#12 Jim Shannon

S&S Activewear (asi/84358) – Vice Chairman

2021 Rank: #12

Industry Experience: 31 years

Previous Appearances on Power 50: 2

After leading promo’s third largest supplier as president and then CEO, Shannon on November 1 stepped into the position of vice chairman of the board, with veteran S&S C-suite member Frank Myers becoming chief executive officer. The move certainly signals the start of a new era of leadership at S&S. Still, Shannon’s influence on the supplier – and thus the promo industry as a whole – can’t be overstated.

Over the last decade or so, Shannon’s leadership has been essential to helping grow S&S from a strong Midwest regional supplier into a billion-dollar apparel powerhouse with more than 4 million square feet of warehouse space in strategic locations across the U.S. and parts of Canada. In significant part for his tireless efforts leading S&S’s wildly impressive growth, Shannon was named Counselor’s 2022 Person of the Year.

Shannon was also integral to negotiating a partnership with S&S’s current majority stakeholder –private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice. Notably, he played a key role in closing on two major acquisitions – that of TSF Sportswear this year and former Top 40 supplier TSC Apparel in late 2021. “I was very proud of our team’s ability to execute and integrate two acquisitions in the last 12 months,” Shannon says.

Promo has recognized Shannon’s work: He received strong scores on influence from Power 50 peers and others in the industry, one of the reasons he retained his position at 12^th on this year’s list.