You could have a far worse entrée to the industry than starting at one of the hottest distributors in the market – Miami-based Sobe Promos (asi/245603), a mainstay on Counselor’s Fastest Growing Distributor list. Now with the firm for nearly five years, Director of Sales Mike Ferriter has had a hand in the business’s incredible 50% YTD sales growth, due in part, no doubt, to his competitive background in the sports market.

“My favorite part of the industry is how basic items that are logoed can mean so much to people, and how they use our premiums to tell their stories or help their marketing plans come to life,” Ferriter says. “It’s really cool to be a part of their company vision.”

Ferriter says his favorite promo item is “a well-done piece of drinkware with cool etching or well-designed wrapped graphics,” and acknowledges that he’d love to see more accountability from some suppliers and decorators. “Those that go above and beyond for us are the ones that we’re always finding ways to work with,” Ferriter says. “They’re always finding solutions instead of saying ‘sorry, we can’t help.’ We can’t tell our clients that so it goes a long way for the ones that deliver often for us.”

And when it comes to delivering, Ferriter puts his money where his mouth is. “Mike came to us from the world of professional sports sponsorship sales and brings an edge to our team that was missing before his arrival,” says Spencer Kramer, the founder/owner of Sobe. “He’s a big part of the reason we’ve been able to maintain a top spot on Counselor’s Fastest Growing list.”