The transition is complete, executives say.

They’re referring to the fact that Oakdale, MN-based Spartan Promotional Group (asi/331150), a distributorship with a near 60-year history, has officially merged with Top 40 promotional products distributor American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075).

Members of the ASB (asi/120075) and Spartan leadership teams celebrate the merger.

Glenwood, MN-headquartered ASB announced the acquisition of Spartan in January. The firms have spent the ensuing months working on alignment and integration to complete the merge.

Going forward, Spartan will be known as “Spartan, powered by American Solutions for Business,” with the firm effectively going to market as “Spartan, powered by ASB,” Taylor Borst, ASB’s senior director of marketing and public relations, told ASI Media.

ASB and Spartan are excited about their mutual future. “We now have access to even more resources, technology and support to take us to the next level,” said Spartan President Mike Hohenwald.

ASB said that its team members have spent extensive time both virtually and onsite at Spartan, working on planning, training and execution to ensure a successful merger.

“The Spartan team has been incredible throughout this entire process,” said ASB founder/CEO Larry Zavadil, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people. “I especially enjoyed the visit to their headquarters to celebrate the official merge of our two great companies.”

The late Arthur (Al) and Phyllis Hohenwald founded Spartan Promotional Group in 1966. Sons Mark, Mike and Paul owned and operated the firm along with their parents. The company, which has 65 team members, continues to be fueled by a family ethos, executives said.

“Through (the merger) experience, our primary focus has been on our people and our customers,” said Mike Hohenwald. “It’s incredibly important to us that everyone involved is comfortable, confident and excited for the new opportunities this transition presents us.”

Based on reported 2022 North American promotional product revenue of $273.6 million, American Solutions for Business ranked 12^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry. Founded in 1981, ASB is an employee-owned company.

Al and Phyllis Hohenwald were noted leaders in the promo industry, prior to their passing in 2020 and 2023, respectively. Al, who also went by Art and “Skeets,” served on the board of directors of industry trade group Promotional Products Association International, as well as the board for the Upper Midwest Association of Promotional Professionals (UMAPP). Both Phyllis and Al received UMAPP’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.