Founded in 1929, during the heart of The Great Depression, Cintas (PPAI 303547, D12) is now a publicly traded company with more than one million customers in North America. Revenue and a strong online presence helped determine its placing in the PPAI 100, but the Ohio-based distributor made a concerted step forward in 2022 with its next ESG initiatives, setting the stage for even greater sustainability possibilities in the future.

In November of 2022, Cintas announced “A Shared Drive For Better”, its central brand for ESG programs within the company. Cintas President and CEO, Todd Schneider said at the time, “We believe our new ESG brand will help us bring attention to the heightening focus on sustainability.”

BDA (PPAI 109381, D14) has grown from a garage-based operation to a global business specializing in branded merchandising for leading technology companies, pro sports teams/leagues and more. Based in the Seattle area, BDA – aka Bensussen Deutsch & Associates – hosts annual Think Tank events for pro sports leagues that brings together representatives of each team to collaborate and share best practices.

Collaboration is at the heart of BDA’s culture, and the company has been recognized as a best place to work in Seattle, with generous PTO and other employee perks and benefits, including company-wide community service events. In addition, its strong sustainability efforts earned an EcoVadis Gold Rating in 2023 for its North American operations, plus a Platinum Rating in 2022 for its European offices.

In 2020, the company sold its gaming accessory division PowerA to ACCO Brands in a transaction reportedly valued at almost $400 million. That divestiture is largely the reason for BDA showing a nine-point loss in its three-year trend, and its low ranking in PPAI 100’s growth category, which considers revenue change since 2019 regardless of acquisitions or sales. The company has made several significant investments in its operations in recent years, opening new fulfillment centers in Ontario, Canada, and in The Netherlands, and acquired Dallas-based agency Idea Planet.