UPDATE: Koozie Group – the No. 9 supplier in the PPAI 100 – has reported that its Clearwater, Florida-based operations are back to producing as normal following Hurricane Milton, and that the firm will be running extra shifts to get orders out as quickly as possible.

More than 2 million homes and businesses are still without power on Friday after Hurricane Milton ravaged Florida.

The Category 3 hurricane made landfall on Wednesday night with 120 mph winds, causing massive flooding and spawning several deadly tornados, USA Today reported. St. Petersburg received more than 18 inches of rain, representing a more than a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event for the area, according to the National Weather Service.

  • At least 16 people have died in Milton’s path of destruction, CNN reported.

“What we can say is the storm was significant, but thankfully, this was not the worst-case scenario,” said Florida Governor Ron DeSantis during a press conference. “The storm did weaken before landfall, and the storm surge, as initially reported, has not been as significant overall as what was observed for Hurricane Helene.”

  • Hurricane Helene caused deadly flooding along Florida’s west coast and in cities of neighboring states such as Asheville, North Carolina, leaving at least 230 people dead across the South, The Associated Press reported.


RELATED: ‘Most Horrifying 3 Hours Of My Life:’ Promo Pro Recovers From Hurricane Helene

Impact On Promo

A handful of suppliers in Florida have been in touch with PPAI Media to provide tentative updates.

“We’re thankful for the outpouring of industry support during this challenging time and appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding,” says Matt Cook, COO at Koozie Group. “We’ll continue to keep customers informed about impacted orders, and they can always find the most up-to-date order information by logging in to their kooziegroup.com account or via the Koozie Group Tracker. While FedEx and UPS have returned to normal operations, customers should be aware that transit times may vary based on ground conditions.”

LET US KNOW: Report Promotional Products Business Disruptions

Hit Promotional Products – PPA 100’s No. 4 supplier – has reported that it suffered minimal damage, and that half of its local facilities are operational with limited staff. Carrier delays are to be expected, which will impact inbound and outbound shipments. As power is restored and locations are safe to open, the firm says it will continue to ramp up operations.


Epoly, based in Naples, has reported that all employees are safe, but the power is still out. Tony Milcarsky, business development director at Epoly, says the firm hopes to be back up and running by Monday.

AutoTran, also located in Naples, will be closed through Tuesday due to a transformer blowing up on its street. “All of our houses and residences are okay,” says Brad Parker, vice president of operations at AutoTran. “Most of Naples has power currently and I’ve been going around to some not so fortunate to help clear water from friends’ houses.”

Promo Rallies Together

The immediate needs for those still in danger are immense, and the recovery process for the people, homes and businesses in affected areas will be an enormous undertaking.

The Florida region has a large promo community, and industry firms – in the area and elsewhere – are providing opportunities to help. PPAI Media is committed to amplifying their efforts.

  • If your promotional products company has established a humanitarian response, click here to share details if you would like to be included.