Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) is at the starting line of a planned expansion project that will double its distribution center footprint at a strategic location in the Midwest.

The Largo, FL-headquartered firm plans to build a 800,000-square-foot facility in Fairfield, OH, part of the greater Cincinnati region. Hit already leases a 400,000-square-foot space in the area but will own the new state-of-the-art location – an advantage, executives said.

“We aim to diversify our footprint into a larger facility in the center of the country,” Hit CEO CJ Schmidt, Counselor’s 2024 Person of the Year and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people, told ASI Media. “We also want to own our building.”

The new facility will help Hit best serve customers, “as we see the need to expand in the future,” Schmidt added.

The CEO cautioned that it’s early days on the building project and that Hit will continue operating from its leased facility for the time being. “We’re a long way out” from the new building opening, Schmidt told ASI Media.

According to word from officials in Ohio, Hit Promo’s forthcoming distribution center will generate 100 new full-time jobs in the city of Fairfield, creating $4.8 million in new annual payroll. Hit already employs around 250 people at its leased facility.

“We aim to diversify our footprint into a larger facility in the center of the country.” CJ Schmidt, Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125)

The Florida-based family-owned firm received a seven-year Job Creation Tax Credit of 1.266% from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority (OTCA) for the project on Oct. 28. Buckeye State leaders from the OTCA, the nonprofit JobsOhio and the Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) of Cincinnati are collaborating with Hit to turn the new facility from idea into reality.

“Ohio’s central location within a day’s drive of 60% of the U.S. and Canadian population and its transportation infrastructure make it an ideal location for Hit Promotional Products to grow its fulfillment capacity in the North American market,” JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef said in a statement.

Doug Donnell, Hit Promo’s chief operating officer, said the company is excited to be partnering with the state of Ohio, JobsOhio and REDI Cincinnati. “These partnerships were invaluable in helping us identify support and resources, further strengthening our ability to grow and thrive in the region,” Donnell said in a statement.

Hit, of course, continues to operate its other facilities, including in Florida. 

A family-owned company in business for about half of a century, Hit Promotional Products ranked sixth on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry based on reported 2023 North American promo product revenue of $639.2 million.

In addition to its facility expansion plans and accolades for Schmidt, Hit Promo has been making headlines through key leadership moves in 2024, including promoting Jon Norris to chief strategy officer and naming Amy Rabideau vice president of product.