and that’s on purpose. “We’re
being very strategic about our growth,”
Webster says. And though he envisions
the company’s U.S. operations growing to
$20 million in five years, he wants to do so
in a measured way.
To do that, the company often focuses
on just a few key market sectors or clients
at a time, leveraging sales expertise rather
than trying to blanket a geographic area
or put out shotgun sales pitches to a wide
swath of potential clients. For example,
the distributor’s sales rep in Orange
County is particularly well-versed in
automotive sales (a high-interest market
for end-users in that area); thus, Brand-
inc has focused much of its efforts in that
arena. That level of expertise in autos,
along with a global presence, helped
Brandinc capture one of two major auto
accounts recently. “It was an easier and
quicker [sales] process for us because
of that experience” in the auto industry,
Webster says.
That approach has enabled Brandinc
to find success largely in the automotive,
entertainment and nonprofit sectors,
where it has secured 80% of its growth.
“It would be
great to take
on any client
possible,
but the key
is to go after
an industry
that you can
leverage.”
Tad Webster, Brandinc US
The boutique firm with the global reach is actually taking a measured
approach to growth.
BRANDINCUS

3. 52 AUGUST 2016 | COUNSELOR
Not that other industries and market seg-
ments aren’t appealing to the company.
“It would be great to take on any client
possible,” Webster says, “but the key is to
go after an industry that you can leverage,
based on experience and history.”
Leveraging staff strengths is the key to
not only high growth, but helps the com-
pany do more with fewer staff members.
Webster’s North American operation is
supported by a staff of 10, half of whom
sell while the other five work in adminis-
trative or support roles. But with nearly
every seller averaging $1 million in sales,
growth has been achievable.
Much of that business gets landed
because the company isn’t shy about
spending heavily in the pitching process
– hiring outside consultants, designers
and others to polish product and packag-
ing design, marketing strategies and the
like when important clients are the tar-
get. More to the point, Webster and his
team try to customize each pitch based
upon the client’s needs as they pertain to
products, end-user delivery, marketing
strategy and other aspects. When it comes
to product or packaging design and selec-
tion, “most people don’t take the time
to create something unique for clients,”
Webster says, let alone modify their sales
pitch for each prospect.
Webster insists the company will have
a solid presence on the East Coast in
three years, but is fine taking his time to
get there. “I’ve been with companies that
failed and didn’t take into consideration
that operational issues can occur when
you expand too quickly,” he says.
1,200%
613%
197%
192%
188%
167%
152%
149%
144%
138%
% GROWTH 2013-2015
FASTEST-GROWING
DISTRIBUTORS
FASTEST-GROWING
CANADIAN COMPANIES
Top 10 largest growers, as measured by
sales increases between 2013 and 2015.
#1
BrandincUS
(asi/145212)
#2
SoBePromos
(asi/245603)
#4
SouthernBranding
–AIA
(asi/330377)
#3
BrandVessel
(asi/145158)
#5
BlueFuel
Marketing
(asi/141802)
#6
FulcrumPromotions
&Printing
(asi/199694)
#7
BranditoLLC
(asi/325944)
#8
RothschildMarketing
GroupLLC
(asi/313629)
#9
ProformaDurkee
(asi/300094)
#10
Printing&
PromotionalSolutions
(asi/299972)
Top 7 largest growers, as
measured by sales increases
between 2013 and 2015.
100%
81%
72%
59%
47%
33% 31%
#1
DML
Creation
(asi/48031)
#2
Rise
Promotions
(asi/309183)
#3
Redwood
Classics
Apparel
(asi/81627)
#4
WhitePaper
Office
Solutions
(asi/359726)
#5
Sigma
Promotions
(asi/326727)
#6
BCG
Creations
(asi/37699)
#7
TheNext
Trend
Designs
(asi/283375)
SUPPLIER DISTRIBUTOR SUPPLIER DISTRIBUTOR DISTRIBUTOR SUPPLIER DISTRIBUTOR
%GROWTH2013-2015
Fastest Growing Companies