KC hat maker’s sales soar after national news spotlight, capping year with validation: Made-in-the-USA still sells
December 21, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
Santa came early for Sandlot Goods — in the form of an ABC World News producer, said Garret Prather.
Garret Prather, Sandlot Goods
On Dec. 13, Kansas City’s only local hat manufacturer was featured on the “Made In America Christmas” segment on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir.
“Forty-five workers, 10 new hires, and 115,00 hats this year, many of them soon under the Christmas tree,” Muir mentioned during the segment.
Within just a few hours of the broadcast, Sandlot saw a 700-percent increase in its daily online sales average, noted Prather, the vice president of strategic partnerships for Sandlot, one of Startland News’ Kansas City Startups to Watch in 2023.
A Sandlot Goods hat going through the shaping process at the company’s Kansas City production site; photo courtesy of Sandlot Goods
A Sandlot Goods worker sews one of the Kansas City company’s popular green dad hats, crafted for the “New Heights” podcast featuring Travis and Jason Kelce, in partnership with Homage; courtesy photo
“Momentum has continued after that, including requests on our custom bulk order side,” he continued. “But that initial spike had us all scrambling to answer the online chats and then quickly get orders fulfilled.”
Sandlot is currently running a 15 percent off sale — using code ABC — in appreciation for being showcased, he added.
Prather said it feels reassuring to see the Kansas City company featured on the national news.
“The response from the national audience told us we are on the right track,” he explained, “both with our designs — but just as important — with our belief there is a wide appeal for ball caps made in the USA that are also high quality.”
Sandlot learned they would be highlighted on the national news a week before the segment aired when a producer from ABC World News reached out on the website chat, Prather shared.
“From there, it was a quick scramble to create the content and send it over for their team to edit for the segment,” he explained. “Huge credit to our team, and in particular Blake Hamilton, who did the filming.”
2024 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Jeremy Terman turned a likely ‘no’ into a tech career; his advice: Don’t wait for permission to start
The biggest risks are in doing nothing, said Jeremy Terman, encouraging entrepreneurship students at UMKC to take the plunge — even if at times the world might be telling them they aren’t ready. “You don’t have to be in a box. You don’t have to listen to what the rules are,” said Terman, an investor…
Cybersecurity automation: How to do more with less
Editor’s note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are the author’s alone. BARR Advisory, which has offices in Kansas City, is a cloud-based security and compliance solutions provider, specializing in cybersecurity, is a financial partner of Startland News. Click here to check out more from this Cybersecurity Month series from BARR Advisory. In today’s rapidly…
ARtechBBQ is back, bringing Oktoberfest vibes to KC’s best-smelling celebration of tech
While the party has grown larger each year, Greg Kratofil said, the goal of the ARtechBBQ remains the same: to highlight Kansas City’s tech community at what he calls the closest thing the city has to Mardi Gras. The hotly-anticipated, one-night-only event returns 6 p.m. to midnight Nov. 1 at the Kansas Speedway during the…
CEO: Selling US Toy allows family owners to refocus on innovative early childhood learning tools
Selling the family-owned US Toy business — a brand that became a household name over its 70-year run — allows its third-generation ownership to shift their full attention to a sister company that serves the early childhood industry with STEM resources, classroom furniture, playground equipment, and more, said Seth Freiden. Constructive Playthings, led today by…