News May 05, 2026
BAMKO Revenue Up 5% in Q1
Improved margins and business diversification prompted sales and profit growth for the Counselor Top 40 distributor and its public parent firm, Superior Group of Companies.
Key Takeaways
• BAMKO (asi/131431) grew Q1 revenue 5% year over year, with strong margin improvement and a 32.5% EBITDA increase, driven by higher sales from existing clients and a robust, improving RFP pipeline.
• Parent company Superior Group of Companies reported modest overall growth (2.8% revenue increase to $140.9 million), citing a stronger business mix and positioning for continued gains despite macroeconomic pressures.
Counselor Top 40 distributor BAMKO (asi/131431) grew overall revenue 5% year over year in Q1, according to recently released financial reports for BAMKO’s parent firm, Superior Group of Companies (SGC).
SGC reported $90.9 million in Q1 sales within its “branded products” division, which represents the largest subsection of SGC revenue.
Jake Himelstein, president of BAMKO and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of the most influential people in promo, said the company improved its gross margins significantly in Q1, with EBITDA – earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization – up 32.5% in Q1 for BAMKO specifically. SGC overall increased EBITDA by about 36% as well.
Himelstein also attributes the distributor’s revenue increase to gaining sales volume with existing customers, despite tough economic conditions, and noted a significant strengthening of business won from RFPs.
“Our RFP pipeline at the close of Q1 was the strongest it has ever been,” he said. “Conversion rates on RFPs are improving steadily, reflecting the investments we’ve made in sales talent and technology. Some of these opportunities will close out in the second quarter and drive revenue growth through the rest of the year.”
Overall, publicly traded SGC – which also includes healthcare apparel and call center divisions – reported 2.8% overall sales growth in the quarter, with revenue up to $140.9 million from $137.1 million over the same three months in 2025. Net income also increased to $0.8 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, an improvement from a $0.8 million loss in Q1 2025.
SGC CEO Michael Benstock said that although macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical tensions have weighed on some customer spending, he expects the company’s overall diversified business to give SGC a strong position for the rest of the year.
“We are seeing the benefits of the portfolio and cost actions we’ve taken over the last several years, with healthier business mix, improved underlying profitability and stronger earnings power than a year ago, despite uneven demand across our end markets,” Benstock said.
BAMKO ranked ninth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest distributors in the industry, with $366 million in reported 2024 North American promotional products revenue. The latest figures are due out in July.