Promo Marketing’s annual Supplier Excellence Awards have returned, once again showcasing the voice of thousands of distributors and their votes for the best suppliers in the industry. Ballots were cast in 30 categories, with the top three companies in each classification being granted a spot to feature one of their products.
For several months, distributors were able to visit promomarketing.com and cast their votes for their favorite suppliers and products. In the end, nearly 50,000 votes were cast for the 184 finalists. The races were close in some places, and distant in others, but for the most part the top companies of last year were able to hang onto their first place positions. The few exceptions were SanMar Corporation claiming the caps and headwear title, Express-A-Button placing first in badges and buttons, It’s All Greek to Me (a Corvest Company) winning in toys and games and Pro Towels Etc.’s victory in towels and textiles. While some may prefer to see a closely competitive list with a lot of shake-ups and changes each year, it would be hard for anyone to not find solace in the stability presented, given the persistent economic struggles of this year.
Promo Marketing is also releasing its annual Top 50 Suppliers list for 2008’s fiscal year. The listing is ordered by total promotional product sales figures, as reported by each company. Because of this, privately held companies who declined to give sales figures could not be listed. Even missing such companies, however, the overall total for ’08 was much higher than ’07’s, reflecting the overall strength of that year. This year’s Top 50 reported a combined total of $5,368,273,564, a 12 percent increase over the previous year’s Top 50 numbers and a clear indication that the rumors of the economy’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Click here to view the complete list of Excellence Awards winners.
