Field Notes

Today Imperial, the #1 headwear brand in golf, becomes #1 in pickleball headwear as well. It was announced that MLP, the highest-tier competitive league in professional pickleball, named Imperial “The Official Licensed Headwear of Major League Pickleball.” MLP x Imperial is the first-ever official licensed headwear for the league. As a trusted partner of MLP, we’re honored to be named their ‘Official Licensed Headwear’ and create this innovative, first-of-its kind product offering for fans of pickleball everywhere. We’re in total support of the huge growth this sport has seen in recent years. The Imperial brand is for everybody, and we look forward to integrating the Imperial brand into the fabric of pickleball. Todd Johnson, CEO of Imperial Fans can now find officially licensed MLP products online in the new Major League Pickleball Collection offered on Imperialsports.com. This online collection features MLP logoed products, as well as smaller capsule collections for all 24 teams in the league. Imperial products will also be made available to fans on site at select MLP events like the upcoming MLP San Clemente, June 15th – 19th in partnership with Fromuth, and through select retailers. About Imperial Founded in 1916, Imperial Headwear is the leading manufacturer of premium quality headwear, apparel, and accessories for the golf market. Imperial’s products can be found at 99 of the Top 100 and over 75% of the Top 400 golf courses in the United States, and they have been voted the #1 headwear brand for private and resort golf facilities for six consecutive years by the Association of Golf Merchandisers (AGM) and reported as the “#1 headwear brand in the combined on and off course retail golf channels” by Golf Datatech. Imperial is committed to style, functionality, and perfection in fit and comfort. It is this commitment that has allowed the creation of a wide variety of headwear and apparel with quality that is second to none. Renowned for its superior customer service and art customization capabilities, Imperial offers its products using the most innovative fabrics and designs, as well as logo decoration and embellishment technologies. For further information please visit Imperialsports.com. Follow Imperial on Instagram at @ImperialHats About Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) is the premier team-based professional pickleball league and the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Founded by Steve Kuhn in 2021, MLP has since expanded from eight to 24 teams and is committed to growing the sport's role in society and impacting every facet of pickleball’s business. MLP features nearly 100 of the best athletes in the sport spread across 24 teams - 12 in the Premier Level, home to the top 48 players drafted and 12 in the Challenger Level, featuring 48 draftees looking to make their ascension to the top of the league - a unique coed format, iconic team owners, the introduction of promotion and relegation to American pro sports, an innovative draft format, easy to understand scoring, and the largest payouts in prize money across all of pro pickleball. In December 2022, MLP named its first-ever title sponsor, Margaritaville, branding the league MLP by Margaritaville. A global lifestyle brand inspired by Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, has served more than 20 million travelers and consumers every year to change their latitude and attitude with Margaritaville. For more information, visit www.margaritaville.com. For more information on Major League Pickleball, visit the official website and follow MLP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

This week, Imperial announced a multi-year sponsorship of rising golf phenomenon, and ‘best dressed man on Tour,’ Keith Mitchell. The 31-year old PGA Tour pro makes his second appearance at The Masters this week in Augusta, GA. He will be wearing a custom green and gold Imperial Tour Visor® at the major, featuring the embroidered logos of his other sponsors Cisco and Mizuno. The iconic, Imperial original style has become Keith’s signature accessory and he’s well known for wearing one exclusively while on Tour. “This partnership took shape in a really organic way. My dad introduced me to the idea of wearing a visor on the golf course at a very young age, so it’s sort of always been a part of my look. Imperial is an historic brand that makes some of the best hats in golf, so picking a classic like the high crown Tour Visor® to wear while I play seemed like a natural fit.” Keith Mitchell The Imperial Tour Visor® is proudly made in the USA from Oeko-Tex® certified organic cotton, and ‘Cashmere Keith’ has been utilizing a variety in his throwback styling for years. Dressing like the old school greats has fans crediting him with bringing back classic golf style. While most professional golfers don spandex and other synthetic performance fabrics, Mitchell famously opts for all natural fibers like cotton, wool or cashmere, making him a standout both on and off the course. “I’m thrilled to welcome Keith to the Imperial team as an official brand ambassador. I’ve personally followed his career and cheered him on as he developed. Being a part of his next chapter and supporting him along the way is a very special opportunity.” David Shaffer, Senior Vice President of Sales at Imperial

