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PPB Newslink January 24
January 24, 2017
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Top Stories
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Trends Study Finds Higher Demand For Non-Cash Rewards
The demand for non-cash rewards and recognition programs continues to grow and is one of 10 key trends for incentive travel, reward and recognition programs according to the 2017 Trends Study from the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF).
Read more Incentives
Industry News
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Picnic Time Rebranding Introduces Four Sub-Brands
Supplier Picnic Time, Inc. (PPAI 143980) has rebranded as the Picnic Time Family of Brands, citing its growth over the past 35 years and its expansion from a handful of picnic baskets to a broad range of categories.
Read more Picnic Time
Health care, Tax Reform And Infrastructure Among SBLC 2017 Priorities
The Small Business Legislative Council (SBLC) has announced its top priorities for 2017—health care, tax reform and infrastructure. These priorities were determined by the SBLC’s Board of Directors.
Read more SBLC
PPAI News
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Expo East Registration Set To Open Mid-February
Expo East, the largest promotional products trade show in the Northeast, will open to attendee registration next month. Running June 12-14 at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Expo East gives industry professionals the opportunity to connect with suppliers, get inspired at an extensive education session lineup and build their network. Go to ppai.org/expoeast-signup to sign up to be notified when registration and housing are open.
PPAI’s 2017 Webinars Kick Off With California Regulation Changes
PPAI’s webinar series opens 2017 with a look at upcoming regulatory changes in California. The schedule features a wide range of ideas, updates and other topics important to promotional products industry practitioners.
The Next Wave Of California Regulations: Priority Products Legislation
January 25, 1 pm CST
PPAI’s live and on-demand webinars enable industry professionals to continue their professional development anywhere, any time.
PPAI Law
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PPAI’s Stone Meets With Congressional Committees In D.C.
Last week, PPAI Public Affairs Director Anne Stone traveled to Washington, D.C. to speak with members of the House of Representatives’ Finance and Ways and Means Committees on legislative issues that may impact the promotional products industry in the year ahead. The conversations explored several proposals that the committees are considering, including regulations governing independent contractors and issues surrounding the potential border adjustability tax. Stone’s discussions on Capitol Hill are part of the groundwork of PPAI’s legislative outreach in 2017 and will inform the concerns and education the Association shares with members of Congress.
Product Responsibility
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UL Opens Registration For Its Global Responsible Sourcing Summit
Registration is now open for UL Consumer and Retail Services’ Global Responsible Sourcing Summit, March 1-2 in West Hollywood, California. The summit’s programming focuses on new challenges and solutions in responsible sourcing, and covers a range of subjects, including supply chain risk segmentation; the unintended costs of regional responsible sourcing issues; product traceability; repair, reuse and recycle program; and the positive impacts of responsible sourcing initiatives, among others. Registration is available here. Speaker details will be updated regularly.
People News
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Cindy Locke has joined commonsku as business development manager. Previously, she served as a senior inside sales representative with Charles River Apparel and has also worked in sales and marketing operations with Dorel, a world leader in juvenile products, manufacturing for notable brands such as Costco and Safety 1st.
Concord, Ontario, supplier Debco (PPAI 317015) has named Heidi Urban its business development manager for the Northeast U.S. Urban’s territory will include Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont and Washington, D.C. The company has also named Nikki Sgro its business development representative for the Midwest. Sgro will be responsible for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
St. Charles, Illinois-based supplier Warwick Publishing Company (PPAI 114154) has appointed Larry and Kyle Krause of LDK Marketing, Inc. as its representatives in the Southwest region. They will cover Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Accolades
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HALO Branded Solutions Recognizes Its Sales Leaders In Las Vegas
At an awards ceremony held at the Four Seasons Las Vegas Hotel in conjunction with The PPAI Expo 2017, HALO Branded Solutions honored the achievements of more than 250 of the Sterling, Illinois, distributor’s top account executives.
Read more HALO
Facilisgroup Celebrates Members’ Accomplishments At Its 2017 Winter Summit
At its 2017 Winter Summit, held in Las Vegas earlier this month in conjunction with The PPAI Expo, Facilisgroup (PPAI 493664) honored success, facilitated learning, encouraged collaboration and presented its most accomplished community members with its 2016 Top Achieving Sales Awards. Facilisgroup also honored its 2016 Achiever’s Club members, a group of 185 sales reps and teammates with sales that total more than $750,000 annually.
Read more Facilisgroup
Charitable Contributions
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Charles River Apparel Launches Colors for A Cause
Charles River Apparel (PPAI 111644) has announced its Colors for a Cause Program, part of the Sharon, Massachusetts-based supplier’s Charles River Cares Initiative. The program uses the company’s best-selling style, the New Englander rain jacket, to help create awareness and raise funds for national and local charities.
Read more Charles River Apparel
SAGE Fact Of The Week
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14 Ways to Inspire Your Team
The holiday season is exciting, but it may leave your team feeling a little sluggish. So what’s the best way to get over the winter blues and inspire your team? We’ve got 14 of our favorite team-building tips on the SAGE blog to help you and your team get a productive start to the new year.
PPAI distributor 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
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Head Of The Class
You’ve got a stable of loyal clients and a portfolio that reflects your expertise and talent, but are these enough to show prospects and peers that you are the best promotional products professional you can possibly be? Industry professionals looking to add another feather to their cap will often turn to professional development and certification.
Read more Professional Development
In The Forecast: Foul Weather Wear
Ask anyone hosting large outdoor events what their biggest fear is and most would say weather. There’s little worse than rain driving all your attendees to their cars and back home, ruining your event and costing you money. Rain can be a major bummer—but it can also be a ‘promotunity’.
Read more Foul Weather
Different Strokes For Different Folks
When it comes to compliance and product safety policies, many customers like to reinvent the wheel. If you are facing this kind of situation with one or more customers, creating solid policies and a dynamic supply chain is the best way to manage.
Read more Compliance
Contribute To PPAI Publications
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Professional Aspirations
April PPB’s Market to Market focuses on how professional organizations and associations use promotional products. Distributors, please send case studies of how clients in this market have used promotional marketing for member recruitment and retention, thank-you gifts and leave-behinds, and recognition programs. Suppliers, please submit product images and descriptions that work well for professional organizations and associations. Please send submissions by January 31.
Are You Ready For Some Football?
In the 51st Super Bowl on February 5, the North and South will battle for a win as the New England Patriots meet up with the Atlanta Falcons in Houston’s NRG Stadium. PPB Newslink is looking for suppliers and distributors who are engaged, at any level, in providing Super Bowl-related products. Contact PPB@ppai.org by February 1.
Posh Pastimes
In April’s PPB Eye On Apparel will showcase country club sports—think tennis, golf and swim attire. Suppliers, please submit high-resolution product images and product descriptions. Distributors, please send marketing case studies for some recent successful promotions. Submissions are due by February 1.
A Distributor Asks: Someone referred me a possible client and asked if I pay a referral fee. Nobody has ever asked me for a referral fee before and when I refer business to people, I never ask anyone to pay me. Do other distributors pay referral fees? If so, how do you calculate what that should be?
Email your answer along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by February 8 for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of PPB magazine.
Need peer advice? Send your question to Question@ppai.org.
Read the answers to each month’s question here.
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