Following S&S Activewear’s (PPAI 256121, Platinum) acquisition of alphabroder (PPAI 156993, Platinum) in October 2024, all alphabroder apparel products are now available through S&S’s U.S. website. S&S Activewear is the No. 5 supplier in the PPAI 100.

• The product unification gives S&S customers more than 40 additional brands and creates the industry’s largest assortment of brands, says an S&S news release.
• alphabroder customers will need to create an S&S account. The U.S. brand integration will be complete in July; the Canadian brand integration will complete in early April.

“Bringing alphabroder’s product line-up under our digital roof simplifies the purchasing process and expands product options for both customer bases,” says Toby Whitmoyer, chief commercial officer of S&S Activewear. “Our customers can now access an even wider assortment of products, brands and styles through a single platform, streamlining their ordering process and access to customer support.”

Proforma (PPAI 196835, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 3 distributor, recently hosted its second employee incentive cruise, recognizing outstanding employees for their contributions to the distributor’s success.

• From February 20-24, 45 top-performing employees and their guests set sail on a four-day Caribbean cruise to Cozumel. The cruise was designed to recognize those who have played a pivotal role in driving Proforma’s key initiatives, acknowledge shared achievements and discuss plans for future growth.

“This incentive cruise is not only a celebration of our employees’ dedication and hard work, but also an opportunity to strengthen relationships and encourage collaboration within our Proforma family,” says Mike Dobozy, chief technology officer at Proforma. “Recognizing and rewarding our team members who have significantly influenced our technology and innovation efforts is a crucial part of our continued evolution and success.”

HIRSCH (PPAI 221823, Gold), PPAI 100’s No. 20 supplier, has promoted Amanda Maynord to director of national accounts and Casey Seraphin to vice president of client services.

• Maynord has more than a decade of sales experience in the promo industry with multiple organizations. She has been with HIRSCH for the past 14 months as key accounts manager where she helped the supplier reach record sales.
• Seraphin has been with HIRSCH for more than 12 years. He’s held several positions, most recently as director of client services. The company credits his leadership, tenacity and special brand of humor for helping to shape the organization to what it is today.

Texas Art Embroidery (PPAI 380229, Standard-Base) welcomes a new addition to the 4EZtees.com family.

• The Houston, Texas-based supplier acquired B-Bad Sportswear, also based in Houston, a cut-and-sew facility with a 40-year history in the sportswear, cheer and dance uniform space.
• Renee Perry, founder of B-Bad Sportswear, will stay onboard full-time as vice president of operations. The company has relocated to a custom-built area within 4EZtees.com’s facility and its direct customer base will be rerouted to 4EZtees.com’s top distributor partners. Quotes on custom projects are available now and formal product offerings will follow in the coming weeks along with a new catalog in Q2.

Micah Stalarow, president of 4EZtees.com/Texas Art Embroidery, says, “[the move] is going to bring a whole new service set to our customers and really help us continue to make progress as a decorator with full-service supplier offerings.”