The “#1 headwear brand in the combined on and off course retail golf channels in 2022” as reported by Golf Datatech, is proud to announce its Golf Retirement Plus™ incentive program in conjunction with the PGA™ of America. On behalf of our 28,000 PGA Professionals we thank Imperial for their dedication to the green grass business and their support of the PGA's Golf Retirement Plus program. Imperial's offerings in the program continue to provide substantive annual royalties for our PGA Professionals who benefit greatly from their participation. We are pleased that Imperial will continue to support GRP. Dan Baker, Senior Director, Industry Partnerships, PGA of America. The Golf Retirement Plus™ program is managed by PGA Golf Enterprises, Inc. and allows its members and associates who are enrolled in the program to save for a secure retirement. Imperial Headwear has an established incentives program through Golf Retirement Plus™, and now offers a convenient online application form for those who wish to register: https://imperial1916.com/pages/pgagrp/ All members or associates of the PGA of America in good standing are immediately eligible to enroll and participate in the program. GRP offers a variety of fund that span the investment spectrum so Members can build and investment mix that suits individual circumstances. Golf Facility owner/operators that allow PGA Professional employees to participate in the partner programs provide a great way to attract, reward and retain employees. Through the Imperial x PGA Golf Retirement Plus™ Program, participants have the opportunity to earn a 3% contribution to their GRP account on all eligible sales when $1,000 of Imperial products are purchased annually. Imperial is deeply dedicated to the game of golf and supporting all who maintain the health of our great sport. We recognize that PGA professionals play an imperative role in this process every day and we strive to provide them with the best product and service possible. We’re honored to participate in a program that provides PGA members the opportunity for a secure retirement. David Shaffer, Senior Vice President of Sales at Imperial

Imperial, the #1 golf headwear brand in the combined on and off course retail channels as recently reported by Golf Datatech and voted #1 headwear brand by the Association of Golf Merchandisers (AGM), announced today the acquisition of J.T. Spencer, an American belt manufacturer based in Richmond, Virginia. J.T. Spencer is the official belt licensee of Peter Millar and operates Peter Millar’s custom logo green grass belt program. Imperial also reported the extension of the belt license with Peter Millar to add to its existing T-shirt license with Peter Millar. Going forward Imperial will continue offering custom logo embroidered and ChromaCrown Peter Millar belts and accessories, as well as custom logo Peter Millar T-shirts, through Peter Millar sales representatives. “Peter Millar has had a great relationship over the years with both Imperial and J.T. Spencer. We are very excited our partners have joined forces and look forward to growing our licensed goods with Imperial and their team.” Todd Martin, President of Peter Millar Golf There will be no immediate changes to the operations of J.T. Spencer. All manufacturing and distribution will remain in operation out of its current facility in Richmond, Virginia. Imperial is headquartered in Bourbon, Missouri, and owns factories in the cities of Sullivan, Winona, Ellington, Park Hills and Bonne Terre. “When we started J.T. Spencer eight years ago, I could not have imagined the successful journey we would have in the golf world, and joining the Imperial family is just the next step in continuing our incredible growth trajectory. We love that we will be continuing to work with Peter Millar on their custom belt and accessories program and are thrilled at the opportunity to build the Peter Millar licensed T-shirt program Imperial has started.” Steve DeWalle, President of J.T. Spencer DeWalle and his partner, Spens Woodroof, will be staying on with Imperial post-acquisition to manage the transition and the Peter Millar licensed businesses going forward. “J.T. Spencer makes the best belts in the game. I have been observing their business growing rapidly over the past few years due to extremely hard working people, quality products made right here in the United States, and a strong association with the Peter Millar brand. We are very excited to streamline Peter Millar’s industry leading belts with our Peter Millar T-shirt program and have Steve DeWalle leading the charge for us.” David Shaffer, Senior Vice President of Sales at Imperial Imperial’s parent company, Paramount Apparel International, was also recently acquired at the end of 2021 by CPC, whose mantra is “Buy, Build, Hold.” CPC was formed by the partners of Curran Companies and C3 Capital with the shared vision of becoming world class partners for great companies. CPC is a company, not a traditional private equity fund, that seeks to make long-term investments and grow businesses over decades, not years. “Paramount is extremely proud of Imperial and now the acquisition of J.T. Spencer. The synergies J.T. Spencer has with Peter Millar only strengthen our relationship with them too. The combination of our manufacturing capabilities coupled with the Peter Millar brand position us well for expansion. We are looking forward to a bright future and longstanding partnership with Peter Millar.” Todd Johnson, CEO of Paramount Apparel International About J.T. Spencer Founded in 2014, J.T. Spencer is a belt and accessories manufacturer, and an official licensee of Peter Millar. Through their relationship with Peter Millar, J.T. Spencer’s products can be found in 85 of the Top 100 Golf courses in the United States, at colleges and university bookstores across the country and golf shops in the United Kingdom, Asia, Canada and South Africa. J.T. Spencer is based in Richmond Virginia. For further information, please visit JTSpencer.com.