Connecting To Build A Legacy

In 1983, three things were certain: Michael Jackson’s Thriller was dominating the airwaves, NASA was making history with Sally Ride’s space mission and Lane Kalmin was hard at work in Houston, Texas. When his headwear supply company hit financial
trouble, Kalmin pivoted and rebuilt it. That company became Kati Sportcap & Bag (asi/64140), now a leading headwear supplier in the promo products industry for over 40 years. As a premier headwear supplier, Kati offers 15 major brands, including Richardson, Imperial, and Flexfit. But they don’t stop at just supplying headwear – their in-house decoration services make them a true one-stop-shop, providing embroidery, 3D embroidery, leather patches and cloth patches to bring customers’ visions to life.

“For me, this business isn’t just about selling hats — it’s about continuing my family’s legacy in this industry.” – Ben Spier

Kati Sportcap & Bag isn’t just a business – it’s a family legacy. In 2005, Kalmin’s son-in-law, Danny Spier, joined his wife, Shari, to help run the company and take on ownership, managing day-to-day operations. In recent years, the third generation has stepped in, with Kalmin’s grandson Ben Spier and granddaughter Ellie Spier now playing key roles. When asked, Ben sees his grandfather’s work as more than just the opportunity to get hands-on experience, stating that “Kati has always been built on a commitment to quality, service and relationships, and I take a lot of pride in upholding that tradition. Our goal isn’t just to provide great products; it’s to set the industry standard when it comes to caring for our customers, creating a positive work environment filled with growth for our Kati family and sharing the love that we have for one another at Kati with our customers.”

“Building Kati from the ground up has been one of the greatest accomplishments of my life, but seeing my grandson and granddaughter now working alongside Danny to continue what we started is even more rewarding. It means so much to watch the next generation bring fresh energy and ideas while carrying on the values that have made our business successful.” – Lane Kalmin, Founder

GET CONNECTED

Hosted-buyer events are an easy way to connect with distributors in a more focused and tailored setting. With a handful of locations around the country on varying dates, Kati Sportcap & Bag has found that attending ConneX™ events is very beneficial for suppliers. Spier specifically highlighted the increased benefit to sitting down for 15- 20 minutes across from a distributor and being able to create a more personal relationship with them.

“We found huge success with ConneX and had a very high conversion rate of people we met opening new accounts or orders.” – Ben Spier

EXPOSURE IS KEY

Staying top of mind can be hard in a world filled with every app, notification and update under the sun. The people at Kati Sportcap & Bag have focused their efforts to ESP®, noting that they attribute their brand awareness to ESP and its features that allow their products and company to stay visible and top of mind for distributors across the board.

“Having exposure on ESP is really helpful for us because I know a lot of distributors use that as their source of truth.” – Danny Spier

BETTER TOGETHER

“We’ve already signed up for next year’s ConneX within a couple weeks of finishing it since we enjoyed it so much.” – Ben Spier

ConneX could be just the event you need to give your sales the extra boost. Spier also mentioned a huge benefit to ConneX and ASI® in general is that they are able to connect with promo professionals and weed out those who aren’t aligned with their business. Having a system and in this case, a company, that makes sure Kati Sportcap & Bag are able to talk and include the people that are an ASI type customer has been game changing.

UP & MOVING

On top of a variety of charitable donations, Kati Sportcap & Bag believes in investing in the people that make things run every day. With 30 employees, Kati Sportcap & Bag offers free, in-house personal training. Keeping a good, healthy body and mind is not only great for business but also great for its employees, as well as people outside of the Houston office. And for a family business like Kati Sportcap & Bag, supporting others in all facets of life is what it means to be a family business at its core.

“I also think something important to note is giving back to our employees.”

Kati Sportcap & Bag stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of Lane Kalmin and his family’s dedication to quality, service and relationships. From its humble beginnings in 1983 to becoming a premier headwear supplier with a comprehensive range of customization options, the company has thrived under the leadership of Kalmin and his successors. With a strong focus on personal connections, brand visibility and employee well-being, Kati Sportcap & Bag continues to set industry standards and foster a positive work environment. As the company looks to the future, it remains committed to upholding its core values and sharing its passion for excellence with customers and employees alike.

Want this Success Story as a PDF? Click here to download.