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News October 11, 2024

Florida Promo Firms Trying To Get Back on Track After Hurricane Milton

Some industry companies emerged unscathed, while others sustained damage to their facilities and remained closed or running with limited operations as of Friday morning.

By  Christopher Ruvo

Key Points:

• Impact of Hurricane Milton: The storm caused significant damage across Florida. Some promo firms closed and experienced damage at their facilities.

• Recovery Efforts: Companies like Counselor Top 40 suppliers Koozie Group (asi/40480) and Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) are prioritizing employee safety and working to resume full operations. Some industry firms have returned to normal functioning, while others are still in recovery mode.

• Community Support: The leaders of Florida promo companies expressed gratitude for the support they’ve received from the industry during the challenging time.

Update as of 11:30 a.m. ET, Monday, Oct. 14: Counselor Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) is now back to normal operations following Hurricane Milton. COO Matt Cook tells ASI Media that the company is running extra shifts to expedite orders and cautions customers that transit times may vary due to ground conditions. Individual order statuses can be found on customers’ accounts at kooziegroup.com and the Koozie Group Tracker.

The image told the story: A hole was torn in the roof of the shop, sodden insulation draping down above the embroidery machines, the ceiling panels stained with water damage or scattered broken on the floor.

Such was the scene at White House Custom Screen Printing (asi/359699) after Hurricane Milton blew through the promo distributor/apparel decorator’s hometown of St. Petersburg, FL, midweek, inundating the Gulf Coast city with more than 18 inches of rain.

Sadly, White House was just one of the Floridian promotional products industry firms trying to pick up the pieces – literally in some cases – after the Category 3 hurricane struck the Sunshine State.

Packing 120+ mph winds at landfall, Milton triggered dozens of tornadoes, blacked out power to millions of customers, damaged homes and buildings, necessitated hundreds of rescues and flooded areas, including residential neighborhoods.

High-profile incidents included a crane toppling on 46-story building in hard-hit St. Petersburg and the roof of Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball, getting ripped up by winds.

This was the scene at White House Custom Screen Printing (asi/359699) in St. Petersburg, FL, after Hurricane Milton blew through.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Milton was a “significant” storm but didn’t cause the “worst-case” disaster scenarios that some forecasters feared. “I’ve seen a lot of grit, I’ve seen a lot of determination, and I’m very confident that this area is going to bounce back very, very quickly,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Sarasota, near where Milton made landfall on Siesta Key, FL.

Indeed, promo companies were working to get back on track.

Counselor Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) was among them. The company’s Clearwater, FL-based facilities closed Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10, as a result of Milton. Early Friday afternoon, Koozie Group reported that it had partially restored operations.

“Our employees are safe, to our knowledge,” said Koozie Group’s Chief Operating Officer Matt Cook. “Our team did a great job prepping our Florida facilities. Half of our operations are producing as normal, and we’ll bring the rest of our production online as conditions improve. Our customer service team and Minnesota/Missouri facilities have continued to run normal operations during this time.”

Cook said that rush services out of the firm’s Florida facilities remain suspended. “We are committed to reinstating 24-Hour Service and standard lead times as quickly as possible,” he said. He noted that shipping carrier “transit times may vary based on ground conditions,” adding that distributors can find current order information by logging into their accounts on kooziegroup.com or via the Koozie Group Tracker.

 “We deeply appreciate your continued support and well wishes during this challenging time,” Cook said. “Our thoughts are with all those impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.”

Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), based in Largo, FL, was trying hard to return to full functionality after being closed due to the storm. “We are thankful for the minimal damage sustained to our local facilities,” the company said in a statement.

As of the morning of Friday, Oct. 11, two of the company’s five facilities were operational, though staffing was limited and carrier delays were impacting inbound and outbound shipments.

“The safety of our employees is of utmost importance,” Hit said in a statement to ASI Media. “As power is restored and locations are safe to open, we will continue to ramp up operations.” The firm aims to be back to full standard operations by Monday, with plans to work through the weekend to get back to par. 

Hit Promo executives said the company has received messages of support and understanding from promo pros – and is grateful for that. “Our hearts are with all our neighbors, and we look forward to our community becoming whole again,” Hit said in the statement. “Thank you again to our customers, employees and industry friends for the outpouring of support.”

Elsewhere, IDProductsource (asi/62088), based in Port Saint Lucie, FL, shifted to remote operations on Wednesday and Thursday but was back in the office Friday, Oct. 11, with business essentially returned to normal, company President Katelyn Aumock told ASI Media.

“The most important thing is that our staff are safe and doing well,” Aumock said. “We are hard at work getting everything caught up. Our phone lines are up and running so if anyone needs anything we are here. We greatly appreciate everyone's patience and support as we work to get orders out as quickly as possible. We hope all of our fellow suppliers and distributors made it out safely from the storm.”

BEL Promo (asi/39552), based in Medley, FL, was among the fortunate.

President Alan Tabasky told ASI Media that the firm was fully operational as of Thursday, with sales, production and carrier pickups all functioning normally.

“We were,” said Tabasky, “just very lucky, nothing else.”

While BEL Promo’s carrier service was looking good, there was, as Hit noted, potential for shipping carrier delays in Florida, with both UPS and FedEx putting out alerts regarding Milton.

“We will work to ensure the safety of our employees while minimizing effects on service,” UPS said. “Contingency plans are in place to help ensure that shipments arrive at their final destinations as quickly as possible.”

FedEx said that it’s providing pickup and delivery services as conditions permit, “but delays and disruptions are possible throughout the impacted region [Florida and the Southeastern U.S.] this week due to local conditions and restrictions,” the carrier said in an Oct. 11 statement. “Contingency plans have been activated to provide service to the best of our ability in areas that can be safely accessed.”