Malcolm Group

What Malcolm Group does

Malcolm Group, Inc. is a privately-held, family-owned diversified holding company founded in 1969 in Oglesby, Illinois, by Malcolm Roebuck — an English-born mechanical and production engineer who emigrated to the United States in 1966. The company's foundation is the Badge-A-Minit patented badge-making machine, a 100% American-made pin-back button system that achieved "millions of worldwide sales" globally and seeded an expanding portfolio of ~25 wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning Manufacturing/Mail Order (Badge-A-Minit, Best Impressions catalog, Imprintor pad-printing, Official Sticker Catalog), Advertising & Marketing (All Web Promotion, Hagen Advertising, Malcolm Advertising), Banking/Finance, Retailing/E-commerce (Skin1, Ariva Skin Care and Day Spa, Casco Bay Trading Post, Schertz Hardware, Brain Pantry), Farming/Real Estate (multiple Angus operations), Energy (NGR, Oil Investments), Aviation (Williamsburg Air Charter), and Recreation (Bain Lake Lodge, Norview Marina, Recreational Properties).

The core technology consists of mechanical badge-making machines designed for multiple skill levels and the proprietary Imprintor pad-printing system, with go-to-market executed through a sales-led motion: the Best Impressions print catalog reaches tens of thousands of customers for fundraising and promotional use, Badge-A-Minit operates a global mail-order business, Imprintor is sold at regional tradeshows, and the e-commerce storefronts serve direct-to-consumer retail. Revenue mechanics are entirely transactional (one-time product/equipment sales) with no subscription, SaaS, or licensing model disclosed; no public pricing exists for any product line.

Malcolm Group is led by second-generation President Michael Roebuck (since 2019), with third-generation family members Nathan Kessel and Malcolm Roebuck Jr. assuming operational roles in 2024. The company employs 1-10 people, has no external funding, and reports no revenue figures in the source data. Forward-looking projects publicly cited include "never-ending new product development," volatility investment algorithms via Roebuck Systems, business consulting, and dementia research.

Name

Malcolm Group

Legal name

Malcolm Group, Inc.

Website

https://malcolmgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Malcolm Group is a privately-held, family-owned US holding company founded in 1969, anchored by its patented Badge-A-Minit badge-making machines and a diversified portfolio of ~25 subsidiaries spanning manufacturing, catalog retail, e-commerce, agriculture, real estate, energy, and recreation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Promotional Products Manufacturing

NAICS

Fastener, Button, Needle, and Pin Manufacturing (339993)

SIC

Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAOALAB

Buttons & Buckles Manufacturing (Buttons/Toggles/Buckles/Slides)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Textiles, Apparel & Leather Manufacturing/Textile & Apparel Trims Manufacturing (Zippers/Buttons/Labels/Elastic)

SECONDARYIMALAOAD

Labeling, Coding & Marking Equipment (Labelers, Inkjet, Laser)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Packaging & Containers/Packaging Machinery and Equipment

Keywords

• Badge making machines
• Promotional products catalog
• Pad printing systems
• Custom button manufacturing
• Made in America manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Las Vegas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Manufacturing and Mail Order: Manufacturing badge-making equipment (Badge-A-Minit) and promotional products sold through mail order catalog (Best Impressions). Products are 100% made in America with millions of worldwide sales.
2. Catalog Sales: Best Impressions Catalog provides tens of thousands of promotional products for fundraising, brand awareness, and general promotional use.
3. E-commerce Retail: Direct-to-consumer sales through multiple e-commerce platforms including Skin1, Inc., Ariva Skin Care and Day Spa, Casco Bay Trading Post, and Schertz Hardware.
4. Tradeshow Equipment Sales: Imprintor pad-printing system sales and demonstration through tradeshows across the country.
5. Diverse Business Ventures: Revenue from various ventures including real estate projects, farming (Black Angus cattle), energy investments (oil wells), recreational properties (ski resorts, marinas, RV campsites), and financial algorithms.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Malcolm Group manufactures and sells badge-making machines (Badge-A-Minit), pin-back buttons, and a catalog of promotional products (Best Impressions), along with pad-printing systems (Imprintor). The company operates a diversified portfolio of wholly owned subsidiaries spanning manufacturing, advertising, banking, accounting, cattle farming, real estate, oil and gas, aviation, recreation, and retail e-commerce. All Badge-A-Minit machines are 100% made in America.

Product overview

Malcolm Group operates a diversified portfolio of companies rather than a single unified product platform. The core product lineage traces back to Badge-A-Minit, the original badge-making machine that launched Malcolm Group. Current product operations include Best Impressions (promotional products catalog), Imprintor (pad-printing system), and Official Sticker Catalog, all managed under the third-generation leadership. The company also maintains various e-commerce ventures including Ariva Skin Care and Day Spa, Brain Pantry, Casco Bay Trading Post, Schertz Hardware, and Skin1. Additional divisions cover farming/real estate (Clover Meadows Angus Farms, Clover Lakes Angus Farms, Colburn Farms, Indian Creek Farms, Newark Farms, i39 Storage), energy (NGR, Oil Investments), aviation (68MR, Williamsburg Air Charter), and recreation (Bain Lake Lodge, Norview Marina).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Badge-A-Minit: Badge making machines and equipment, 100% made in America, with millions of worldwide sales
• Best Impressions
• Imprintor

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• 4imprint: Large publicly listed promotional products distributor offering tens of thousands of items including buttons and badges. Broad incumbent that overlaps with Best Impressions' catalog-driven promotional products offering at greater scale.
• Quality Logo Products: Mid-sized US promotional products distributor. Overlaps with Best Impressions in providing tens of thousands of promo SKUs to businesses and organizations, including custom buttons and badges.
• Boundless (Boundless Network): Promotional products and branded merchandise platform serving SMBs and enterprises. Adjacent competitor to Best Impressions in the catalog/distributor model with digital-first ordering.
• HALO Branded Solutions: One of the largest US promotional products distributors. Comparable to Best Impressions in serving marketing and fundraising buyers with branded merchandise, but at enterprise scale and with full-service marketing programs.
• Crestline Promotional Products: Established US promotional products catalog distributor. Comparable to Best Impressions in catalog-driven promotional merchandise, including buttons, badges, and fundraising products.

Direct peers

• PinProsPlus: Custom enamel pins and promotional button manufacturer for brands, schools, and organizations. Comparable end-product category (decorative pin-back merchandise) with a similar SMB and nonprofit customer base.
• American Button Machines: Manufactures button-making presses and supplies directly competing with Badge-A-Minit in the small-format pin-back button machine market. Same target customer (schools, fundraisers, small businesses) with overlapping distribution through e-commerce.
• Busy Beaver Button Co. Custom pin-back button manufacturer targeting artists, bands, brands, and small businesses. Direct competitor in the custom button space where Badge-A-Minit machines and Badges by Busy Beaver both serve promotional and merchandise use cases.
• Pure Buttons: Custom pin-back button manufacturer serving nonprofits, political campaigns, and brands with on-demand production. Comparable to Malcolm Group's badge business but with a print-service model rather than equipment sales.
• Tecre Co. Manufacturer of button-making machines and supplies for hobbyists and small businesses. Direct competitor to Badge-A-Minit in the bench-top button press market with overlapping customer use cases.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/malcolmgroupinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries27 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Malcolm Group