Counselor Top 40 supplier S&S Activewear (asi/84358) is keen to expand its sales in the teams/sports vertical.

The Bolingbrook, IL-headquartered company with a nationwide distribution center footprint has enlisted Kendall Whitley to spearhead the effort.

Kendall Whitley, S&S Activewear (asi/84358)

“Kendall's impressive track record and deep industry relationships make him the ideal leader to strengthen our team sales division,” said Toby Whitmoyer, S&S Activewear’s chief commercial officer. “His ability to build strategic partnerships and drive growth aligns perfectly with our vision for bolstering our team channel presence.”

Whitley, who reports to Whitmoyer, boasts what S&S Activewear described as nearly four decades of experience in the sporting goods industry. His resume includes time as team sports director for Adidas’ West region and team sports director for Converse. At the outset of his career, he founded Gameday Sports.

“Our goal is to provide our great mix of brands and resources in the school market, which includes rec sports, club and travel teams, and youth sports through current and future S&S accounts that want to grow their athletics market business.” Kendall Whitley, S&S Activewear (asi/84358)

Most recently, Whitley was vice president of athletics for Nations Best Sports. There, he oversaw all business aspects for 125 dealers in the NBS Athletic Division. During his tenure, Whitley established strategic partnerships with 170 key manufacturers and brands and developed sales tools, business education resources and social media strategies, according to S&S Activewear.

At S&S Activewear, Whitley’s charge is to develop and implement strategic sales initiatives to drive growth.

“The sporting goods industry has been my playing field for years now, and this role with S&S is a natural fit as the company expands its work in the team channel,” Whitley said. “I look forward to partnering with such a dynamic organization.”

Speaking to ASI Media, Whitley emphasized that S&S will not be selling direct into the team sales channel, but through S&S accounts including distributors, decorators and team dealers.

“Our goal is to provide our great mix of brands and resources in the school market, which includes rec sports, club and travel teams, and youth sports through current and future S&S accounts that want to grow their athletics market business,” Whitley said.

S&S Activewear has been busy adding personnel at the top of late, including five leadership additions since November; these include Pablo Mercado as chief financial officer and Eric Levin as general manager of the Prime Line hard goods division.

Based on estimated 2023 North American promotional products sales of $2,106.0 billion, S&S Activewear ranked second on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry. The firm last year acquired fellow Counselor Top 40 supplier alphabroder (asi/34063) and is progressing on integrating the multi-billion-dollar company, an effort that includes incorporating AB products on the S&S website and plans to sunset the AB brand this year.