Above & Beyond Promotions Ltd. (AB Promo) is an Edmonton-based promotional products distributor marking 20 years in business. President Rick Nutting and his wife and vice president, Karla Kushniruk, built the company on a firm principle — quality over quantity. They never waivered from a commitment to direct client relationships, high-quality curated products and deep community investment that set it apart from large online retailers. With two decades in and an increasingly growing business, it’s clear that this strategy works.
“Our goal isn’t to be the biggest, it’s to be the best,” Nutting is fond of saying.
He’s earned it. Twenty years as a local business, taking on giants like Amazon where fast and cheap products can be had but client relationships cannot, capture the mission accurately.
Nutting, Kushniruk and their team prefer to meet clients in person so buyers can see, touch and test promotional products before committing to an order. In a market crowded with online storefronts, the company has grown by doing the opposite of what many of its competitors do: slowing down, picking up the phone and getting to know the people it serves. The result is a business that has thrived through recessions, economic swings and a decade of rapid industry change – all while keeping its focus on quality rather than volume.
This is best seen in how AB Promo came through the COVID crisis.
When the pandemic hit in March 2020, the impact was immediate and total for a business built entirely around gatherings, golf tournaments, sports events and corporate swag.
“The pandemic was a very big event for a business like us,” Kushniruk recalls. “We went from 100 to 0 literally overnight.”
The Friday before the lockdowns brought call after call of cancellations. By Monday, the shutdown was official. By Tuesday, March 17, 2020, the team had to be laid off.
“It was such an emotional time. We didn’t know what was going to happen,” Kushniruk adds.
The weight of that moment was compounded at home, where their son had just been diagnosed with a medical condition. While Karla stayed home, Nutting refused to let the business fade. He went to the office every day, even with no calls or emails coming in, and got creative to adapt to the moment. Masks, hand sanitizer and PPE became the new focus, allowing the company to keep generating sales through six of the hardest months it had ever faced.
Ultimately the company had to temporarily lay off almost all of its staff, a decision that weighed heavily on leadership.
“They were understanding,” Kushniruk says. “and when conditions improved, the team was hired back after six months, a return that says everything about our company’s values and culture.”
Watching many similar businesses close their doors for good during that time only deepens their gratitude for coming through intact. Today, the perseverance has paid off in a way few could have predicted during those uncertain days.
“We not only recovered, we’ve had our best years after the fact,” Kushniruk smiles.
The resilience, culture and determination of the founders kept the company going, and that commitment continues with the service they are proud to provide.
“We work with people on a personal level to get them the products they want while staying within their budget,” says Nutting. “We value our relationships with our clients and always do our best to make sure they’re happy with both the product and the experience.”
Another differentiator is that AB Promo is proudly local. It started in Edmonton and remains in Edmonton as it grows. As a uniquely Canadian business, AB Promo keeps dollars circulating within Alberta, supports local jobs and reinvests in the communities where its clients live and work. For companies that care about where their marketing budget goes, working with a homegrown Edmonton partner delivers value that multinational competitors simply cannot match.
Nutting is not unaware of the state of the industry. In a time where it’s easy to order bulk promo products from across the ocean without putting eyes on the quality beforehand, his insistence in sticking with quality products that he and his team vet takes grit. He’s happy to be so tenacious on that point.
“I’m the first to admit that 85 per cent of promotional items are subpar,” he says, “and it’s my job to find the 15 per cent that aren’t. I take that job very seriously.”
Finding that 15 per cent comes down to two principles the company lives by: KYP and KYC – know your product and know your client. Kushniruk, who comes from a finance background where knowing your client is a core discipline, brought the philosophy with her when she joined the company full-time.
“You need to educate yourself on who the client is, their goals and what they’re trying to achieve,” Kushniruk says. “If you do your legwork and know their event, you can steer them to the right product.”
Nutting and Kushniruk also continue to position AB Promo as a standout by being an early adopter to the technology that helps their customers. Sublimation – where threads are dyed into fabric rather than embroidered on top – along with laser cutting, 3D and CAD cuts have opened the door to products that were impossible a decade ago.
“Technology has made things more fun and a lot more creative,” Nutting says.
The company’s product range has grown right alongside those capabilities. Today it includes team swag, corporate uniforms, custom apparel, headwear, school gear, tote bags, drinkware, custom socks, travel gear, medical apparel, trade show gear, holiday and seasonal items and much more. Backing that variety is serious purchasing power: AB Promo sources from a diverse variety of suppliers both locally and abroad to ensure every client can receive the right product at the right price point.
Promotional products are not the only thing the company is passionate about. Its devotion to community shows up every day, and two causes sit especially close to the team’s heart: the Stollery’s Neurosurgery Kids Fund and Special Olympics.
Ally Short, community manager, Edmonton Special Olympics, says, “Rick and his team truly embody the spirit of Special Olympics. From practice shirts at weekly programs to uniforms showcased at national competitions, they continue to go above
and
beyond
for our athletes time and time again. We are so grateful for their dedication to our organization, drive for excellence and passion for inclusivity. We can’t wait to continue to be the best dressed at all of our Special Olympics competitions in the many years to come!”
The company’s story reads like a lesson in organic growth. It began in the Nuttings’ home, where orders arrived so quickly that boxes started blocking the front door. A larger house with a basement for staff and a garage-turned-warehouse came next. When that space filled up too, the company moved to its current location and then bought out the three units next to the space – a fourfold increase in size over time.
Twenty years of steady, referral-driven growth have carried AB Promo through thick and thin.
Nutting reflects on the time gone by and the years ahead, saying, “I think this is the best business in the world. It is ‘fun’ sales! People get excited to meet with us and to see what kind of cool things we can offer, and we get to feel like Santa Claus every day!”
As demand for high-quality promotional products and real customer relationships holds strong, the outlook stays bright. AB Promo shows how a Canadian business can succeed through a stubborn commitment to quality and community rather than size. Twenty years in, the next 20 promise more of the same: continued innovation, genuine relationships and clients who are thrilled with their purchases.