S&S Activewear (PPAI 256121, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 5 supplier, has announced the hiring of three new members to its U.S. commercial leadership team. This comes less than three months after the company bolstered its Canadian presence with leadership hires north of the border.

S&S continues to see growth partly resulting from the holistic domino effect of its strategic, and promo landscape shifting, acquisition of alphabroder last October.

The three new hires include:

  • Bill Topf as senior vice president of commercial strategy and operations
  • Nick Blannin as senior vice president of merchandising
  • Jim Sturgell as senior vice president of sales


“These strategic appointments represent a pivotal investment in our commercial leadership team as we continue to transform our business,” says Toby Whitmoyer, chief commercial officer at S&S Activewear. “Jim, Nick and Bill are bolstering our organization with decades of combined leadership experience.

These strategic appointments represent a pivotal investment in our commercial leadership team as we continue to transform our business.”

Toby Whitmoyer

Chief Commercial Officer, S&S Activewear

“They are each known for their creativity, deep commitment to team and company performance and fostering lasting relationships with customers.”

A Diversity Of Experience

All three hires come to S&S Activewear from industries outside of promo but bring high-level experience from well-known companies and organizations.

Jim Sturgell

SVP of Sales. S&S Activewear

As SVP of sales, Sturgell will bring three decades of experience in the food service industry. He was executive vice president and chief commercial officer at US Foods, one of the largest food service distributors in the U.S. The company says Sturgell “will lead the sales team to deliver on sales plans, build deeper customer partnerships and drive a transparent, accountable and empowered sales culture.”

Nick Blannin

SVP of Merchandising, S&S Activewear

Blannin comes to S&S from Under Armour, where he was the vice president of global merchandising, a role similar to the one he is stepping into at the promo supplier. He also worked in merchandising at Abercrombie & Fitch. S&S says that Blannin will “lead the merchandising team to shape a competitive product assortment strategy, leverage product choices to drive customer engagement and build effective relationships with mill partners.”

Bill Topf

SVP of Commercial Strategy & Operations, S&S Activewear

Topf brings management consulting experience from Booz Allen & Hamilton as well as other leadership roles. He spent 16 years at beverage manufacturer Diageo, where he was SVP of global data and analytics. As SVP of commercial strategy and operations, he will be tasked with building out efficiencies and streamlining operations for sustainable growth.