Ketz & Associates

What Ketz & Associates does

Ketz & Associates, Inc. is a privately held, family-owned manufacturers' representative firm specializing in toy and gift products, headquartered at 6468 City West Parkway in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with a permanent 2,400 square foot showroom (Blue 122 and Blue 125) at the Minneapolis Gift Mart in Minnetonka. Founded over 35 years ago, the firm represents a portfolio of premier toy and gift manufacturers — including Snifty (stationery and art), Wigglitz (collectible fidget toys with 100+ designs), Firebomb Company (LED and sports equipment), Fun Squared Games, Igloo Books (books, crafts, and gifts), and Pickagram (magnetic 3D art puzzles) — and serves a customer base of nearly 2,000 retail accounts ranging from large national retailers to small specialty shops across gift, toy, doll, educational, museum, garden, hobby, floral, school supply, mail order, premium, pharmacy, mass merchant, and department store verticals. Leadership is concentrated within the Ketz family, with Brad Ketz serving as Principal alongside Lu Ketz and Brenden Ketz in key accounts roles, supported by a small team of account managers, sales coordinators, and an office manager.

The firm operates a relationship-driven, commission-based revenue model, earning a percentage of wholesale transactions between the manufacturers it represents and the retailers it supplies. Distribution and sales execution is delivered through three coordinated channels: (1) field-based independent sales representatives covering defined Upper Midwest territories — Minnesota/North Dakota/South Dakota (Eva Severson) and Iowa/Nebraska/Wisconsin (Maya Steffes); (2) a physical showroom and six annual trade shows at the Minneapolis Gift Mart, supplemented by regional shows throughout the year; and (3) a 24/7 B2B ordering portal hosted at ketzassociates.markettime.com for catalog browsing, pricing, and direct ordering. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with standard B2B rep economics. The company has no proprietary technology stack, no disclosed patents or trademarks, no API or AI capabilities, and no external institutional investors or parent company. The 2026 trade show calendar has been publicly released, with VIP Saturday preview days added for select shows as a buyer engagement enhancement.

Name

Ketz & Associates

Legal name

Ketz & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://ketzassociates.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ketz & Associates is a family-owned Minnesota-based manufacturers' representative firm that sells premier toy and gift product lines to nearly 2,000 retail accounts across the Upper Midwest via independent sales reps, a permanent Minneapolis Gift Mart showroom, six annual trade shows, and a 24/7 B2B ordering portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Manufacturers' Representative Services

NAICS

Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Retailers (45942)

SIC

Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)

akta.pro primary industry

Toy & Game E-commerce Specialists (CRALAFAL)

Keywords

• Manufacturers representative
• Toy gift products
• B2B ordering portal
• Retail sales representation
• Gift showroom services

Headquarters

HQ city

Eden Prairie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Manufacturers' Representative Commissions: As manufacturers' representatives, Ketz & Associates earns commissions on sales of toy and gift products to retail customers. They represent manufacturers' premier product lines to retailers, earning a percentage of transactions facilitated through their relationships.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ketz & Associates is a manufacturers' representative firm that sells premier toy and gift product lines from multiple manufacturers to retail buyers. The company provides a 24/7 B2B ordering portal (MarketTime), a permanent 2,400 square foot showroom at the Minneapolis Gift Mart, and independent sales representatives covering the Upper Midwest. They earn commissions on sales of these represented product lines across nearly 2,000 retail accounts.

