Happy Birthday to us! We might not be a long-standing organization, but a lot has happened in our first years as a company. At the risk of sounding like a birthday diva, we thought a great way to celebrate this milestone would be to look back at some of the most important happenings over the past five years that helped us get to where we are today. Grab a slice of cake and read along!
March 2014: Corporate Direct Apparel is Founded
Technically speaking, Corporate Direct Apparel was founded back in 2013 by Dick Ward, Andrew Ward, Ally Delgado, and Nolan Goodman. However, it wasn’t until this day five years ago that we were actually “open for business”. Even though it seems like it was just yesterday, it’s amazing to look back and see how far we’ve come!
February 2015: Corporate Direct Apparel is Rebranded as Merchology
It didn’t take us long to realize that Corporate Direct Apparel was a bit too on the nose for a company name. Plus, we had broadened our scope of products beyond just apparel, so the name had to go. Thus, the Merchology brand was born.
February 2016: Merchology Partners with Under Armour
Just over three years ago, we entered into a game-changing partnership with Under Armour and launched Under Armour Corporate by Merchology. The partnership has proven to be even more successful than anticipated, and Under Armour has been one of our top selling brands each year since.
June 2016: Merchology Named to Best Places to Work List
In the summer of 2016, we were thrilled to learn that we had been name as one of the Best Places to Work in the state by Minnesota Business Journal. We take our company culture and the happiness of our team very seriously, so this was a big win in our book!
November 2016: Merchology Co-Founders Win Young Entrepreneurs Award
Speaking of wins, three of our co-founders were busy adding to their own trophy cases in 2016. The Minnesota Business Magazine recognized Andrew Ward, Ally Delgado, and Nolan Goodman in their annual Entrepreneurs Under 35 article.
March 2017: Merchology Goes International!
After three years doing business in the United States, we broadened our horizons with the launch of our first international site, Merchology.ca. Since then, we've expanded our business around the globe and have now done business on 6 continents. We're just holding out for that Antarctica order to complete the set 🐧.
April 2017: Move to New Headquarters
By Spring of 2017, we had outgrown our original space and were in the market for a new HQ. At this time, we decided to move our production in-house and acquired Bagy Joe, Inc. for their embroidery expertise. Today, our primary product decorating facility and headquarters share the same roof in Minnetonka, MN.
June 2018: Accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ Rating
We understand that some people have a hard time trusting a company they found on the internet with their money and personal information. We don’t blame them; a healthy dose of skepticism isn’t a bad thing. Last June, we took steps to ease concerns and build trust by being accredited by the BBB with a perfect A+ rating.
August 2018: Merchology Ranked #282 Fastest Growing Company by Inc 5000
In August of last year, we debuted on Inc. 500’s list of America’s fastest-growing companies at #282. The publication judges companies based on three-year revenue growth and Merchology earned their ranking with a remarkable 1730% growth rate from 2014 to 2017. That’s a lot of merch!
October 2018: Merchology Ranked #1 Fastest Growing Company in MN by Fast 50
Last October, we were ecstatic to hear the news that Merchology received the top ranking for the fastest growing company in the Twin Cities Metro by the Minneapolis/ St. Paul Business Journal. From 2015 to 2017 Merchology’s revenue has inflated by a whopping 422%.
January 2019: Opened New Facilities
After consecutive years of rapid growth here in Minneapolis, we decided that it was finally time to expand our physical presence to other areas of the country. In January we officially announced that we would be opening two new production facilities. The locations of our new facilities were chosen as geographically strategic locations that allow us to get you your custom merch faster than ever before!