Fulton Screen Printing & Embroidery (asi/199740) has been in business for 35 years.

The promo products distributor/apparel decorator’s run is now set to continue under new ownership.

Jared Masset, the owner of Syracuse, NY-based commercial printer Ansun Graphics, along with the firm’s Vice President of Sales Jim Mahon, have teamed up to acquire Fulton Screen Printing & Embroidery from now former owner Tom Brady (no, not this one). Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Fulton, which is based in Fulton, NY, will continue going to market under the same name. The business will also maintain its current location and continue offering apparel decorating and a wide gamut of promotional products and branded apparel.

The leaders of Ansun Graphics, which has been in operation since 1995, foresee great things ahead for Fulton Screen Printing.

“We are excited to continue previous owner Tom Brady’s legacy of great products, quality and service,” Massett said. “It’s a great company with a wonderful crew and capabilities. We plan to expand the services offered to include all kinds of print, digital/offset, mailing, die-cutting, finishing, large format, signage and more.”

Ansun already offers such services to customers, along with graphic design, postcards, direct mail and other solutions. The firm said it places an emphasis on operating with the environment in mind through the use of recycled paper, soy-based inks and certified-green products.

Ansun noted it also takes social responsibility seriously and is involved with supporting worthy organizations. These include the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, which works to end child abuse, and AURORA of Central New York, Inc., a nonprofit with a 90-plus-year history of serving blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard-of-hearing people. 

Following a lull earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, merger and acquisition activity in the promotional products industry has remained strong over the last nearly two years.

The activity has been driven by factors that include a sizeable class of business owners reaching retirement age, more private equity money in the merch space, and a desire by companies to team up and scale to better compete in an increasingly complex and tech-driven marketplace.