BAMKO Names Jake Himelstein President as Philip Koosed Joins SGC C-Suite

By Brendan Menapace

Superior Group of Companies, parent company of BAMKO, reported today that it has promoted BAMKO founder Philip Koosed to chief strategy officer of SGC. Jake Himelstein, formerly chief operating officer and chief financial officer for BAMKO, will step into Koosed’s role as president of BAMKO.

“This is an important and monuments day for Phil, Jake and the entire company,” Michael Benstock, CEO of SGC, said in a press release. “In welcoming a new member into the C-suite, we are bringing in a dynamic leader with a proven track record of growth, vision and an ability to execute.”

In his role of chief strategy officer, Koosed will support the company’s entire suite of brands, including BAMKO, Tangerine Promotions, Public Identity and Gifts By Design. He will remain involved in BAMKO’s business, but will now have the opportunity to shape growth and strategy throughout SGC’s other divisions.

“The immense privilege that I have to follow in the footsteps of someone like Phil Koosed is not lost on me,” Himelstein told Promo Marketing in an email. “Phil, the co-founder of our business and the only president that BAMKO has ever known, has built something incredible here. BAMKO is a company unlike any other in the industry, and he has set us on a path to do things that no company in this industry has ever done before. We’re going to keep doing the things that got us here and innovate in ways that only we can. Thankfully, with Phil now in the C-suite at SGC, I’ll have the advice and guidance of a great friend and mentor to help make sure we continue to do things the right way.”

BAMKO finished 2020 with $202 million in sales, up 88% from the prior year despite the pandemic. The company posted a strong first quarter in 2021, with sales of $58.9 million. Under Himelstein, the company will work to build on that success.

“Jake has emerged as our day-to-day leader at BAMKO in the last few years,” Koosed said. “It’s the dream of every business leader to have the people that work for you emerge as such effective leaders that they can seamlessly take over your role. Jake has done that in ways that I could have never dreamed of, and it has freed me up to take the culture of growth, innovation and fun that we’ve built at BAMKO, and have an even bigger platform at SGC upon which to play.”

For more information, visit www.bamko.net.