What started out as a venture between two high school friends by selling cell phone silicone card holders to classmates, founders AJ Gilbert and Mitchel Sherr expanded their practice into what is now Zuplift. Formally under Elite Pockets, the duo started selling to businesses rather than their peers. After seeing how outdated the promotional product industry is, they set out to spearhead it’s modernization. Founded in 2018 and headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, Zuplift is a unique branding and promotional product provider that delivers ethically sourced, high-quality, affordable swag, business gifts, and branded products for businesses and organizations throughout the world.
Providing more than just products, we are committed to delivering expert advice, innovative ideas, and experienced expertise to our diverse portfolio of business professionals and organizational leaders. We provide exceptional service, rapid delivery, and jaw-dropping swag that meets every budget.
At Zuplift, we connect our clients to the ideas, services, and products that will help set their company and brand apart from the rest. From startup businesses with a limited budget, to multi-billion dollar corporations, we are able to provide the quality and quantity that delivers results. Our team understands that business is tough, deadlines are real, and budgets can be restricting – and with that in mind, we believe in providing our clients with efficient, affordable, and innovative solutions that will help maintain their bottom line, respect their time, and captivate their target audience.
From our first sale in February of 2018 to today, Zuplift has remained committed to our mission of providing creative, compelling, and impactful promotional products designed to strengthen relationships between businesses and their customers. At Zuplift, you are never “just” a client. You are never “just” an inquiry. You are a critical part of our Zuplift family. We value every opportunity to help you and your business reach your goals, aspirations, and audience.
We Care About Your Business That’s why we’re here to help you market and grow. We’ll help you find the perfect products that represent your brand. Our team doesn’t quit until you are satisfied. We are proud to say our customer experience means everything to us. When we say the customer is always right, we mean it.
Zuplift is a leading promotional item distributor based in Detroit, MI. Anything you need branded, we have you covered. No job is too big or too small, and we aim to elevate your company’s promotional branding.
Our team is one of the most creative in the business. We like to take on all the heavy lifting of finding the perfect items to brand your company that way all you have to do is approve it. We believe through our simplicity, creativity and competitive prices that we are the obvious choice to make when promoting your company.
We are problem solvers. Our founders saw an opportunity to simplify the promotional products industry and ran with it. That’s why we offer personalized presentations and put the entire load on our team. Reimagining the industry is better for you, and keeps us on our toes creatively!
Mitchel Sherr
COO + Co-FOUNDER
Mitchel has always been extremely business savvy, even from a young age. He and AJ were not always teammates. Their relationship started as fierce competitors on the basketball court. After years of competition they called a truce and took their skills from the court to the office. Mitchel firmly believes that business is about building meaningful relationships with the customer rather than focusing on explicit costs. His parents instilled strong morals in him from day one, and he aims to make them proud each day. He is currently attending the Ross Business School at the University of Michigan, doing justice to both his parents and his personal goals. Mitchel is always researching ways to improve Zuplift, but when he’s not focused on work he’s hanging with family, friends, or working out.
AJ Gilbert
CEO + Co-FOUNDER
AJ started his entrepreneur ventures in high school with his friend, Mitchel, in 2016 under the name Elite Pockets. They sold silicone card holders with trendy designs on the back to fellow classmates. After gaining attention from corporate buyers, the duo realized most of their business was coming from these companies rather than classmates. In 2018 they decided to focus solely on printing for businesses and slowly began working on different products. This was the birth of Zuplift. When he’s not working with Zuplift, AJ is busy developing other projects. Thinking of an idea and turning it into a reality is exciting to him. Staying curious, asking questions, and staying on trend is vital for him in his endeavors. AJ works closely with the Children's Tumor Foundation. CTF is on a mission to put an end to Neurofibromatosis (NF). His eldest brother, Nick, has been battling this since birth and is a huge inspiration and role model to him. He always finds the silver lining in every single situation. AJ is currently enrolled at the University of Michigan. When he’s not creating, he’s either playing basketball or watching it.
Karen Johnson
CLIENT REPRESENTATIVE
Karen has worked over 20 years as a marketing professional. Bringing her talents to Zuplift as the Sales Representative has allowed her to create unique custom strategies for an array of diverse people and industries – the more creative the project the better! Honesty is at the top of her list when it comes to customer service, as it has always prevailed in each situation. Karen loves Detroit for its diversity and historic architecture, and she enjoys discovering new cultural places each visit.
Nadia Hazimeh
Marketing Specialist
Nadia is a recent graduate of Cardinal Stritch University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and minor in Graphic Design. Throughout college, her work experiences ranged from social media marketing and event planning to writing for a music publication. Her values include integrity and hard work. Nadia loves to stay busy. When she isn’t working, she stays active by working out, playing softball, or biking. Any time her favorite band is in town, you can catch her in the front row.
