Promo’s No. 1 supplier celebrated the grand opening of its largest distribution center on Oct. 10, welcoming more than 500 customers, industry leaders, employees and community partners to Richmond, VA.

SanMar (asi/84863) recently held a grand opening for its 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center in Richmond, VA.

Counselor Top 40 supplier SanMar (asi/84863) said the 1.1 million-square-foot facility serves as its East Coast flagship and touted the center’s automated product-picking system – a first for the supplier. The distribution center increases regional capacity and is designed to expand SanMar’s East Coast presence and strengthen nationwide service. SanMar said it’s been working to bring the Richmond facility online since 2022, adding that it’s now fully operational.

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new facility, SanMar President and CEO Jeremy Lott, No. 1 on this year’s Counselor Power 50 list of the most influential people in promo, reflected on how much his family-owned company has evolved over the decades. “SanMar has grown a lot since my dad founded it, packing orders in the basement 55 years ago,” he said. “You can see how much has changed from those humble beginnings to this warehouse the size of several football fields.”

The Richmond facility employs automated retrieval units to pick items from a more than 125,000-square-foot grid.

The automation-heavy distribution center is also a signal of what’s to come for SanMar, Lott said. Not only is SanMar already planning expansions for the Richmond location, it’s also leveraging new technology at its other facilities, Lott said. “This warehouse is part of a nationwide optimization of our nine distribution centers, already known for providing reliably deep inventory,” he added. “The upgrades we’re making enable us to do even better.”

Since its launch in May, the Richmond warehouse, SanMar’s most advanced facility, has quickly adapted to demand. The automated system includes a fleet of units that pick and convey products along a nearly 125,000-square-foot grid, delivering goods directly to SanMar employees, rather than a traditional warehouse setup that would require workers to retrieve products themselves. The automated picking system, SanMar said, delivers state-of-the-art efficiency by optimizing frequently ordered products and accuracy in fulfillment.

“By leveraging automation at this scale, SanMar is redefining what distribution can look like for the promotional industry – faster, smarter and built for the future,” said Matt Kuper, vice president of global sales and applications at Bastian Solutions, the team that facilitated SanMar’s automation integration.

At the grand opening celebration on Oct. 10, SanMar provided guided tours of the new facility, giving attendees a first look at the automation system. The event also featured live music, food trucks, decoration demos, giveaways and retail brand activations.

Mel Lay, co-founder of Allmade (asi/34341), screen prints a T-shirt during SanMar’s grand opening event for its Richmond distribution center. The event included live music, brand activations and decoration demos.

UPS invited attendees to show off their navigational prowess by completing a drone agility course. The North Face provided a Polaroid-ready photo op, decking attendees out in puffy yellow Himalayan suits, complete with ropes and ice axes, then having them pose inside a dome tent. Representatives from Allmade (asi/34341) and Stahls’ (asi/88984) were on hand to provide live decoration on T-shirts. Carhartt was customizing its gear onsite with sewn patches. Other brands at the event included Rabbit Skins, BELLA+CANVAS (asi/39590), Stanley/Stella (asi/89011) and Comfort Colors.

Brian Thompson, vice president of distribution at SanMar, said the Richmond distribution center continues a throughline that he’s seen during his 30 years with the company: “As we’ve added locations and buildings, we’ve continued to innovate and invest in technology that improves speed and accuracy.”

SanMar CEO Jeremy Lott (left) presents a check for $5,000 to the Ashland Museum to help honor the heritage of the land where its Richmond distribution center sits.

Indeed, the location SanMar chose for its latest facility has a legacy of speed, having once served as a local horse racing track called Graymont Park. And though the site is known officially as the Richmond distribution center, the supplier is embracing Graymont as an apt nickname. “We believe the name still fits,” Lott said.

SanMar isn’t the first supplier to make investments into automation at distribution centers. Counselor Top 40 supplier S&S Activewear (asi/84358) last year began implementing advanced mobile robotics in several distribution centers. Top 40 supplier Gildan (asi/56842) in June announced that it was using “putaway and picking” robots at its distribution center in Eden, NC. Counselor Top 40 supplier Cutter & Buck (asi/47965) streamlined its operations thanks to an investment in AutoStore’s automated storage and retrieval system, which CEO Joel Freet said has helped it handle rapid order fulfillment and scale its on-demand capabilities.

SanMar ranked first in Counselor’s most recent list of the top suppliers in the industry, with 2024 North American promotional products revenue of $3.8 billion.