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
RECAP: 1 Million Cups panel offers decision-making advice
Three entrepreneurs took the stage at 1 Million Cups this week to offer advice on navigating the tough world of entrepreneurship. Alex Altomare, co-founder of BetaBlox, Linda Buchner, co-founder and president of Minddrive, and Ben Kittrell, co-founder and CTO of Doodlekit, all spoke about the variety of hard choices entrepreneurs face. On handling tough decisions……
Sprint Accelerator startup raises $85K (and counting)
Hidrate, a startup at the Kansas City-based Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator, rapidly surpassed its fundraising goal before a pitch to investors and nearly 2,000 Kansas Citians. The Minneapolis-based company’s Kickstarter campaign has already raised nearly $85,000 in two days, which more than doubles its goal to fundraise $35,000 in 42 days. Hidrate created a Bluetooth-enabled water bottle that tracks…
Sprint Accelerator Demo Day preview (part III)
The second class of the Sprint Mobile Health Accelerator is gearing up for its much-anticipated Demo Day, which serves as a culminating event and is expected to draw a crowd of nearly 2,000 people. Led by Boulder-based Techstars, the Kansas City-based accelerator is now hosting 10 mobile health tech startups from around the world for its…
KC finance tech firm Lending Standard nabs nearly $500K
Kansas City-based Lending Standard recently raised nearly $500,000 to further develop its software and hire additional employees. The financial tech company snagged the funds from regional investors, and with it has hired two additional technical staff, bringing its total headcount to eight people. Lending Standard created a platform on which organizations can receive and collaborate…