Today we’d like to introduce you to Brett Marz.
Brett, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
BAMKO started from a dorm room at the University of Southern California in downtown Los Angeles.
Two best friends from childhood reunited at the University and partnered up to form BAMKO which is now one of the largest global publicly traded companies in the world. BAMKO started as a basic t-shirt company providing apparel to sororities and fraternities and over the years grew into a global company sourcing merchandise for over 600 brands around the country. BAMKO prides itself on the way in which they choose product for brands and the insight they hold by working with so many brands in so many industries to ensure people are excited about the products they are buying or being given by brands.
BAMKO is most proud of the foundation they formed years back to help support non-profit organizations around the world that their employees are connected to.
Has it been a smooth road?
BAMKO has grown over the last 18 years to be the company it is today through challenges, falls, and mistakes made on a monthly/weekly/daily basis. If we knew everything this journey would have been a lot easier but would have never made us to be who we are today as a brand and company. Starting an office in China without knowing anything about the culture was a huge mistake. The same went for Brazil and India. The idea that sourcing merchandise in a foreign country would be easy was a huge mistake we made. Thinking that we would always get what we ordered in China was us being ignorant about the process of sourcing. We thought we were experts in hiring and quickly realized we were not. The road has been full of challenges and obstacles but we would never have had it any other way.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Bamko story. Tell us more about the business.
BAMKO specializes in using data, research, focus groups and having retail experts pick product that consumers will want to buy. We are known for sourcing merchandise for over 600 brands around the world. By having over 150 employees in Asia and by being a global brand, we are in touch with consumers in a way most companies never could be. We source for companies in the athletic space, food and beverage space, subscription space and in the tech world. We touch more consumers and brands than most companies ever will in a lifetime. We are most proud of the way we source product from ethical factories that are not only environments that are safe but are treating the people they work with well. We are incredibly proud that we take the time to ensure the products we made are safe for the consumers we are making them for through our internal compliance program. BAMKO is a company filled with entrepreneurs that are solving some of the biggest challenges companies are facing. We pride ourselves on not only making great product but having fun and doing good while doing so.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The industry is starting to consolidate in a small way but we see that trend continuing. There are thousands of companies that source product, but the way we are doing it is a new way to think about the process which allows brands a higher ROI. Companies are becoming smarter and more careful about how they spend money and what they put their brand on. As retail continues to shift, the concept of touching consumers in a new way through product and experiences will become a huge focus for brands.
Contact Info:
- Address: 11620 Wilshire Blvd Suite 610
- Website: www.bamko.net
- Phone: 310-470-5859
- Email: [email protected]
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