Custom Ink (PPAI 594384, D1), a distributor of custom apparel and accessories headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, has acquired Swag.com, a promotional products distributor and “gifting-as-a-service” platform provider. The acquisition will reportedly position Custom Ink for future growth in the $100 billion-dollar corporate gifting market. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
“With Swag.com, we’ll help organizers and organizations meet the really important need of sustaining a sense of connection and community no matter where people are located,” says Marc Katz, co-founder and CEO of Custom Ink. “Nothing creates the feeling of pride and connection like custom gear, and Swag.com has set a new standard for easy and intuitive gifting of high-quality swag. There is amazing alignment of values between our companies, and we’re excited to build and extend our platforms together.”
New York City-based Swag.com was launched by CEO Jeremy Parker and COO Josh Orbach in 2016, and the two college friends from Boston University will continue to lead Swag.com as part of Custom Ink.
“During the pandemic, people couldn’t gather in the office or connect at sales meetings or trade shows,” says Parker. “With many employees and partners feeling out of touch, our new model for swag distribution helped companies maintain their identity and cohesion.”
Inc. magazine includes Swag.com among its annual Inc. 5000 ranking of the country’s fastest-growing private companies. In 2021, it placed the company at No. 368 with 1,308-percent growth over the past three years. It doubled in size in 2020 and is expected to break $30 million in sales in 2021. Among its customers are corporate giants Amazon, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Google, McDonald’s, Netflix, Spotify, Starbucks, TikTok and Walmart.
“In an increasing virtual world, physical items play a tangible role in connecting people, building relationships and showing generosity,” says Orbach. “Swag.com and Custom Ink were both built on the power of using swag to bring people together and we believe this combination will position us for long-term leadership in our category.”
Custom Ink has operating facilities in Charlottesville, Virginia; Reno, Nevada; Dallas, Texas; and Los Angeles, California.
