Hit Promotional Products Achieves QCA Accreditation

The Chicago-based Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), the promotional product industry's only independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping companies provide safe products, has awarded QCA Accreditation to Hit Promotional Products, located in Largo, Fla.

"Achieving QCA Accreditation has been a challenging but extremely beneficial and rewarding process," said Bill Schmidt, Jr., vice president of Hit Promotional Products. "In spite of record growth during the past several years, combined with operational improvements and major investment in new technology, product offerings, inventory and personnel, we felt that all of these efforts would be severely devalued without a companywide commitment and focus on product safety, quality assurance and social accountability. Becoming QCA Certified was the only way for us to meet these expectations."

QCA Accredited companies endorse a self-certification, complete a rigorous self-assessment, and then submit their headquarters and their supply base to multiple third-party audits. The QCA board uses a scorecard representing the performance of the applicant and its supply chain on the third-party audits as the foundation for granting accreditation.

"Immediately after completing the initial self-assessment, we knew that the road to QCA Accreditation would not be easy considering the depth of our product line, which is comprised of more than 5,000 SKUs within 12 major categories. This is complicated by the fact that we also use multiple methods for product decoration, ranging from pad printing to embroidery," Schmidt, Jr. said. "We believe that QCA Accreditation will demonstrate our ongoing commitment to providing safe, high quality products to our distributor partners. While the initial phase is now complete, maintaining QCA Certification will be an ongoing process of continuous improvement, and we look forward to continuing the journey."

Hit Promotional Products joins the ranks of 17 other companies that have met the rigorous qualifications to achieve QCA Accreditation—Barton Nelson Inc.; BDA Inc.; Broder Bros.; Bullet ; Cutter & Buck; Dard Products Inc.; Garyline; Gemline; Gordon Sinclair; Jetline; JournalBooks/TimePlanner Calendars; Leed's; Logomark; MMI; Prime Line; SnugZ USA; and Sweda Company LLC.