At iPROMOTEu, we love our Affiliates and are committed to helping them achieve their goals. We also believe in sharing their stories — how they got into the promotional products business, what led them to join our organization, how we’ve supported their success, and what they enjoy most about working with us. Check back often for more Affiliate success stories, and be sure to sign up for our newsletter to be notified when new spotlights are available.
About Matrix Promotional Marketing
When your parents — who were the back-office support for your promotional products distributorship — retire, who do you turn to?
Matrix Promotional Marketing is an iPROMOTEu Affiliate based in San Francisco, California. It was founded by Kevin Casci in 1981. Having worked with more than 20,000 customers to provide brand solutions in promotional goods, apparel, custom awards, and print services, Matrix Promotional Marketing is a full-service promotional products and branded apparel advertising company with hundreds of thousands of promotional items that can be used to promote any company. They are committed to providing the best and most reliable service, products, and marketing expertise while ensuring the best possible customer experience.
Matrix’s customer base is very broad. Being in the San Francisco Bay Area produces a great deal of technology business, but they have their hands in every industry. “In any given year we have more than 400 clients, and I’m the only one selling, which gives you an idea of how broad we are,” Casci said.
In 1976, Kevin’s mother started supplying the swimming industry with swim caps, shirts, and much more because Kevin’s dad was a swim coach. They traveled around selling various items for some time. Kevin later joined in 1981 as a salesperson, adding other promotional items in addition to just swimming and that was when Matrix Promotional Marketing was founded. From there on, the company took on another trajectory.
In 2002, Kevin’s wife, Petra, retired from her corporate career in marketing and joined Matrix. In her role as CMO, she has added an entirely new dimension to Matrix with her focus on online marketing and sales.
A Swift Solution
Kevin and his parents started out as a screen printer and embroiderer with promotional advertising. Then, 11 years ago, they got rid of the screen printing and embroidering facility, and Kevin’s parents — who handled all of the back-end work — decided to retire. At that point, Kevin knew he was going to need back-office support, so he reached out to Ross Silverstein, iPROMOTEu President and CEO.
Kevin and Ross already had a pre-existing relationship, as they had been in touch for a couple of years by then. “After five years of prospecting by Ross, I kept telling him ‘Maybe someday, maybe someday.’ Well, the day came, and so I called Ross and that was it. Just as simple as that. It happened in one day.”
Benefits of Affiliating with iPROMOTEu
In terms of the services and benefits iPROMOTEu provides Matrix, financial support is near the top. “I don’t have to worry about the financing aspect of my business. They’ve completely taken that off of my day-to-day workload,” Kevin said. “But it doesn’t stop there. Everything they offer is beneficial. The back-office support, the assistance in accounts receivable and accounts payable, vendor relations, and the overall financial backing are all critical to my business.”
He also appreciates the relationships that iPROMOTEu has with various vendors. “The relationships they’ve built with vendors allows us to reap all sorts of benefits, from good pricing to rebate programs, and most importantly, the relationships we’re then able to have with vendors ourselves allows us to get special favors here and there.”
But most importantly, Kevin recognizes the independence that iPROMOTEu allows him to enjoy. “iPROMOTEu has always let me be me. They’ve let me do what I want to do and don’t interfere. They offer assistance, but they don’t tell me what to do — unlike some competitors where you’re expected to conform to their program. With iPROMOTEu, I don’t have to conform. I can be me.”
A Successful Affiliation
Affiliating with iPROMOTEu was an easy decision for Kevin. “iPROMOTEu is easy to be associated with because they have such a big name in the promotional products industry. They’re always moving forward. By being affiliated with a big-hitter, you get major advantages. This includes better pricing and rebates. All those perks are great, but the fact that they help me with back-office support frees up my time,” Kevin said. “Having done this for 38 years, I’m not looking to reinvent the wheel. I know there’s power in numbers, and being associated with iPROMOTEu allows me to have a competitive advantage in the industry.”
Looking toward the future, Kevin believes there’s a sweet spot for him when it comes to growth. “I have a vision of where I want to be, how much I want to work, how much I want to make, how much I want to grow, and how many more people I want to hire,” he said. “I’ve had as many as 40 employees and $5 million in sales in the past. With that being said, iPROMOTEu allows me to grow my business at the level I want, have a good lifestyle, enjoy the freedom that they allow, and continue into the next chapter of my life. At 57, I’m moving into the next step of my life where I don’t have to work as much or make as much, but because of iPROMOTEu, I also don’t have to spend eight hours a day working.”
Since their affiliation with iPROMOTEu in 2009, Matrix Promotional Marketing has seen an increase in growth of 42%. Kevin credits Rick Badiner and Ross for his successful affiliation as well as his wife Petra who has been an instrumental part of taking Matrix on its growth path. “Rick and Ross are the reason I’m with iPROMOTEu. They’re tremendous men of their word, and they’re always there for us.”