Counselor Top 40 supplier World Emblem (asi/98264) is expanding its U.S. manufacturing footprint. The Florida-headquartered maker of patches and emblems is opening a new factory in Houston in October, reshoring 50 jobs from China and adding up to 100 other positions.

The company has signed a long-term lease for a 72,000-square-foot facility in Houston, moving its regional operations from a roughly 35,000-square-foot space to the new larger building. Initially, the company said it will be producing up to 500,000 emblems and patches per week at the Houston site.

Randy Carr, World Emblem (asi/98264)

“We are committed to continue growing our U.S. manufacturing base, which will not only help us reduce tariff costs and improve supply chain efficiency, but also enhance our ability to provide same-day production and delivery to clients,” said Randy Carr, CEO of World Emblem. “As a family-owned business founded and headquartered in Florida with locations throughout the country, we are proud to bring more jobs home in support of the country’s reshoring goals while continuing to improve service for our customers.”

Approximately 140 employees will work at the plant to start, but World Emblem told ASI Media it plans to reshore 50 jobs from China at the plant and add up to 100 additional staff in total as U.S. production continues to grow to meet rising demand for the company’s emblems, patches and promotional products, including custom stickers, labels, pens, pencils and name badges.

“Our new state-of-the-art facility will allow us to expand further and continue hiring more employees from the surrounding area,” Carr added. “We are proud of our dedicated team in Houston and strong connection to the city and look forward to remaining an active part of the community for many years to come.”

The expansion announcement comes not long after World Emblem shared plans to open a new 100,000-square-foot factory in the Dominican Republic next year.

Reshoring and near-shoring initiatives – as well as demand for Made-in-the-USA promo – have been on the rise in recent months, particularly in light of the U.S.’ 2025 import tariff initiatives.

World Emblem has additional U.S. factories in Norcross, GA, and Upland, CA, employing more than 300 throughout the country. The firm produces and ships 250 million products a year for sports headwear, footwear, sports garments, uniforms and other apparel.

Based on reported 2023 North American promotional product revenue of $100 million, World Emblem ranked 20th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry. The new list is due to be released in July.