Kings of Swag with Jeremy Parker

Justin Zavadil, President of American Solutions for Business (ASB), joins Jeremy to pull back the curtain on a 46-year family legacy that transformed from a rural Minnesota print shop into a nearly $500M promotional products powerhouse.

In this episode, Justin shares the secrets to ASB’s incredible growth and its unique structure as a 100% employee-owned (ESOP) company. Discover how to maintain a “small-town” nimble culture while managing massive scale, the nuances of navigating a father-son business dynamic, and why Justin believes that in a transactional world, relationship-driven culture is the ultimate differentiator.

Whether you’re scaling a startup or leading a legacy brand, Justin’s insights on leadership, vendor relations, and the power of employee ownership are must-listen material.

#promotionalproducts #leadership #familybusiness #entrepreneurship

Eric and Matt Rubin of Blue Generation share their incredible four-generation, 80+ year journey in the apparel industry. Discover how they've navigated economic challenges, adapted to changing markets, and built a lasting family legacy.

From their humble beginnings to becoming a top apparel supplier, this episode is packed with insights for entrepreneurs and anyone interested in the power of family business.

#promotionalproducts

How do you go from buying shirts at Hobby Lobby to being acquired by the biggest name in decorated apparel?

Jayson Tompkins (Founder of Fulfill Engine) joins the Kings of Swag to map out his journey from software engineer to industry disruptor. This episode is a must-listen for promo product professionals who want to understand the "operational backbone" required to thrive in a post-COVID, e-commerce-driven market.

Key Takeaways:

• How to identify the "holes" in the non-profit and corporate fundraising space.

• The difference between building software for yourself vs. building it for the industry.

• Inside the acquisition: Why Stahls’ chose Fulfill Engine as their digital future.

• Why the "No Human Touch" model is the only way to remain profitable in high-volume POD.

Whether you're a decorator, a distributor, or a tech enthusiast in the promo space, Jayson’s insights on "the wilderness" of untapped industry verticals will change how you look at your business.

In the world of promotional products, few names carry as much weight as Jeff Lederer. After 30 years spent building Prime Line into an industry powerhouse and facilitating its massive acquisition by alphabroder, Jeff found himself at a crossroads: retire or dive back into the "unfinished business" of a 75-year-old legacy brand.

In this episode of Kings of Swag, Jeff takes us behind the scenes of the Prime Line exit, the gritty reality of a high-stakes turnaround at Myron, and his blueprint for the future of the industry.

Inside the Episode:

• The Prime Line Journey: Scaling from a $7M family business to an industry titan.

• The Exit: What it was really like selling to alphabroder and the "6-month itch" that followed.

• The Myron Turnaround: Fixing a 75-year-old legacy—tech stacks, cultural silos, and profitability.

• Premium Square: The strategy behind Jeff’s new international hybrid model.

• The AI Revolution: Why Jeff believes AI is the biggest "sea change" the industry has ever seen.

• Legacy vs. Business: Managing the pressures and rewards of a multi-generational industry name.

Jeff Lederer is the Co-CEO and Owner of Myron and the former CEO of Prime Line. He is a seasoned industry leader with a track record of scaling businesses through innovation, acquisition, and operational excellence.

Highlights
(00:00) The Prime Line Origin Story
(06:15) The alphabroder Acquisition: The Inside Story
(12:45) Why Jeff Came Back: The Myron Opportunity
(15:30) How to Fix a Legacy Brand: Operations & Culture
(22:00) Premium Square & The New Global Strategy
(27:50) Predicting the Future: AI in Promotional Products
(30:40) Advice to the Next Generation of Promo Entrepreneurs

Chris Anderson, CEO of HPG Brands, joins Kings of Swag for a clear-eyed conversation about scale, leadership, and pressure in the promotional products industry.

We talk about what changes — and what doesn’t — when a company reaches real size, how HPG approaches sourcing and trust, and what Chris is watching as the industry recalibrates. This is a grounded, operator-level look at where promo is heading and what it takes to lead through it.

They didn’t rush it — and that decision changed everything.

In this episode of Kings of Swag, Jeremy sits down with Mark Graham and Catherine Graham to unpack the real story behind commonsku — from building internal software for their own distributorship to making the risky decision to open it up to the entire industry.

They talk about working together as a married founding team, dividing roles, navigating conflict, and why playing the long game mattered more than quick wins. The conversation covers the early rollout of commonsku, initial distributor adoption, community-driven growth, and what it takes to keep compounding through the hardest years of entrepreneurship.

This is a grounded, founder-level discussion about patience, trust, and building something meant to last in the promotional products industry.

If you’re building a company, scaling a platform, or thinking long-term in promo, this one’s for you.

Jeff Becker, Founder of Kotis Design, joins Kings of Swag to reflect on more than two decades in the promotional products industry.

From college t-shirts to enterprise RFPs, Jeff explains how Kotis grew into a giant business — and why sustainability, focus, and long-term thinking matter more than ever. A grounded conversation about leadership, growth cycles, and what it really takes to last in promo.

#promotionalproducts #entrepreneurship

A remarkable story of resilience and reinvention. Trevor Gnesin, CEO of Logomark, walks through his journey from South Africa to building one of the promo industry’s leading premium hard-goods suppliers. We explore how he pivoted from wearables, navigated major setbacks, scaled operations, built long-term team loyalty, and stayed ahead of industry shifts.

In this episode:
– Early days of Logomark and the pivot to hard goods
– Sourcing, quality control, and operational discipline
– Surviving failure and rebuilding stronger
– Culture, leadership, and keeping teams motivated
– The future of promo: tariffs, technology, and growth opportunities

A clear, grounded conversation for listeners who care about the business of promotional products and want to learn from a leader who’s seen it all.

Follow the show for more conversations with founders, suppliers, and innovators in the branded-merch world.

A rare deep-dive with the person who sits at the center of the promo industry.
Jeremy talks with Michele Bell, Senior VP at ASI, about the evolution of the promotional-products world, the rise of small distributors, global trends, leadership, and what the next five years will look like.

This episode covers:
• How Michelle entered the industry and built a 28-year career
• Why ASI shapes so many of the industry’s stories
• The changing post-COVID promo landscape
• Mentorship, leadership, and the people who rise
• Global markets, sustainability, and future tech shifts

Follow, share, and leave a rating to help the show reach more listeners in promo.

Jeremy Lott, CEO of SanMar, joins Kings of Swag to share how a family-run t-shirt supplier grew into one of the largest and most influential forces in the promotional products industry. From inheriting his father’s legacy to leading through innovation, culture, and scale, Jeremy opens up about the lessons that shaped his leadership—balancing growth with values, embracing AI, and navigating global supply chain uncertainty.

🚨 If you’re in promotional products, apparel decoration, or brand merchandise, this is a must-listen deep dive into what it takes to build a company that lasts generations