In 2008, Kyle Eslinger had plans. He was going to get “insanely rich” as a screenprinter.
“Spoiler alert,” Kyle says today. “That didn’t wind up happening.”
What did happen was that he discovered two things:
- Screenprinting is a tough, competitive business.
- He wanted to get to know SanMar better.
While he eventually sold his screenprinting shop, his interest in SanMar has since become a full-time career.
This is how he became, as he puts it, “the wealthiest man in the world.”
Creating a Connection
Kyle first found SanMar the way many customers did—through one of our catalogs.
While looking at aprons for a potential order from a hot dog vendor, he searched through a couple apparel catalogs. In one, he ran across a picture of three gentleman sitting together: Marty, Jeremy and Jordan Lott. The text above the photo described SanMar, their family-owned business.
Kyle put the other catalog aside immediately.
“Learning their story gave me a relatable purpose when selecting which book to sell from,” Kyle explains. “It created a connection that I couldn’t build with the other book.”
Through this new connection, Kyle found “a family-owned operation with an emphasis on trust, kindness and doing the right thing.”
He also discovered how important those things were to him.
“They’ve Changed My Life”
The most important part of Kyle’s story, as he tells it, happened in 2012. That’s when he sold the screenprinting business and moved to Seattle to become an account executive at SanMar.
“They’ve done so much for me,” Kyle says.
As his responsibilities grew, SanMar helped Kyle relocate to Pittsburgh, where he met his wife. They now have two sons together.
Today, Kyle is a strategic account manager on the Decorator Solutions team. He’s become a trusted advisor for decorators around the country, helping them find creative ways to meet their customers’ needs.
It’s for this work that Kyle was recently recognized at SanMar with the Jim Armstrong Salesperson of the Year Award.
Jim was one of the first people on the outside sales team at SanMar and was known for his focus on caring for customers. Although he’s passed on, his legacy continues thanks to the hard work and dedication from people like Kyle.
While Kyle is humbled and grateful for this recognition, he’s also quick to point out that it’s not why he joined SanMar. And his idea of success has changed a little.
“I got really rich, because I got to know everyone here,” Kyle says. “My colleagues are my best friends. They took a 23-year-old immature screenprint operator and made him into something I would consider to be the wealthiest man in the world.”
“They’ve changed my life.”
Congratulations on your well-deserved award, Kyle! We’re glad you’re part of the SanMar story.