• • • • • • May 6 • 2014
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JAMESK@PPAI.ORG • • • • • •
Top News
Nominate Your Pick For PPB Rising Stars
Who are this year’s Rising Stars? PPB is looking for budding industry leaders who, though early in their careers, are taking innovative approaches to lead their companies to success. We want to find those ambitious industry up-and-comers who are raising the bar on their own performance and helping their companies achieve their highest success too. To nominate an individual as a PPB Rising Star, the magazine’s most coveted distinction, fill out the form completely and be as specific as possible when telling us about your nominee. Individuals who are selected as PPB Rising Stars will be profiled in the August PPB and recognized at the PPAI North American Leadership Conference, August 10-12 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Note: All nominees must be affiliated with PPAI member companies. Previous PPB Rising Stars are not eligible.) Deadline for nominations: Midnight CDT May 16, 2014.
Industry News
Cutter & Buck Names Joel Freet CEO
As first reported last week in a PPB Newslink Breaking News alert, industry supplier Cutter & Buck (UPIC: CUTT0001) has named Joel Freet its new CEO. Previously head of corporate business for the Seattle, Washington, company, Freet replaces Jens Petersson, who has transitioned into a role in group executive management at Cutter & Buck’s parent company, New Wave Group AB.
Read More Cutter & Buck
The Premier Promotional Group Names New Board Members, Leadership
The Premier Promotional Group announced a number of updates to its board of directors at its annual meeting in April.
Read More Premier Promotional Group
Bergman Incentives Acquires Artwears Unlimited
Bergman Incentives (UPIC: BERGMAN), an Omaha, Nebraska-based distributor, acquired Artwears Unlimited, an Omaha company specializing in branded apparel solutions, in April.
Read More Bergman Incentives
Job Gains Help Shrink U.S. Unemployment Rate To 6.3 Percent In April
In April, the U.S. created 288,000 nonfarm jobs and the unemployment rate fell 0.4 points from March to 6.3 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over the past year, the country’s unemployment rate has declined 1.2 percentage points.
Read More Jobs
Howard Alan Blum 5K Opens To Expo East Attendees And Industry Members At Home
The Howard Alan Blum 5K Run, held in conjunction with Expo East, is open to Expo East attendees and virtually for those not attending the show in Atlantic City May 19-21.
Read More 5K
Vernon University Brings Together Account Executives, Supplier Partners
The Vernon Company (UPIC: Vernon) hosted its annual national sales meeting, Vernon University, March 31-April 2 at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort & Spa in Savannah, Georgia. The three-day event brought together nearly 130 of the Newton, Iowa, distributor’s account executives and 80 industry supplier partners.
Read More Vernon
In Memoriam: Howard Seegar
Howard Seegar, owner of supplier HTT Headwear and Apparel (UPIC: HTTH0002), passed away on April 24 at his home in Temecula, California. He was 76.
Read More Seeger
In Memoriam: John Smucker
John Smucker, an account manager with Bodek & Rhodes, passed away on May 4 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He was 25.
Read More Smucker
PPAI News
Bellantone, Jenkins Attend Hong Kong Gifts And Premium Fair
PPAI President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, and Board Chair Mark Jenkins, MAS+, traveled to Hong Kong last week to attend the Hong Kong Gifts and Premium Fair, visit the UL and Anseco testing labs, and take part in the World Advertising Gifts Exchange (WAGE) annual meeting.
Read More Hong Kong
PPAI Employees Donate More Than 4,000 Pounds Of Food To Irving Cares
PPAI employees collected food and money throughout April to assist a local food pantry, Irving Cares. The Association has supported Irving Cares since 2003 and in that time has donated more than 26,000 pounds of goods to benefit hungry families in the community.
Read More Donation
Your Numbers Count. Contribute To PPAI’s Sales Volume Survey Today
PPAI compiles the official distributor sales volume estimate for the industry in order to measure industry growth and to convey to prospective buyers of promotional products the magnitude of the industry. Knowing the financial state of the promotional product industry adds to its professional image in the marketing and advertising worlds. It also allows promotional products professionals to see where sales will be coming from in the future, forecast trends and measure the growth of promotional products against other media. Aggregated results will be published in the July issue of PPB. If your company has not yet completed the questionnaire, contact suzannef@ppai.org.
Expo East 2015 Proposal Deadline Extended To May 9
PPAI is looking for inspiring, dynamic speakers and industry leaders to share their knowledge and expertise at Expo East 2015 in Atlantic City, and the deadline to submit a proposal has been extended to Friday, May 9.
Read More Expo East
The PPAI RAC Volunteer Award—Now Accepting Nominations
Volunteers are the unsung heroes whose behind-the scenes efforts keep the industry moving forward. The PPAI RAC Volunteer Award recognizes regional association members who have demonstrated an outstanding level of volunteer leadership and made significant and measurable contributions to a regional association.
