For the second year, SanMar will serve as the presenting sponsor for Beat the Bridge 2026, a fundraiser for Breakthrough T1D — a global organization funding type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. The event is set to take place May 9, 2026 in Seattle, where the course travels over Seattle’s University Bridge, which is raised during the race. The company is slated for a five-year commitment as the presenting sponsor.

Jeremy Lott, CEO of SanMar, has a personal connection to Breakthrough T1D — his son is type one. While the event has been happening for over 40 years, SanMar’s recent involvement as the presenting sponsor is a result of what he calls perfect timing. Nordstrom, the original sponsor of the event, had taken a step back over the last several years.

“It was not that long after my son had gotten diagnosed with type one, and so it just fit really well as a company — this was something that we could get behind,” Lott says of stepping into the presenting sponsor spot. “It was in our hometown. It was this established great event, and they were kind of in search of a new presenting sponsor. The timing was really perfect for SanMar to step into that.”

Lott notes that there are two major components to their involvement in this event specifically. Not only do they fulfill a financial commitment, but many SanMar employees step up in various participation efforts. For example, they’ll hots sample sales, enlist donations from friends and family, and even participate as runners/walkers or volunteers at the event itself. “This year, any SanMar employee or their friends who donate to Beat the Bridge, the Lott family is matching any of their donations,” he says.

The company also enlists the help of its vendors. “We’ll go out to our vendors around the world who make product for SanMar and invite them to participate with us as a sponsor of Beat the Bridge,” Lott says. “We have a tiered system, so depending on how much they contribute, they get different things. If you contribute over $50,000, I’ll go visit you and your factory next year. … This year, we’re hosting a dinner in Hong Kong, so if you donated at that level, you get invited to this special dinner. We do a lot to try to give special access and to our partners who participate along with us.”

While this is personal for Lott and his family, he points out that the efforts extend deeper than that. “I didn’t know how many families type one affected in the SanMar family,” Lott says. “The amount of people that said, actually my sister has type one, or my son has type one, or my daughter has type one … it’s really been surprising to me how many SanMar employees or their families are affected.”

Beyond Beat the Bridge

Lott’s involvement, and that of SanMar, with the nonprofit isn’t just limited to Beat the Bridge. Many of them participate in the Breakthrough T1D national walks as well. Lott serves on the board of directors on the finance committee. What he loves about the organization is the commitment to finding a cure for T1D.

“To me, … from the time that insulin was found to almost today, the path to a true cure for diabetes was not very great,” he feels. “We got better treatment, we got better technology, we did different things. But in terms of actually curing this disease, we made very little progress. If I look here in 2026, I feel like there’s this hockey stick of tech, of research, and science … that just feels super important to me for my family, and for all the families that are affected by it.”

Lott notes that SanMar will likely raise well over $1 million this year. He encourages anyone and everyone to join in. “We’re really proud to be a sponsor of Beat the Bridge and of walk nationally — that’s a big deal for us,” he says. “We’d love to have anybody join our team and come walk with us.”