Product overview

Ketz & Associates is a manufacturers' representative firm representing premier toy and gift manufacturers to the retail market, not a single unified product but a portfolio of complementary product lines. With over 35 years of experience and a customer base of nearly 2,000 retail accounts, they represent multiple product lines including Snifty (stationery and art products), Wigglitz (collectible fidget toys), Firebomb Company (LED and sports equipment), Fun Squared Games (family games), Igloo Books (books, crafts, and gifts), and Pickagram (magnetic 3D art puzzles). These product lines span gift, toy, educational, hobby, and specialty retail categories, serving both large national retailers and small specialty shops.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sales Representation Services Sales representation services for manufacturers of premier toy and gift lines selling into the retail market. Ketz & Associates acts as the independent sales arm connecting manufacturers with nearly 2,000 retail accounts ranging from large national retailers to small specialty shops, earning commissions on facilitated transactions.
• B2B Ordering Portal 24/7 online ordering platform at ketzassociates.markettime.com that enables retail buyers to browse catalogs, view pricing, and place orders for the manufacturer's product lines represented by Ketz & Associates.
• Minneapolis Gift Mart Showroom A 2,400 square foot combined permanent showroom at the Minneapolis Gift Mart (Showroom Blue 122 and Blue 125) where buyers can view products from represented lines. Six annual shows are hosted at the Mart and showroom visits are available by appointment year-round.
• Independent Sales Representative Coverage Territory-based field sales representation covering Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin through independent sales reps who assist retailers with catalogs, pricing, and ordering.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 2,000 retail accounts served

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SniftycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSnifty products are designed to put the fun in functional. They focus on unique, innovative products where design and style bring a fresh take to writing, stationery & art. Products encourage creativity and spark imagination across all age groups with varied price points.
• WigglitzcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWigglitz are wiggly, fidgety, collectible toys with over 100 unique designs and fast-growing fanbase. Products are loved by kids and adults alike and are described as flying off shelves wherever they go.
• Firebomb CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHigh-quality LED and regular sports equipment manufacturer. Products are designed to stand the test of time with immense care put into quality and durability.
• Fun Squared GamesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGame company believing the best games are easy to learn and irresistibly fun to play. Products designed for cozy evenings at home, gatherings with friends, and quick pick-up games while traveling for players of all ages.
• Igloo Books, LtdminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreates wonderful books, crafts, and gifts for the whole family including beautifully illustrated storybooks, intricate coloring books, and creative crafting kits.
• PickagramminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst magnetic 3D art puzzle that brings an elevated creative dimension to the ancient puzzle Tangram.
• Minneapolis Gift MartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPermanent showroom location at 10301 Bren Rd West, Blue 122 & 125, Minnetonka, MN. Hosts 6 annual gift shows. Ketz & Associates participates in these shows and offers showroom visits by appointment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Oriental Trading Company: Largest U.S. direct marketer of value-priced party supplies, toys, crafts, and novelties. Operates a B2B wholesale model that overlaps with Ketz's gift and toy rep business, though at national scale and with owned inventory rather than rep commissions.
• Fun Express: A leading B2B distributor of toys, novelties, and gift merchandise to schools, camps, churches, and retailers. Comparable to Ketz as a wholesale distributor in the toy/gift space, but operating at national scale with owned inventory.
• Amscan / Party City Holdings: Dominant wholesale manufacturer and distributor of party goods, decorations, and gift merchandise. Comparable overlap with Ketz on the gift/novelty side of the product portfolio.

Regional players

• Discount School Supply: Wholesale supplier of arts, crafts, and educational supplies to schools and child-care centers. Comparable product overlap with Ketz's Igloo Books and Snifty educational/stationery lines serving educational retail customers.
• Kaplan Early Learning Company: Distributor of educational toys, classroom supplies, and children's products to schools and early childhood programs. Comparable on the educational toy/children's product axis that Ketz serves through museum and educational retail accounts.

Emerging players

• Faire: Fast-growing B2B wholesale marketplace connecting independent brands and gift/toy manufacturers directly with retailers. Represents a structural threat to the traditional manufacturers' rep model that Ketz operates under.

Direct peers

• Minnesota Toy Company / Midwest toy and gift rep agencies: Cluster of independent manufacturers' representative agencies operating in the Upper Midwest toy and gift space, using the same trade-show-driven B2B model as Ketz. Most are small, private firms with overlapping product categories and showroom presence at regional gift marts.
• SmileMakers: B2B specialist selling promotional toys, gifts, and novelties primarily to dental and healthcare offices. Closely comparable business model to Ketz: rep-style B2B sales of curated toy/gift lines to specific retail/customer verticals.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Ketz & Associates