About Us

We are a promotional product distributor and proud member of the Advertising Specialty Institute. Promotional products, also known as ad specialties, make up a nearly $17 billion dollar industry and are used by virtually every business in America. Why? Items like mugs, pens and t-shirts are memorable and provide a better cost per impression for advertisers than almost every major marketing effort like TV, magazines and the Internet.

Our vision is to partner with our customers in showcasing their passion for excellence. It is our mission to deliver innovative products and services that help promote performance excellence in music, education, athletics and branding for our customers.

Our History

Our company was founded by Eris Ritchie back in 1960. He founded Southwest Emblem by channeling his passion and appreciation for music and education to help others showcase their accomplishments with pride. With this goal, he launched Southwest Emblem as a family owned business with two key divisions. The largest division specializes in custom patches, lapel pins, medals, and embroidery products. Over the years, Southwest Emblem has become the nation's number one supplier of custom embroidered patches for school, music groups, festivals, and parades. We are also a leading source for custom lapel pins, award medals, emblems, ribbons decals, chenille patches and a variety of other products.

Eris' passion expanded beyond just music and truly encompassed all extracurricular activities. Back in 1964, the Southwest Camps division held its first cheer camp. This division provides summer camps for high school, junior high and elementary age cheerleading and dance teams. We host these various summer camps throughout the state of Texas. Our camps are affiliated with our strategic partners and highly-recognized National Cheerleaders Association (NCA) and National Dance Alliance (NDA).

The company is based in Cisco, Texas, where Eris was a longtime resident. When the company was first started, Eris led operations while also serving as band director for the high school system and later at Cisco Junior College. He continued his career with CJC and filled roles in public relations and advertising until 1977, when he resigned and dedicated all his time and efforts on Southwest Emblem. It is with great pride that Eris passed over the reins to his son, Michael Ritchie, who is now the owner and President of Southwest Emblem.

We are able to supply your company with every possible promotional product from over 3000 suppliers. With so many ad specialties available there is a huge opportunity for professionals like you to boost ROI and leave a lasting impression with your customers. Our mission is to help you create long-lasting relationships with your clients through the power of promotional products.