Read More Volunteer
Product Responsibility
Canada Adds Prohibitions Against TCEP In Children’s Products
Last month, the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) was amended to include under Schedule 2 products that are made, in whole or in part, of polyurethane foam that contains tris (2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and that are intended for a child under three years of age. Schedule 2 prohibits the manufacture, importation, advertisement or sale of certain products under the CCPSA.
Read More Canada
People News
Beacon Promotions (UPIC: BEACONP ) has appointed Brett Olsen vice president of manufacturing for the New Ulm, Minnesota, supplier. In his new role, Olsen will be responsible for all manufacturing production in the firm, including art preparations (graphics), engineering, plant and equipment, and capital expansion.
Mark Shinn, MAS, has joined Bellevue, Washington-based Greater China (UPIC: IMPORT) as a supplier rep.
Braintree, Massachusetts, supplier Hub Pen Company (UPIC: HUBPEN) has brought Letia Anderson on as a customer service representative. Anderson brings 18 years of customer service experience to the role and will be responsible for Canadian customers’ orders.
Regional News
HPPA Celebrates Promotional Products Work! Week With Donation Drive
Following its motto “HPPA has a Heart,” the board and members of Houston Promotional Products Association (HPPA) ended Promotional Products Work! Week by hosting a donation drive in the parking lot of supplier Hirsch Gift.
Read More HPPA
Accolades
Gill Studios Wins Five PIA MidAmerica Awards
Shawnee Mission, Kansas-based supplier Gill Studios, Inc. (UPIC: gill) received three Best of Category awards and two Awards of Excellence from Printing & Imaging Association (PIA) of MidAmerica in the 2014 Graphic Excellence Awards Competition.
Read More Gill Studios
Hanes Receives EPA’s Sustained Excellence And Partner of the Year Awards
HanesBrands (UPIC: HBIINC) earned its fifth consecutive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Partner of the Year award for its continued excellence in worldwide energy management and reduction in greenhouse gas and carbon emissions.
Read More Hanes
Tukaiz Recognized With Three GEA Awards From The Great Lakes Graphics Association
Tukaiz (UPIC: Tukaiz), a Franklin Park, Illinois-based supplier, won three awards from the Great Lakes Graphics Association’s 2014 Graphics Excellence Award (GEA) program.
Read More Tukaiz
SAGE FACT OF THE WEEK
Which Is More Important In An Email?
When checking emails, which is more important: the sender or the message? A recent study shows 64 percent of people open emails because of the organization it is from, compared with 47 percent of people opening emails because of what is in the subject line.
SAGE now offers an email marketing solution within SAGE Online with prices starting as low as $15 a month. To learn more about the Email Campaigns module in SAGE Online, or if you don’t already have SAGE Online, contact SAGE to find out how you can get it at no additional charge through the Power of Two relationship, exclusive for PPAI members.
This Month’s PPB
Promotions RX
To stand out among its local competitors, a hostel in Cuzco, Peru, markets its services using an item few, if any, product promotions have ever utilized: the coca leaf.
Read More RX
In Full Bloom
A job at a greeting card company planted a seed of inspiration in Don Martin’s mind, and it has sprouted into a supplier company that produces what he believes produces the most eco-friendly product in the promotional products industry—seed paper.
Read More Martin
Car Talk
Multi-line reps, distributors, factory reps or any promotions professional spending a lot of time behind the wheel might benefit from vehicular sensors that link their cars to the internet.
Read More Car Talk
Contribute To PPAI Publications
Denim Apparel
From weekends to formal affairs, denim is easily one of the most popular and enduring fashion trends. PPB is exploring how this fabric is used throughout the industry in the June issue. Suppliers: Send high-res images, product descriptions and tips for decorating denim (and chambray!) shirts, pants, jackets, vests, ties, bags or other wearable items. Distributors: We want your case studies, sales tips or questions about this category. Please email submissions to TamaU@ppai.org by May 16.
Palatable Promotions
August PPB Editor’s Picks focuses on food gifts. Send us your top picks and most delectable delights, and tell us how you’ve made a promotion more palatable with a food gift. Email large image files and product descriptions, as well as case studies and tips, to Jen Alexander by May 22.
Have A Little Faith
Market to Market in August PPB examines the faith-based/religious organization sector. If you have clients in this field, we want to hear from you. Share your tips on working with clients and case studies of past programs or promotions, as well as products that pair well with faith-based campaigns. Email large image files, product descriptions and information to Jen Alexander by May 22.
What Would You Do?
A Distributor Asks: Our distributorship has a pretty extensive product showroom that we try to keep as updated as possible. How do other distributors deal with pricing of samples and how often do they do an inventory and purge discontinued products?
What's Your Answer? Email answers along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by May 30 for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of PPB magazine.
Need peer advice on a sticky situation? Send your question to Question@ppai.org.
Read the answers to each month's question here.
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