Top 40 promo products distributor American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075) and its affiliate BrandCo Marketing have teamed up to acquire Innovative Promotions. Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Brandon Kennedy, whose independent California-headquartered distributorship affiliated with ASB in October 2021, noted that members of the Simi Valley, CA-based Innovative Promotions team will be joining BrandCo. They include Lee Ann Satt, Kathy Dunn and Natalia Alvarez. Previous owners Mary and Al Alvarez are retiring.

Brandon Kennedy, BrandCo

Kennedy learned through a mutual vendor that the Alvarezes were looking to retire. In that, he saw an opportunity for them, their team and his company.

“I provided a solution for their sales reps to stay on board and for us and ASB to help support their sales and growth into the future,” Kennedy said. “Lee Ann, Kathy and Natalia come with great experience and amazing client relationships. I feel that they’re going to be a fantastic addition with our current team.”

ASB CEO/founder Larry Zavadil sees the acquisition as a great move for ASB. 

“Brandon and the whole team at BrandCo have been an incredible asset to American,” said Zavadil, a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people. “Now that Innovative Promotions is joining our family, we couldn’t be more excited to have them on board as well.”

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Glenwood, MN, ASB is the eighth-largest distributor in the promotional products industry based on reported 2020 North American promo revenue of $238.3 million.

A turnkey creative branding agency, BrandCo was founded in 2004 and has appeared on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies six times. The company has offices in Bakersfield, CA, Newport Beach, CA, and Chattanooga, TN. Innovative Promotions has a nearly 40-year history, having begun operations in 1985.