Brandon Mackay says it’s hands-down the hardest thing he has ever done.

The near 30-year veteran of the promotional products industry was referring to completing the massive, round-the-clock, intense process of successfully integrating former Top 40 firm Sweda with SnugZ USA (asi/88060), the Top 40 supplier of which Mackay is CEO. SnugZ acquired Sweda in late 2021 and announced the deal at the outset of 2022.

In this Promo Insiders hosted by ASI Media’s Christopher Ruvo, Counselor Power 50 member Mackay candidly and transparently discusses the post-acquisition challenges that led to service issues and related problems that caused headaches for customers and SnugZ in 2022. He explains what was in play and the daunting process of integration. “We got four years’ worth of work done in 10 months,” he says.

Indeed: Most importantly, Mackay shares how SnugZ has overcome the challenges and is ready to have a great 2023, delivering the stellar service that he says has long been synonymous with the Top 40 supplier and the firm it acquired. “We knew if we could weather the storm we could pop out in a better position,” Mackay says. The company is “hyper-focused,” he adds, on helping create success for its distributor customers.