2023 Top Distributors: Pinnacle Branding on Embracing Innovation and Customization

As part of Print & Promo Marketing's 2023 Top Distributors list, we asked some of the top-ranked distributors about how they managed to continue their growth throughout the uncertainty that has still loomed over 2021 and 2022.

Read on as Shaylah Paul of Pinnacle Branding explains how the custom apparel side of the industry has changed within the last five years, and how they match the creativity and innovation of their tech customers through promo.

Pinnacle Branding, Wilmington, NC, achieved 100% growth in 2022 over 2021. Shaylah Paul, vice president of sales, says that the key to the company's growth is simply their relationship with their clients. Without that word-of-mouth advertising, they wouldn't be where they are today, she says.

Shaylah Paul

"In our current model, we do no cold-calling, and very minimal prospecting," Paul says. "Most of our new business comes via referral from our existing clients. Our core values revolve around transparent and prompt communication and personalizing each experience with our clients."

How They're Elevating Apparel

Pinnacle was another distributor, like IDitAll, that listed custom apparel as its fastest-growing product category for 2022. Paul says that even just in her time with the company, she's seen custom apparel evolve quickly.

"I've been working with custom apparel, since I started with the company in 2018, but the options and capabilities have increased and become more sophisticated in the past five years," Paul says. "Taking two of our most popular pieces of merchandise, the tee and the sweatshirt, and elevating them with a custom private label; PMS-matched zippers; a bold, all-over imprint on the hoodie liner; or an embossed logo over a standard screen print makes our clients' brand make a statement and leave a lasting impression."

How They Appeal to Tech

Paul also listed technology as Pinnacle's top sales vertical, which means they have to be innovative in their products to match such a fast-moving and innovative industry.

"Three things I love about the tech industry: They are brand enthusiasts; they like to innovate; and many of their branding is bold, fun, and playful, so we get to lean into that and get really creative," she says. We partner with them on merchandise that is modern, purposeful, beautiful, and built to last. Plushies, custom board games, retail brands, and experiential kits are among the most popular items that come to mind."

Within that tech sphere, Paul says that one of the biggest things she's keeping an eye on for the future is AI and climate tech, as well as how travel and hospitality customers adapt their businesses to meet the changing demands of their own customers.