January seems like one of the busiest months for the promotional products industry as a whole. As soon as the holiday rush ends, tradeshows all over the country begin! When I sat down to speak with Michael Steed, General Manager at Direct Caps, he was just coming back from a whirlwind tour of shows!
Michael has been with Direct Caps for about ten years now and is proud to say that he’s watched Direct Caps grow from just a small business founded over 20 years ago by Jay Yue, the owner. Before Jay started in the promotional products industry, he owned his own manufacturing plant. Because of this, he knew he could give customers a faster turnaround time with their orders. He then immigrated to the United States, and Direct Caps was born.
Because they have a large inventory of domestic headwear options and decoration capabilities, they pride themselves on their quick turn-around time. They recently moved into a warehouse that allows them to hold a large amount of stock, plus with their embroidery and heat transfer decorating services, they can cut down the production time exponentially. This has been such a success that they’re planning on moving to an even bigger warehouse that will give them more space!
Speaking of inventory, their best seller is the DC Premium 112 Trucker Cap (Item# 6638R), which comes in a pretty impressive 48 different colors; plus, because it’s in stock in their warehouse, it can ship same day! They also pride themselves on having popular items in stock when their competitors don’t.
Michael told me that another aspect of their business that makes them stand apart from their competitors is their customer service. They hang their “hats” on delivering great quality and excellent service. They were even recently able to get an order turned around quickly to meet a customer at the airport just in time for their flight. Now that’s above and beyond!
As for the future, they’re looking forward to just doing what they do best: make great, high-quality hats! Plus, they are looking to introduce more cutting-edge technology in their production process like laser-cut mesh.
To learn more about Direct Caps (SAGE# 69619), take a look at their website here! To check out more supplier spotlights, click here!
