Storm Creek (asi/89879) has released its limited edition #HealthCareStrong collection of Pacesetter quarter-zips and Sidekick crewnecks. When customers order a quarter-zip or crewneck at full price, they’ll have the option of ordering a second one for a healthcare worker. Storm Creek will ship the garment with personalized note to the recipient for free. More information can be found here.

The Chesapeake Promotional Products Association (CPPA) held its annual Peake Awards, sponsored by J. Charles (asi/62985), on Jan. 26 at the BWI Airport Marriott. Among the 16 winners were Ariel Premium Supply (asi/36730) as Supplier of the Year; APISource (asi/147450) as Distributor of the Year; and Wendy Bordewisch, account executive at APISource, as CPPA Rising Star. In addition, Dana Geiger, executive director of The Premier Group (asi/298947), and Cheryl Hokanson, president of Brand Boosters, were inducted into the CPPA Hall of Fame.

Raining Rose (asi/80489) has promoted Ben Drysdale to Western region account executive. Most recently, Ben served as a sales assistant, after originally joining the supplier firm as an intern during his study at the University of Northern Iowa.

Storm Duds Raingear (asi/89863) has brought Jenny Wholey aboard as a customer service representative and Garrett Blankenship as a multi-line representative. Wholey came to Storm Duds in August 2021 with experience working in the collegiate promotional products industry. Blankenship will cover the states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. He has been in the industry for three years and was named Multi-line Rep of The Year by Charles River Apparel (asi/44620) in 2021.

Fisher Space Pen Co. (asi/54423) has debuted its new AG7 Nickel Titanium Moonwalker Astronaut Space Pen in honor of NASA’s planned return to the Moon via the Artemis Lunar Exploration Program. The gravity-defying Space Pen has been used by astronauts on space missions for decades.

Inkcups, a Danvers, MA-based provider of pad printing and industrial inkjet printing equipment, supplies and inks for the promotional, apparel and industrial markets, has secured an investment from Boston-based private equity firm MPE Partners. Inkcups founder and CEO Ben Adner will remain in his position alongside the rest of the Inkcups team. They will work in partnership with MPE to grow the U.S. company globally and further establish Inkcups in its core digital, pad, and tagless printing markets.

Cap America (asi/43792), a Top 40 supplier, has hired Tim Nixon as national sales manager of the firm’s sporting goods division. Nixon will be responsible for establishing, maintaining, and growing sales within the company’s newest division.

Starline (asi/89320) has appointed three inside sales managers. Krystal Holstrom is now inside sales manager for national accounts. She has been a Starline employee for seven years, holding positions in productions, customer service and was most recently the inside sales manager for the West and Southwest. Erin Hernandez will be replacing Holstrom as inside sales manager covering WA, OR, CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, AZ, NM, AK and HI. Amy Gruby is now the inside sales manager for British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Maritimes in Canada. “This group brings a wealth of industry knowledge and energy to our team,” says Brian Porter, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Starline.

American Solutions for Business (asi/120075), a Top 40 distributor, announced that it has been re-awarded a three-year group purchasing agreement with Premier, Inc., one of the largest healthcare purchasing alliances in the United States. The agreement names ASB as a contracted supplier of advertising and marketing services.

Bag Makers (asi/37940), a Top 40 supplier, is expanding its print capabilities to include a new dynamic color print process and variable data printing for digital full-color orders in 2022. In addition, the company has added multiple new items, colors, and sizes to its existing product collection, including laminated non-woven totes with dynamic color printing, peel & seal die cuts, and BBL Bags. Speaking about the dynamic color process in particular, Bag Makers described the solution as a state-of-the-art digital print technology that’s available on a variety of bag styles. It provides multi-color imprints with tight registration and enables new domestic print options.

Raining Rose (asi/80489) has announced that John R. B. Cudahy, MAS, MASI has been awarded the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) Supplier Rep of the Year. Cudahy is the northeast sales executive at Raining Rose. The award was presented at the SAAGNY Holiday Party and Awards Celebration in December. “It’s a tremendous honor to receive this award, especially knowing I was selected by my peers and clients,” said Cudahy.

Terra Thread (asi/55681) has donated more than 1 million meals to Feed America, a domestic hunger-relief nonprofit organization. “Terra Thread supports Feeding America’s journey to end hunger in the U.S. by helping donate meals to kids and families in need,” said Vik Giri, CEO of California-based Terra Thread. The supplier offers high quality bags made with certified Fairtrade organic cotton, in a certified Fairtrade factory, where each bag is produced in line with the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and is carbon neutral, the company said.