What CDI Corp. does

CDI Corp. is a family-owned, Chicago-based custom printing and manufacturing company founded in 1997 by Bob Tucker. The company produces UV-printed vinyl decals, automotive decals, collegiate licensed merchandise, golf event signage, athletic record and championship boards, and custom lawn signs. All production is conducted in-house at a 16,000 sq. ft. facility in Chicago's Old Irving neighborhood using American-made raw materials, with five specialized sub-brands — Color Shock, Birdies2Eagles, EZ Change Sport Products, Custom Lawn Sign, and Color Shock Printing — each marketed through a dedicated e-commerce website alongside the corporate site.

The company's core technology is UV printing on vinyl for high-durability decals and stickers, executed in-house to control lead time and quality. CDI Corp holds official collegiate licensing agreements with major universities and organizations, which underwrite the Color Shock brand's licensed merchandise line. The firm emphasizes fast turnaround, transparent quote-based pricing with no hidden fees, and rush-order accommodation as primary service differentiators, supported by trade show presence and direct phone/email sales channels.

Commercially, CDI Corp operates a direct-to-consumer and direct-to-organization model with no third-party resellers or distributors. Customers include schools and athletic programs, businesses, golf courses and country clubs, event coordinators, non-profits, and individual consumers seeking custom celebration products. The company also operates The Urban School Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting surrounding community schools, which functions as a community-relations and employer-brand initiative rather than a revenue stream. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, and has no disclosed external funding.

Name

CDI Corp.

Legal name

CDI Corp

Website

https://cdi-corp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CDI Corp. is a family-owned Chicago custom printer founded in 1997 that manufactures UV-printed decals, collegiate licensed merchandise, golf signage, athletic boards, and lawn signs across five sub-brands, selling direct to schools, businesses, golf courses, and consumers nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Printed Products Sales: One-time purchase model for custom printed products including automotive decals, collegiate licensed gifts, golf signage, athletic products, and custom lawn signs. Products are sold directly to consumers and organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CDI Corp. is a Chicago-based manufacturer of custom printed products, including vinyl decals, automotive decals, collegiate licensed gifts, golf event signage, athletic record boards, and yard decorations. All products are manufactured in-house at a 16,000 sq. ft. facility using American-made raw materials and UV printing technology, and sold direct to schools, businesses, golf courses, non-profits, and consumers through five specialized brand websites.

Product overview

CDI Corp operates a multi-brand platform serving diverse markets with quality American-made printing and custom products. The company comprises five specialized sub-brands—Color Shock (collegiate licensed gifts), Birdies2Eagles (golf event signage), EZ Change Sport Products (athletic branding), Custom Lawn Sign (celebration yard decorations), and Color Shock Printing (custom printing services)—alongside core manufacturing services including custom decals, automotive decals, licensed products, and fast turnaround production. All products are manufactured in-house at the company's 16,000 sq. ft. Chicago facility using American-made materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Color Shock: Collegiate Licensed Gifts - Over 25 years creating collegiate licensed gifts and custom products for colleges, high schools, and businesses.
• Birdies2Eagles
• EZ Change Sport Products
• Custom Lawn Sign
• Color Shock Printing

Products and services

• Color Shock Sub-brand offering collegiate licensed gifts and custom products for colleges, high schools, and businesses, with over 25 years of experience in the licensed products market. Includes official collegiate merchandise produced through partnerships with major universities.
• Birdies2Eagles Sub-brand offering quality golf club and outing signage produced in the USA with fast turnaround and custom flair. Targets golf courses, country clubs, and event coordinators.
• EZ Change Sport Products Sub-brand offering custom record boards, championship boards, and athletic branding products serving high schools and colleges nationwide.
• Custom Lawn Sign Sub-brand offering custom lawn signs and yard decorations for birthdays, graduations, and celebrations. Customers own their signs outright with no rental fees.
• Color Shock Printing Sub-brand offering custom printing and marketing solutions manufactured in the USA with fast turnaround and custom capabilities for businesses.
• Custom Decals & Stickers High-quality vinyl decals and stickers for any application, UV printed for long-lasting, vibrant colors. Sold to consumers and organizations.
• Automotive Decals Custom automotive decals with millions shipped annually, including custom designs and licensed products for vehicles of all types.
• Custom Printed Products Wide variety of custom gift products and accessories for schools, businesses, and special events, manufactured in-house with American-made materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of automotive decals shipped annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Major Universities and Organizations (Licensing Partnerships)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCDI Corp holds official collegiate licensing agreements with major universities and organizations nationwide. These partnerships enable the company to produce and sell official licensed collegiate merchandise through their Color Shock brand and other product lines.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Sticker Mule: Digital-native custom vinyl sticker and decal manufacturer serving SMBs and consumers with instant online ordering. Directly comparable to CDI's core automotive decal and vinyl sticker offering, with a much more scalable e-commerce funnel.
• Signs.com: Online custom sign manufacturer covering yard signs, banners, and event signage. Overlaps with CDI's Custom Lawn Sign and Birdies2Eagles product lines on end use (custom signs delivered direct).
• HALO Branded Solutions: Custom branded merchandise and corporate promotional products company. Comparable institutional buyer focus, custom printing capability, and collegiate/corporate branded SKU mix to CDI's Color Shock line.
• StickerApp: Custom die-cut and UV-printed vinyl stickers for consumers and brands. Comparable technology stack (UV printing on vinyl) and SKU overlap with CDI's decal/sticker catalog.
• Crestline: Custom promotional products and branded merchandise distributor. Shares CDI's institutional and event-driven buyer base (schools, non-profits, golf) and US production orientation for promotional SKUs.
• AlphaGraphics: Franchise-based commercial printing and signage network serving local businesses with custom marketing materials. Overlaps with CDI's Color Shock Printing custom print services on customer profile and product mix.

Broad incumbents

• FedEx Office: National retail and online printing/signage brand serving small business and consumer custom printing needs. Comparable on product category (signage, decals, banners) with materially greater geographic footprint.
• 4imprint: Large promotional products distributor serving B2B buyers across branded merchandise categories. Compares to CDI's collegiate and corporate branded product business but at far greater scale and distribution breadth.
• Vistaprint (Cimpress): Mass-market custom printing platform for small businesses covering signage, promotional products, and marketing collateral. Compares to CDI on product category but operates at materially greater scale and with an aggregated online UX.

Emerging players

• Printify: Print-on-demand platform for custom apparel, accessories, and signage connecting merchants to a network of producers. Represents the digital-native, low-friction model that constrains CDI's quote-based funnel for similar SKUs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cdi_corp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CDI Corp.