Frank Kassela established Mid-American Specialties, Inc. in September of 1993. The company distributes promotional products and office supplies to private as well as government offices nationwide. Mid-American Specialties, Inc. has experienced significant expansion in all aspects of the business. The company has grown to a multi-million dollar business and has received recognition from industry peers as well as the community. Mid-American Specialties, Inc. is not only dedicated to its business pursuits, but also to supporting the future of our community through our philanthropic endeavors.
Mid-American Specialties, Inc. has undergone considerable growth since the beginning. It opened its doors with just two determined workers and now employs almost seventy. The office space Mid-American occupied was only 1,200 square feet of office space and 800 square feet of warehouse space. Over the next several years the company moved twice. Each location was in Bartlett and the last location was approximately 8,000 square feet of office space and 6,000 square feet of warehouse space. The company moved to its current location in Germantown in February of 2003. We purchased the entire building at 3860 Forest Hill-Irene, which consists of 79,000 square feet. Mid-American Specialties, Inc. occupies 43,000 of office and warehouse space. A certain amount of space is being left vacant for future expansion and the remainder of the building is available for lease.
In addition to our Sales Dept. we also have a Production Dept., which includes in-house screen printing and custom embroidery.
As a result of the company’s prosperity, it has been able to give back to the community in many different ways. Mid-American has been a Diamond Sponsor of the FedEx St. Jude Classic. The company has also given generously to the Make A Wish Foundation as well as the Race for the Cure. The employees have also given their time with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity. The focus of the company’s attention over the last several years has been that of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Memphis. Frank Kassela currently serves on the Central Board of Directors and is dedicated to the objectives of the organization. Mid-American Specialties, Inc. is the title sponsor for the club’s annual golf tournament. Our employees spend considerable time and energy preparing for the tournament each year.
Consequently, Mid-American has also received recognition due to the success of the business. The company was nominated and named a finalist for The Memphis Business Journal’s Small Business Award in 1999 for employers with 26-99 employees, in 2002 for employers with 76-350 employees and again in 2005 for employers with 61-Plus employees. Mid-American has been a member of the Advertising Specialty Institute’s Multi-Million Dollar Roundtable since 1995. Listed in Inc. Magazine's "Inc.500" as one of the 500 fastest growing private companies in the United States in 1999.
In December 2004 Mid-American Specialties won the national ‘Impressions’ Magazine Award for Manual Textile Screen Printing. The design (front & Back) was created by Mitch Foust, our Art Director and printed by our Production Team. This same design team also received Honorable Mention from ‘Impressions’ Magazine in October 2005 (front & Back) in this same category. Mid-American Specialties has also won 1st place in the “Memphis in May” BBQ T-shirt contest in 2004 and 2005.
In addition to the recognition that the company has received, Frank Kassela, owner of Mid-American, was listed in the Memphis Business Journal in 2004 as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” businessmen in Memphis. His motto has always been that he wants to make Mid-American Specialties the “Best place in the world to work”.
We are doing our best to make this motto a reality and in October of 2005, Mid-American Specialties was the winner of the Memphis Business Journal’s “Best Places To Work In Memphis” award in the medium-sized business category.