Another year, another promotion for Jose Gomez.

After becoming president of Top 40 promo products supplier Edwards Garment (asi/51752) in 2021, Gomez has now earned the additional title of CEO of the Kalamazoo, MI-based company.

Jose Gomez, Edwards Garment

“The board of directors recognizes that Jose’s leadership helped Edwards serve customers well the past year and his vision for the company will help assure being able to respond to market changes and customer needs,” said Edwards Chairman Gary Schultz. “With him as CEO, the future looks very bright.”

Schultz led Edwards Garment for 20 years, holding the dual titles of president/CEO. Last July, as he began easing toward retirement, Schultz stepped back from the president role and Gomez rose into it. Schultz will continue as chairman now that Gomez has the positions of president and CEO.

Gomez has been an integral part of Edwards since joining the company more than 11 years ago. Prior to becoming president, he was senior vice president of operations. His excellent leadership has been a key reason that the supplier is on track for what executives described as a “record-shattering” year for both its ready-to-ship and EdwardsX (custom apparel) divisions in 2022.

“With a proactive mindset, Jose has led the high-performing team at Edwards in the response and rebound from the pandemic,” the company said in a statement. “With high service and inventory levels, distributors can count on Edwards to be their reliable and long-term uniform partner.”  

Before joining Edwards Garment, Gomez was director of sourcing at fashion-forward clothing brand Alternative Apparel and also spent 12 years as a senior manager at Kurt Salmon, an Atlanta-based global management and strategy consulting firm.

Based on reported North American promotional product revenue of $70.3 million, Edwards Garment ranked 20^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry.

Privately held and family-owned since 1867, Edwards Garment provides uniform programs, including product, decoration and fulfillment services. Its apparel is used in industries that include assisted living, healthcare, private security, transit, food service, retail and casinos.