What’s in a Name?

With promotional roots dating back more than 100 years, BIC Graphic NA – soon to be Koozie Group – takes pride in connecting people to positive memories of your brand. We’re excited to take everything we’ve learned during our company’s history into the future under our new company name and Keep the Good Going® as Koozie Group!

This name change is part of the 2017 sales agreement between BIC Consumer and our current owners, H.I.G Capital, so we’ve been working on it for a while, and taking on this difficult task isn’t something that we took lightly. In fact, back in 2019 we turned to internal surveys, focus groups and worked with outside branding agencies to develop a list of over 800 names to consider! These groups liked including “Koozie” because it reminded them of a fun experience or event.

Koozie Group was selected because we agreed with that feedback and think that all our promotional products can evoke those same positive emotions around our customers’ brands! In addition, the spirit of our flagship Koozie® brand clearly aligns with our goal to provide useful solutions that evoke positive vibes and spark lasting memories.

Even though our new company name brings about a lot of fun and exciting changes, we won’t forget where we came from. Our history includes brands that were started over 100 years ago, and a long-standing focus on innovation.

And no need to worry – we will still carry all your favorite BIC® products!

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How we Got Here

1908

• A.C. Stewart founds the Souvenir Lead pencil Company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Atchison® is founded, originally as a provider of leather goods

1953

• Wally Haas starts manufacturing a pocket calendar in Sleepy Eye, MN as Haas Press

1969

• The creation of BIC Special Markets Division
• Haas acquires Triumph® Calendars from the Triumph Firm out of Glenwood City, WI

1972

1998

• BIC Graphic Special Markets Division is renamed BIC Graphic

2007

• BIC Graphic acquires Atchison® products, a 100-year old brand

2009

• BIC Graphic acquires Norwood Promotional products, the 2^nd largest supplier of non-apparel promotional products in the USA. This brings the Koozie®, Triumph® and JAFFA® brands into our portfolio

2016

• BIC Graphic launches the KAPSTON® brand of exclusively designed bags and travel accessories

2017

• H.I.G. Capital acquires BIC Graphic North America

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Who is Koozie Group?

As you can see, there is a lot of promotional products history and expertise that we are taking with us as we become Koozie Group. It’s our past successes that have built our vision of what Koozie Group will be famous for, and our new name is best explained by the Koozie Group Story:

Koozie Group takes pride in connecting people to positive memories of your brand. We design, create and produce reliable products and offer services that support and build brand legacies. This dedication flourished under the BIC Graphic name for over 60 years, bringing together many signature brands – along with their histories – under a single source.

As the business grew, our vision evolved to include progressive ideas around company culture, product development and the experience our customers had when they chose to do business with us. Soon our foundation of supplying quality promotional items and a commitment to strong partnerships seamlessly blended with our desire to have a fresh approach.

Driving innovation with long-standing powerhouse names like Triumph®, Souvenir® and Atchison® established us as a forward-thinking company, but it was one flagship brand that clearly aligned with the future of our business. Before we knew it, the lines between our goals and the ethos of this best-selling brand were blurred.

The spirit of the Koozie name could be felt in who we are and seen in every product we sold. Aligning with our history of providing simple, useful solutions that evoke positive vibes and spark lasting memories – something you undeniably want to keep.

We’ve had a lot of change throughout the years, but none say more about who we are today than Koozie Group. We are classic. We are fun. We are always looking forward, providing strategic promo solutions that insulate a brand’s image and preserve a best moment.

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BIC Graphic NA officially becomes Koozie Group on January 1, 2021! Until then, you can visit bicgraphic.com to see more ways we are changing for good, and keep an eye out throughout the rest of 2020 for more updates on our new company name.

Koozie® is a registered trademark of BIC Graphic NA. ©2020 BIC Graphic North America, Clearwater, FL.