• • • • • • March 19 • 2015
SEND NEWS TO JAMESK@PPAI.ORG • • • • • •
Top News
West Coast Ports Clearing Backlog Of Import Cargo
Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to rise to an unusually high 16.9 percent this month over the same time last year, reports the National Retail Federation (NRF) in its monthly Global Port Tracker Report. West Coast ports are working through a backlog of cargo that built up during just-concluded contract negotiations between the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU).
Read More Cargo
Industry News
U.S. Employment Levels Continue To Trend Upward
Employment levels in the U.S. are continuing to rise, reports the Conference Board in its Employment Trends Index (ETI) for February. The index stands at 127.76, up from 127.62 in January. This represents a 6.7 percent gain in the ETI compared to a year ago.
Read More Employment
Proforma Hosts Million Dollar Club Recognition Event
Cleveland, Ohio-based distributor Proforma (UPIC: PROFORMA) hosted more than 300 owners, supplier partners and support center team members at its Million Dollar Club celebration, held March 12-13 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. At the event Proforma presented 27 new Million Dollar Club Jackets to incoming members.
Read More Proforma
SBA Announces Dates For 2015 National Small Business Week
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced that this year’s National Small Business Week will be held May 4-8, 2015. Under the theme “SBA: Dream Big, Start Small,” National Small Business Week will include events throughout the week in Miami, Los Angeles, San Antonio, New York City and culminating in Washington, D.C., where national winners will be recognized and awarded. The SBA has held National Small Business Weeks since 1963, highlighting the impact of entrepreneurs, small businesses and others across the country. For more details, click here.
PPAI News
PPAI’s Technology Awards To Recognize Industry Technology Excellence
In an industry that prides itself on developing creative marketing programs, technology continues to play a strong role in its success. It takes a certain individual with keen vision and unconventional thinking to create innovative and awe-inducing technological solutions. These individuals deserve recognition; this is where the PPAI Technology Awards come in.
The Technology Awards recognize PPAI members for development and effective use of technology in a variety of applications and this year has added and updated a number of new categories. PPAI is accepting submissions for the Technology Awards until April 17. Click here for more information and to submit an entry.
Sales Calls, Fair Labor, Other Issues Explored In PPAI’s Webinar Series
This spring, PPAI’s online education schedule will offer sessions focusing on sales advice, corporate responsibility, product safety and other issues.
Read More Webinars
Product Responsibility
PPAI’s Tim Brown, MAS, Joins AMPPRO Expo To Speak On Product Responsibility
PPAI Product Responsibility Manager Tim Brown, MAS, traveled to Mexico City this month for Mexico’s promotional products event, La Expo de los Promocionales, hosted by the Asociación Mexicana de Profesionales de la Promoción, A.C. (AMPPRO). Running March 4-6, AMPPRO’s event was held at Mexico City’s World Trade Center.
Read More AMPPRO
Mark Your Calendar For The 2015 PPAI Product Safety Summit
Registration is now open for the 2015 PPAI Product Safety Summit, September 28-30 in Bethesda, Maryland. The Summit brings business and compliance leaders from across the industry to discuss product safety issues and the business implications and challenges they face.
The Summit offers two days of education featuring distinguished speakers, industry thought leaders and representatives from product safety labs and product certification groups. All Summit attendees will also receive a binder containing best practices, testing protocols and recall resource materials.
Click here for more information and to register.
People News
Spector & Co. (UPIC: SPEC0038) has hired
Natalia Lidovskikh as a communications specialist. Lidovskikh’s background includes digital marketing, integrated communications, PR, strategic planning and branding, and her focus at the Saint-Laurent, Quebec-based supplier will be on website development and expanding its social media platforms.
Accolades
Cutter & Buck Names Bryan Dickson 2014 Salesperson Of The Year
Supplier Cutter & Buck (UPIC: CUTT0001), headquartered in Seattle, Washington, has named Bryan Dickson its 2014 Salesperson of the Year. Dickson’s territory includes Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington. He formally received his Salesperson of the Year award at the supplier’s recent semi-annual sales meeting in Orlando, Florida.
“Since joining our team in 2010, Bryan has worked tirelessly to transform the Pacific Northwest into one of our strongest territories in the company and has consistently been one of our top performers year after year,” says Jake Rawson, global director of sales-golf, Cutter & Buck. “In 2014, Bryan found creative ways to keep our customers engaged and buying our products and, as a result, he realized a significant year over year increase in his business. It’s an honor to recognize Bryan as we’re celebrating a significant milestone in the history of our company, founded in 1990 here in the Pacific Northwest.”
SAGE FACT OF THE WEEK
Print’s Not Dead!
With all of the advances in technology and e-commerce, you would think print catalogs would be a dying marketing strategy. However, print catalogs remain a relentless driving force of sales for many companies, particularly in the promotional products industry. Click here to learn the four main reasons print catalogs are still popular with consumers and are successful at bringing in sales.
PPAI members can join SAGE at no additional cost through the Power of Two relationship. Contact SAGE today at 800-925-7243 or visit www.sageworld.com to get started.
This Month’s PPB
Brand Worthy
This one-to-many model of information flow of the past 70 years has been upended since the advent of the internet and social media. Now, information flows in millions of different directions at once—to, from and by people all over the globe—in an all-to-all free-for-all for eyeballs and market share. Some of the well-established rules of branding still apply in this new, hyper-connected environment. But that doesn’t change the fact that building and differentiating a brand is harder than ever and will only prove tougher in 2015.
Read More Brands
Do It For Yourself
PPAI Image Award winners debunk three common excuses for not investing in self promotion.
Read More Self Promotion
Money In The Bank
They say you’ve got to spend money to make money, but how does spending money on promotional products ensure a financial services client will make money for itself and its customers?
Read More Financial Services
Contribute To PPAI Publications
Carry Away Clients
Editor’s Picks in May focuses on bags of all forms and functions. Send high-res images and descriptions of your top sellers and fan favorites, including classic styles and of-the-moment designs, to Jen Alexander by March 20.
Creative Collaboration
Artists, designers, photographers and writers need promotions as creative and visionary as the works they produce. Market to Market in May examines the creative services industry; if you have clients in this field and case studies showing how promotional products boosted their business, contact Jen Alexander by March 20. Suppliers, send high-res images and descriptions of products that complement creative services business programs and campaigns.
Safety First
PPB is looking for apparel from the safety/work wear category—items that keep you cool, warm, cozy and safe while you work. It also means sturdy apparel that can take a beating. Suppliers: Send high-res images and product descriptions of your shirts, vests, jackets, aprons, hats, etc. Distributors: We want to know your tried-and-true work wear items. Please send all submissions to Tama Underwood by April 15.
A Supplier Asks: We’d like to increase our in-house inventory levels for some of our most popular products. This is one of the riskier things a business can do, so how do we know if we’re ready?
What’s Your Answer? Email answers along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by April 15 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.
Industry Job Listings
PPAI Website
PPAI Publications
Subscribe To PPB Newslink
Advertise In PPB
PPAI LAW
PPAI Product Safety
Promotional Consultant Today
PPPC (Canada)
Paul Bellantone’s Connections
Don’t want to receive these newsletters anymore? Manage your email preferences here.
PPAI | 3125 Skyway Circle North, Irving, Texas 75038-3526 | 888-I-AM-PPAI (426-7724) | www.ppai.org
3125 Skyway Circle North, Irving, TX 75038
Unsubscribe