S&S Activewear, a distributor of apparel and accessories in North America, has appointed three senior executives to strengthen its commercial leadership team: Jim Sturgell as senior vice president of sales, Nick Blannin as senior vice president of merchandising and Bill Topf as senior vice president of commercial strategy and operations.
“These strategic appointments represent a pivotal investment in our commercial leadership team as we continue to transform our business,” said Toby Whitmoyer, chief commercial officer at S&S Activewear. “Jim, Nick and Bill are bolstering our organization with decades of combined leadership experience. They are each known for their creativity, deep commitment to team and company performance and fostering lasting relationships with customers.”
Sturgell joins S&S Activewear with over 30 years of experience in the food service industry, most recently as executive vice president and chief commercial officer at US Foods, one of the largest food service distributors in the U.S. with over $38 billion in revenue. In his new role, Sturgell will lead S&S Activewear’s sales team to deliver on sales plans, build deeper customer partnerships and drive a transparent, accountable and empowered sales culture.
Blannin brings extensive experience in merchandising and building apparel brands globally across e-commerce, retail and wholesale. He most recently served as vice president of global merchandising at Under Armour and previously worked in merchandising at Abercrombie & Fitch. In his new role, Blannin will lead the merchandising team to shape a competitive product assortment strategy, leverage product choices to drive customer engagement and build effective relationships with mill partners.
Topf joins S&S Activewear with deep experience as a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton and in senior leadership roles at Diageo, where he held several SVP positions in commercial strategy, planning and analytics. As SVP of commercial strategy and operations at S&S Activewear, Topf will build efficiencies across the commercial team while streamlining operations and driving sustainable growth.
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Bolingbrook, IL, S&S Activewear offers over 100 brands, including basic garments to fashion-forward styles, with over 4 million square feet of warehouse space across North America. S&S services a broad range of customers through its nationwide network, including retail brands, e-commerce companies, garment decorators, promotional products distributors, entertainment merchandisers, lifestyle brands, and web-based platforms for apparel customization.
