Counselor Top 40 distributor BAMKO (asi/131431) recorded a significant increase in revenue in Q2 that is also driving growth for its parent company, the Superior Group of Companies (SGC).

The Los Angeles-headquartered distributor posted a 14% increase in Q2, and increased EBITDA by 33.5%. BAMKO’s first-half sales for 2025 have gone up 6.4%.

BAMKO President Jake Himelstein, a member of the Counselor Power 50 list of the most influential people in the industry, told ASI Media that BAMKO’s foresight into trends and ability to stay flexible amid tariffs allowed the firm to achieve its year-over-year growth.

“Our diversified client mix, coupled with our proactive approach to tariff mitigation and supply chain agility, allowed us to lean into demand where it existed,” Himelstein said. “As a result, we benefitted from both strong backlog conversion and early delivery of larger programs, especially in sectors where branding and speed remain strategic priorities.”

SGC grew sales by 9% in the quarter, crediting year-over-year total net sales, net income and EBITDA increases in part to the company’s branded product segment (i.e., BAMKO).

“We are experiencing modest improvement in client sentiment, and will continue to leverage our diverse sourcing channels and marketing strategies to make the most of market conditions,” said Michael Benstock, CEO of SGC. “With our strong balance sheet and cost actions taken during this year, we’re able to navigate changing market conditions, invest for future growth and return capital to shareholders whenever possible.”

“Our diversified client mix, coupled with our proactive approach to tariff mitigation and supply chain agility, allowed us to lean into demand where it existed.”Jake Himelstein, BAMKO (asi/131431)

Himelstein told ASI Media that the company plans to build on the positive start to 2025 by further expanding with key enterprise accounts, as well as a focus on pricing and margins.

“We’re also very encouraged by the gross margin improvement in Q2 – both year-over-year and sequentially from Q1,” he said. “This reflects a combination of disciplined pricing, product mix and supply chain optimization. We also saw some benefit from order timing and a favorable shift toward higher-margin programs.”

SGC purchased BAMKO in 2016 in a $15.8 million cash transaction.

Among SGC’s other segments, healthcare apparel grew 6.2%, while contact centers declined – 3.4%.

BAMKO, a Counselor Best Place to Work, ranked 9th on Counselor’s 2025 Top 40 Distributors, posting $366 million in promo sales, a 6.7% increase over its 2023 total of $343 million.