News Last Updated: September 22, 2026
In The News - September 2026
Goldstar (asi/73295), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, has achieved an EcoVadis Gold Medal, placing both its North American and European divisions in the 97th percentile of companies assessed worldwide. “This recognition is a reflection of the work happening across Goldstar to continually strengthen how we approach sustainability,” said Pedro Moniz, global sustainability manager. “While the Gold Medal is an important milestone, it also gives us a clear view of where we can continue to improve.”
Sparkpolo (asi/88427) has launched the first phase of its new Distributor Portal, meant to help clients manage fully custom apparel projects in one place. The launch also includes Sparkpolo's new Digital Design Library, an inspiration platform for retail-inspired custom concepts.
Charles River Apparel (asi/44620) is kicking off its partnership with the New England Patriots for the second season. The collab features a new co-branded collection and brings together two organizations with deep roots in the region. The product assortment features eight Patriots-inspired styles and colorways, and is now available on CharlesRiver.com.
Koozie Group (asi/40480), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, has installed a digital web press at its Sleepy Eye, MN, manufacturing facility that it says will deliver advantages for its desk pads, executive calendars and contractor calendars. “This investment reflects both our commitment to innovation and commitment to our community,” said Jeff Ibberson, Sleepy Eye site manager. "This new technology ensures we continue [our] leadership while creating technology-forward jobs that appeal to today’s workforce.”
Goldstar (asi/73295), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, has appointed Eric Wingard as product owner, Digital Experience. Wingard brings eight years of industry experience delivering end-to-end API integrations, with a strong focus on creating customer-first digital experiences. In his new role, he will focus on strengthening Goldstar's integration capabilities and helping advance digital solutions that improve connectivity between Goldstar and its distributor partners.
Siser, a heat transfer vinyl company recently acquired by Stahls' (asi/88984), has announced the expansion of its Brick 600 transfer line with a selection of iridescent Pearl finishes.
HIRSCH (asi/61005), has released Gratigy, a gifting and company store platform for distributors. “We are very excited to be launching Gratigy just in time for the holiday season,” said CEO Paul Hirsch.
Koozie Group (asi/40480), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, has announced that its Garyline Cubbie RPET Bottle has made it into the Final Four of the Florida Chamber of Commerce's Coolest Thing Made in Florida competition.
Rupt (asi/84203) has appointed Rachel Hoskins as vice president of sales and activations. Hoskins brings more than 14 years of experience working across the promotional products industry, including at Hanesbrands, Threadfast Apparel and, most recently, Sock101 (asi/88071). In her new role, she'll focus on leading Rupt's sales growth and its expanding brand activations division.
S&S (asi/84358), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, is continuing the rollout of its new branding across its website, facilities and customer experience. The company's rebrand from S&S Activewear includes the new tag line "Take Your Vision Further" and will soon kick off a campaign "featuring the faces and voices of its customers nationwide," the company said.
Storm Creek (asi/89879) has achieved an EcoVadis Platinum medal, the company announced, placing in the 99th percentile of companies assessed worldwide. Just one year ago, Storm Creek earned an EcoVadis Gold medal. “Moving from the top 5% to the top 1% is something we're incredibly proud of,” said Teresa Fudenberg, CEO at Storm Creek and a member of the Counselor Power 50. “But the score itself isn't the whole story. What matters most is the work behind it — the things we measure, the information we're willing to disclose and the progress we're willing to have independently evaluated.”
Dubow Textiles (asi/49403) has partnered with Burnside/Sierra Pacific (asi/ 87224) to launch a new free freight program. According to the St. Cloud, MN-based decorator, the partnership is designed to give distributors easier access to trend-forward apparel and Dubow’s extensive decoration capabilities. Through the program, orders placed with Burnside will ship directly from the Burnside warehouse to Dubow every Tuesday and Friday. “Bringing an apparel brand and an apparel decorator together creates valuable opportunities and streamlined processes for distributors,” said Scott Jensen, general manager of Dubow. “We’re excited to partner with Burnside and make it easier for our customers to access fresh apparel styles and expanded decoration capabilities.”
Direct Caps (asi/48015) has been named an official headwear partner of USA Pickleball and the 2026 Oceanview USA Pickleball National Championships, creating a new relationship between the headwear company and the national governing body for pickleball. “We’re excited to partner with USA Pickleball and support one of the fastest-growing and most-engaged sports communities in the country,” said Shihai “Jay” Yue, president of Direct Caps. “Our focus is simple: Deliver quality headwear, fair pricing and responsive service."
Fully Promoted of Southern NH, a franchisee of Counselor Top 40 distributor Fully Promoted (asi/384000), welcomed hundreds of clients and local business leaders at its third annual client appreciation event at Bedford Event Center. FPSNH also awarded $3,000 in “MVP” giveaways to local businesses and nonprofit organizations at the event.
Logomark (asi/67866), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, is expanding its giveback program, adding its Bettoni collection as another way for product sales to support Shelter to Soldier, which rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to become service animals for veterans. A portion of sales from Logomark's Bettoni, Perka, iCool and Work collections help fund that mission.
Promovision (asi/79898) is updating its minimum order policy. Effective Oct. 1, a $25 surcharge will be applied to orders below the $100 minimum. The supplier said it's making the update to streamline order processing and fulfillment.
Gordon Sinclair (asi/57800) has joined Reciprocity Road as a preferred supplier partner for 2026. Reciprocity Road is an alliance of 14 distributors across the U.S. and Canada representing approximately $362 million in promotional products spending. The alliance prioritizes sustainable sourcing, ethical production and purpose-driven partnerships. “Reciprocity Road is exactly the kind of community we’re excited to be part of,” said Kat Tate, chief revenue officer at Gordon Sinclair.
ASB (asi/120075), a Counselor Top 40 distributor, raised $11,000 for the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre during the 2026 ASB Summit in Whistler, Canada. The Squamish and Lil’wat Nations have coexisted as neighbors for generations and built the SLCC to share their cultural knowledge and inspire greater understanding.
Fully Promoted New Zealand, part of Counselor Top 40 distributor Fully Promoted (asi/384000), is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The franchise was founded by Grant and Sarah Archibald as a single pilot location in 2006 and has since expanded into a network of 19 locations serving businesses across New Zealand.
PromoPulse has launched Lookbooks, a free tool that helps promotional products professionals create branded digital idea books in seconds. “PromoPulse is focused on using technology to make sales and marketing easier for this industry,” said Jason Nokes, founder and CEO of PromoPulse.
Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, has launched 3-D interactive product imaging online, a feature that lets customers rotate, zoom and explore products in every available color. The viewer is live on over 150 items, with additional products added on a rolling basis. Unlike renderings or digital mock-ups, the new 3-D models are true-to-life representations of the actual physical products as the item appears in hand, according to the supplier.