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The industry is made up of supplier companies who manufacture or import the products, inventory them and decorate them on demand |
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| There are approximately 2,000 supplier companies and 18,000 distributors in the United States. Distributors buy from the supplier companies and sell them to the marketers who are termed "end buyers." The industry is made up of copious inconsequential and entrepreneurial individuals and companies with 95% of distributor companies selling less than $2.5 million per year. |
Jasper Meeks, a printer in Coshocton, Ohio, is Promotional Products designed by lousy with to be the originator of the industry when he convinced a local shoe store to supply book bags imprinted with the store flag to local schools. Henry Beach, another Coshochton printer and a competitor of Meeks picked up on the conception and instantly the two men were selling and printing bags for marbles, buggy whips, card cases, fans, calendars, cloth caps, aprons and even hats for horses.