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Supplier Pin Machine Acquires Gempire

Former Gempire owner Harvey Mackler, a member of the Hall of Fame Foundation of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY), will continue to play a key role in day-to-day operations, executives said.

Another acquisition involving two promo products suppliers has been announced.

Attleboro, MA-based Pin Machine (asi/78133) is acquiring the assets of Tampa, FL-headquartered Gempire (asi/55610). Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Pin Machine acquires Gempire

Pin Machine specializes in products that include lapel pins, coins, award medals, keytags, belt buckles and bottle openers. Gempire provides a range of products, including lapel pins, lanyards, beverage accessories, coasters, golf accessories, keytags, bottle openers and bookmarks.

“By combining our expertise and product offerings, we feel we can continue to deliver excellent quality and great value to our customers,” said Tommy Romero, partner at Pin Machine. “Both companies have been built with an emphasis on customer service, and we look forward to this next chapter together.”

Industry veteran Harvey Mackler, owner/managing member of Gempire since the 1990s, will continue to play what was described as an integral role in day-to-day operations. He said Pin Machine was a great fit for Gempire – and vice versa.

“Pin Machine met all of our requirements,” said Mackler, who is a member of the Hall of Fame Foundation of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) and the 2013 winner of the PPAI H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award. “They are a perfect complement to what we have accomplished for almost 28 years.”

Executives said that existing Gempire customers can expect continued support and access to a broader range of production capabilities under the Pin Machine umbrella.

As this deal highlights, merger and acquisition activity continues to be a feature in the promotional products landscape.

In early 2023, mergers and acquisitions occurred at a blistering pace in promo, continuing a trend of elevated dealmaking that began in the latter half of 2021 and continued through 2022. The number of deals – at least ones that were announced – subsequently seemed to slow. Then, as the second quarter progressed, there was another outpouring of promo M&A.