Excellence in Everything

While it’s a lofty pursuit, our purpose/cause/passion, is to do everything with excellence. FMG began humbly with 4 blank walls, an empty desk, and a chair. We believed through hard work, a little luck, and a clear vision, we could help people, accomplish great things, build something special, and share it with those we love. Thus, the pursuit of excellence began.

Through our journey, we’ve come to understand the pursuit is illusive, it’s a sprint with no finish line.

With the momentum created, relationships established, and talented people joining to push FMG further, the question is where are we going? Our focus is to provide an exceptional “end-to-end” customer experience, with world-class customer service. We are in constant pursuit of delivering measurably improved results for our employees, customers, and partners.

F = Focus

We believe performing at a high standard of Quality, is the path to employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and growth.

U = Unity

We place team above individual and inspire each other through genuine and steadfast excellence.

E = Excellence

We play to be better than ourselves, to make our company a better version of itself today than it was yesterday.

L = Love

We believe transparency is essential to building trust, increasing employee happiness, and improving performance.

We believe in putting people first. Our creative process focuses on people, not products. Before making a product recommendation, we listen to understand what your brand represents, the message you want to share, and the people with whom you want to reach.

This approach, while different from other companies, is the cornerstone to providing products that create an emotional connection with your audience and deliver a message that resonates, for a lasting impression. The product is simply the vehicle to produce the desired result.

Meet our team

Dean Kapsalis

CEO/Managing Member

Scott Abbott

Partner/Board Member

Michael Kelly

Partner/Board Member

Our Purpose: To Help Companies Stand out

Surveys conducted by the industry’s leading governing bodies (PPAI & ASI) reveal, of those who receive a promotional product:

are likely to do business with the brand
recall the call to action
recall the messaging
recall the brand
are likely to do business with the brand
83%
recall the call to action
70%
recall the messaging
80%
recall the brand
90%

Our Approach

We believe in putting people first. Our creative process focuses on people, not products. Before making a product recommendation, we listen to understand what your brand represents, the message you want to share, and the people with whom you want to reach.

This approach, while different from other companies, is the cornerstone to providing products that create an emotional connection with your audience and deliver a message that resonates, for a lasting impression. The product is simply the vehicle to produce the desired result.

Dean is Fuel Merchandise Groups founder and brings 15+ years of industry experience. A Hoosier native and IU alum, Dean’s passion for education and athletics led to a valuable collegiate experience as a 4-year student-athlete. Lessons learned in the classroom and on the field provided the foundation for an accomplished business career. The disciplines to building trusting relationships, performing at a high standard of excellence and collaborating with others to achieve a common goal, are the values Dean brings to every facet of FMG. Dean is passionately focused on building FMG into a great company, which is made possible by the people with whom he surrounds himself. Outside the office, Dean and his wife Traci are raising two outstanding children, along with their family Boxer Dog, who’s loved by all.

Scott Abbott has 30+ years of experience and expertise launching, operating, buying and selling successful companies. He has the joy and privilege for being a Founder & Co-Founder, CEO, Business + Executive Coach, Angel Investor, and Board Member. He is a finalist for the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award; Inc. 5000 Award Winner; Entrepreneur in Residence at Indiana University, Kelley School of Business; Fast Company Executive Board Member; Podcast Host and author of numerous published articles, white papers, and two best-selling books: Level-UP to Professional and The Co+Factor. Most of all, Scott loves helping good and caring people – along with team-centric organizations – effectively learn, implement and leverage the best strategies, mechanics and principles for exceptional leadership, management, teamwork and accountability: in business, work & life.

Mike is a co-founder and Managing Partner at DeveloperTown (a digital product development firm), a co-founder of FullStack (a PEO focused on early-stage ventures), the founder of Tenant Tracker (a commercial real estate SaaS product-company), a co-founder of Waterly (SaaS software for water and wastewater), a co-founder of OpsStitch (a SaaS software for early stage governance), the founder of Startup Competitors (a SaaS company focused on competitive market research), a co-founder of Start Something Ventures (a midwest-based angel investment syndicate), and most importantly an advisor and board member at Fuel Merchandise Group. Mike is also an advisor and board member for numerous early-stage startups, is on the Founders Bench for the Heritage Group Accelerator, serves as an advisor for Elevate Ventures, is an advisor at the Entrepreneurship Center in Nashville TN, and is a mentor for the Founders Institute program in Chicago IL. And to fill his nights and weekends, he also has a hobby farm.