Fort Worth company to tell its American dream story in 30 seconds on Super Bowl Sunday

Fort Worth doesn’t have a hometown team in this year’s edition of the Super Bowl, but the city will be represented on a small and large scale. 

Fort Worth-based Bison Coolers, an American-made cooler company, will get its chance to shine in a 30-second spotlight. Bison Coolers shares its American dream in front of an estimated 123 million viewers as part of Google’s “50 States, 50 Stories Super Bowl” advertising campaign. 

“The opportunity to be featured in a Super Bowl commercial is an unbelievable win for us as the underdogs in the cooler business,” said Bison Coolers co-founder and CEO Jeremy Denson. “We’re one of the only remaining family-owned businesses in the space, competing with publicly traded brands and private equity.” 

Denson said Google officials heard the company’s story and gave them a chance to apply to appear in the campaign. 

Google’s campaign highlights how small businesses are using AI and technology, specifically the company’s Gemini for Workspace. 

Bison Coolers makes premium hard and soft coolers, such as the brand’s newest patent-pending 55-quart wheeled cooler and its SoftPak series. It also makes drinkware, as well as other gear and accessories focused on outdoor events. 

Denson said the company ticked a lot of boxes as a family-owned business with a focus on manufacturing products in the U.S. 

“What started in the family’s barn has now grown into a multimillion dollar business,” he said. 

The company, which started as Denson’s side gig while he worked as an executive with Southwest Airlines, now has about 12 employees and sales of about $15 million. 

Father and son duo Jeremy and Dennis Denson founded the company in 2011 in the Denson family’s barn, and it’s grown from coolers and drinkware to other outdoor recreational products, like chairs, hammocks, dry bags and more. The company has held its own against competitors with massive budgets and private equity backing and has remained family-owned and operated. 

By its second year, Bison broke $1 million in sales — a milestone that exceeded all expectations in such a short amount of time.

“That was the moment I thought, ‘You know, this thing is really working,’” said Jeremy Denson. 

Bison has continued to innovate in the years since focusing on quality and innovation, he said. 

One of the company’s proudest achievements is its role in revitalizing American manufacturing in the cooler industry. The company partnered with plants in Tennessee and Colorado, helping save jobs and foster  economic growth. 

A 30-second spot in this year’s edition of the game is valued between $7 million and $8 million, and Denson knows getting that time in the spotlight will likely mean an increase in sales. 

“Several years ago we got some exposure online and sales took off, and it wiped out our supply. This time we’re ready,” he said. “We’ve got our supply chain ready.”  

Sharing the stage with the plucky small business will be two of Fort Worth’s largest companies, defense giants Bell and Lockheed. The aviation giants won’t have a commercial in the big game, but their aircraft will be on display during a flyover before the game from the Marine Corps kicking off a yearlong celebration of the organization’s 250th birthday. 

The historic flyover of two Marine Corps F-35Bs from Lockheed and four MV-22Bs from Bell will occur during the pregame show. This is the first time F-35s and the tilt-rotor MV-22Bs have conducted an integrated flyover of a sporting event, according to the Marine Corps. 

San Antonio-based H-E-B will have a 60-second regional spot on the Super Bowl broadcast. This year’s teaser for the ad shows a man in a black cowboy hat sitting on stage tuning up a guitar. 

According to the agency producing the ad, Dallas-based Plot Twist, “H-E-B’s ad will contain one of the biggest announcements in the company’s 120-year history. And viewers won’t be able to believe their ears.”

H-E-B has had a 20-year presence at the annual clash of the NFL titans. 

Expect to see and hear the news from the grocer between the third and fourth quarters. 

Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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