2024 Fast-Track Firm: Showdown Displays Drives Growth by Mastering Wide-Format Displays

The “Fast-Track” company profiles provide insight on why some companies on the Printing Impressions annual list of the largest printing companies in the U.S. and Canada have performed so well. We spoke with them to find out how they view their companies and the printing industry in general moving forward.

The businesses recognized as this year’s fast-track firms attribute their successes to a variety of factors, including investments in technology, business acquisitions, strategic relationships, and a narrow focus on the things they do well.

Read below why Printing Impressions recognized Showdown Displays as a Fast-Track Firm.

Showdown Displays | Brooklyn Center, Minnesota

Most Recent Fiscal Year Sales: $121.7 million
Previous Fiscal Year Sales: $104.5 million
Percentage Change: 17%

Kevin Walsh, president of Showdown Displays, says the company’s recent growth is thanks to its renewed focus on displays post-COVID-19. | Credit: Showdown Displays

For Showdown Displays’ president, Kevin Walsh, a growth rate of 17% wasn’t a surprise. It was something he sees as a direct result of returning to the business the company was built on: displays.

“Much of the good fortune illustrated in that 17% increase was recovering lost markets/revenue due to COVID in prior years,” Walsh notes. “Yes, we’ve introduced new products, expanded into adjacent markets, and have employed new print technologies/applications, which has certainly helped us to grow while being more efficient. But the real driver in that number was the full return of in-person events of all types, and delivering the wide-format portable lightweight display solutions for those events.”

In fact, he notes that an incredible 90% of the company’s business comes from the wide-format segment, with just 10% comprising everything else, mostly dye-sublimated fabric applications, such as decor on a smaller scale, rather than the wide-format soft signage that makes up the bulk of its offerings.

Another thing that makes the company unique is that Showdown Displays is “trade only,” meaning it only sells to other printers who need wide-format work, rather than directly to the brands or print buyers themselves.

“Our customers are reseller partners who each serve distinct market channels, industries, and vertical markets,” Walsh says. “Our product assortment is primarily comprised of dye-sublimated fabrics and displays used for a wide variety of signage, promotional, and event purposes. It’s been interesting to witness the transition of wide-format solutions from vinyl and hard substrates to the current dominance of fabric — which has been an ongoing trend and transition over the past decade.”

And that evolution isn’t slowing down. Walsh notes that when it comes to future investments, finding ways to streamline operations is going to be even more critical.

“Automation in every area of our business remains a point of investment,” he says. “Specifically, Showdown has invested in an entirely new ERP platform that was rolled out in June of 2024 to drive efficiencies in our order management and production operations.

“Eliminating friction in the entire process — from order to shipment — remains a primary focus as it’s those efficiencies that will eliminate waste, time, and friction, and in the process, accelerate growth,” Walsh continues. “This has been — and remains — a guiding principle for Showdown Displays internal investments and partner efforts.”

But that doesn’t mean he is forgetting the hardware side, however. “We continue to invest heavily in advanced wide-format printers along with supporting finishing equipment to streamline production throughput,” he notes.

As the company moves into 2025, wrapping up its 25th anniversary year, Walsh is optimistic about the future. He notes there are some challenges ahead, citing turbulence in key areas of the globe and the related volatility to international ocean freight; the recent U.S. election cycle which will impact and influence the results to both Chinese relations and tariffs; and the impact and urgency related to PFAS and other sustainability factors to product solutions. But even so, there is a lot of good on the horizon.

“I remain very optimistic about the year ahead for a few reasons,” he says. “First, the capital investments that Showdown has made — and continues to make — will drive those efficiencies I previously mentioned. Second, the trepidation the industry experienced in 2024 as an election year will be behind us, giving way for businesses and industries to move forward with their investments and marketing efforts with a more clearly defined business landscape. And finally, I’m so proud of our team at Showdown Displays that I know that we can and will grow based solely on their passion for our partners and our dedication to our purpose.”

All of that means Showdown Displays is well-positioned to continue its path of organic growth, as it continues to focus on the applications and technologies that got it to where it is today. While diversification is certainly a great path to growth, Showdown Displays is a perfect example of how being the expert in your chosen applications can be just as lucrative and profitable long-term.