West Fargo, ND-based Go Promo (asi/211824) has acquired Hope, ND-based Green Street Promotions (asi/213762). Financial terms and valuations of the deal were not disclosed.

The former friendly competitors, who merged on January 1, will continue to operate under their own names, Inforum reported. “What we’ve found is the two businesses complement each other very, very well,” Casey McCullough, owner of Green Street Promotions, told Inforum. “Instead of being competition, we found both of our interests to become much more powerful together. We allow each other now to pass customers to who has a better understanding of what the customer base needs or wants.”

Casey Glandt started Go Promo in 2012 while working at Fargo-based marketing agency H2M. The distributor focuses on providing the area’s high schools, colleges and universities with promotional items, T-shirts and other branded outerwear.

Meanwhile, McCullough founded Green Street in 2009 in Minneapolis, and then relocated to Hope, ND, in 2012. The distributor specializes in the corporate gifting market. McCullough told Inforum that no layoffs are expected due to the merger.

Both owners said they hope the combined operations improve service, help them each expand and give the firms better leverage and buying power with suppliers. Glandt said he is considering opportunities to grow in Jamestown, ND, and Bismarck, ND, while McCullough plans on doing more business in Grand Forks, ND, and Minnesota.