Tom Rector’s career is entering the stratosphere. But 20 years ago, the trajectory he envisioned looked very different.

For a few years after college, Rector was the political affairs liaison for a state association of realtors – making connections with elected officials and even campaigning for a seat on the city council in his hometown of Muncie, IN.

In his mid-20s, he decided to go back to school for his master’s in public administration. And because he was familiar with the promo products commonly used in elections – such as door hangers, yard signs, buttons and T-shirts – he began selling those items to campaigns to earn extra money between classes. “I had great accounts to start, like the Indiana governor and local mayors,” he says. “So I did well.”

That’s when Rector Communications (later renamed to ScreenBroidery) began taking shape in his living room. Rector gradually realized that promo, not public administration, was going to be his career. He hired a few people, opened an office and started investing in equipment – even though it was 2008, when the job market was in tatters and the economy was listless. “We didn’t know any different when things were bad,” says Rector. “We hustled, learned and continued to get bigger. So when COVID hit, we knew how to navigate an uncertain world. We’re scrappy and we found new ways to sell.”

In the years that followed, Rector kept growing the company and earning accolades along the way, including being named the fastest-growing distributor by Counselor in 2012 and appearing multiple times on Counselor’s Best Places to Work list. Then, a couple years ago, ScreenBroidery went into “acquisition mode,” says Rector. In late 2024, the company purchased Graphicon, a fellow Indiana distributor. That was just a prelude to an even larger move in early 2025, when the company purchased Thumbprint (asi/305623) and went to market under its new name, now with additional offices in Orlando and Dallas. Since then, Thumbprint has strengthened its leadership team with new hires and promotions, including naming Jamie Frederickson COO.

“The last 12 months have been a lot, but it’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in a while,” Rector says. “We’ve brought together different philosophies, mindsets and personalities. Seeing how it’s come together has been a cool science experiment.”

Tom Rector (second from left) and team assemble food donations for the Million Meal Marathon in Indianapolis.

Together – with ScreenBroidery now under the Thumbprint name – more opportunities have opened up. “At $20 million, we were a decent-size company, but now we’re on the radars of $1 billion customers,” says Rector. “We’re at almost $40 million this year, and we’re on RFP lists for enterprise customers. They’re seeking us. We’re currently in two RFP processes that will mean $10 million in new business. We wouldn’t have gotten that opportunity before.”

To bolster new opportunities, Thumbprint is leaning into AI and automation, and has hired a director of technology to build “the next generation of merchandise automation, intelligent integrations and AI-powered customer experiences,” the company said at the time. It’s just the first of several strategic steps the company plans to take in the near future.

“We’re preparing for the revolution of AI,” says Rector. “The world hasn’t changed significantly yet, but there’s a massive shift coming.”

“We didn’t know any different when the market was bad. We hustled, learned and continued to get bigger.”

But one thing will stay constant: Rector’s commitment to client service. “Be obsessed with the customer experience,” he says. “We want to help them achieve their fundamental company objectives.”

Gabe Peters, now president of Thumbprint, joined ScreenBroidery in 2013 and has witnessed Rector’s career trajectory from a front-row seat. “Tom leads with a rare combination of vision, humility and consistency,” he says. “He brings out the best in the people around him, which has had a meaningful impact on me personally and professionally. He’s an exceptional entrepreneur who genuinely cares about relationships, collaboration and helping others succeed.”