PowerStick.com (asi/51566) announces that Matt Eysoldt, president of Eysoldt Marketing Group in Ohio and the supplier’s multi-line rep in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky, has received the Supplier Rep of the Year award from the Ohio Promotional Products Association (OPPA) for the fourth time. Eysoldt was nominated by distributors based on service, support, dedication, accessibility, presentation quality and follow-through.

SAAGNY (Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York) has announced that Deborah Gaspar, VP of marketing for Top 40 supplier NC Custom (asi/44900), has been elected a trustee of the foundation’s board. In her role over the next three years, Gaspar will aid SAAGNY in charitable activities with local tri-state communities. “I am so excited,” said Gaspar, “to give back to an industry that has provided me with so much personal and professional fulfillment over the years and benefits so many communities in our region.”

Gildan, a Montreal-based apparel manufacturer that sells extensively in the promo industry, announces new positioning and marketing campaigns for its Gildan, American Apparel and Comfort Colors brands. “We’re pleased with the work done to reinvigorate our three core brands sold in the imprintables channels, giving them a heightened new look and positioning while paying homage to their strong heritage,” said Chuck Ward, president of sales, marketing and distribution at Gildan. Gildan will debut Just Smart – highlighting it as the most logical choice for decorators to drive business success and paying tribute to its identity as the brand of choice for best value. American Apparel will debut The 2001 and Only campaign to further solidify its positioning as an iconic premium brand. Comfort Colors will debut a Spread Good Vibes campaign to further enhance its positioning as the lifestyle brand in the company’s portfolio. The new campaigns are being unveiled via interactive trade show booths, spotlight films, social media marketing, display advertising and a renewed digital experience on websites and social platforms.

Fully Promoted (asi/384000), a Top 40 distributor, has been named to Entrepreneur magazine’s Franchise 500, which recognizes top franchises. Fully Promoted ranked 429th overall and number one in the embroidery/screen printing category. To choose the final 500 honorees, Entrepreneur’s editorial team researched and assessed several factors, including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength and financial strength and stability. Fully Promoted is part of United Franchise Group, which had other brands on the Entrepreneur list: Office Evolution, Signarama, Transworld Business Advisors and Venture X.

PromoCares has named Kate Nash to its board. Nash is director of sales and marketing at Certified B Corp supplier Raining Rose (asi/80489) and a member of ASI Media’s Promo for the Planet advisory board. Nash will help the PromoCares board with its mission to inspire, educate and provide actionable strategies to encourage social and environmental responsibility in the promotional products industry. “In a world where change occasionally seems impossible and the headwinds keep mounting up … PromoCares has consistently worked to educate and act,” Nash said. “This organization embodies the traits that I love so much in our industry – creativity, movement, progress and impact.”

Towel Specialties (asi/91605) has announced the addition of MW Reps to the company’s multi-line sales representatives. MW Reps will serve the supplier in Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. Bryan Mercer and Jennifer Kruger of MW Reps together have more than 50 years of sales experience; they’re joined by Katie Hopkins, business development manager. “We’re thrilled to add Bryan, Jen and Katie to our award-winning field rep team,” said Shawn Kanak, president and chief sales officer at Towel Specialties. “MW Reps has swiftly gained a reputation in the Midwest for only partnering with the top suppliers in the industry and delivering top-notch consultation services that are unmatched. We look forward to the opportunities that will arise from this partnership.”

Stormtech Performance Apparel (asi/89864; Canada, 89869), a Top 40 supplier, welcomes Jamie Stone as sales manager for Western Canada, Shaun Rolfe as sales manager for the UK and Europe, and Tom Kroc as director of international sales. Stone, based in Vancouver, BC, has 25 years of industry experience and will oversee sales reps in BC, AB, SK and MB; Rolfe, previously of Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/78897), has more than 20 years of industry experience and is relocating to the UK to oversee Stormtech’s key accounts in Europe; and Kroc is the former international sales manager for Herschel Supply Co.

Paradise Promotional Products (asi/526754) is the name of the newly launched distributorship from industry veteran Rich Corvalan. Corvalan has extensive experience on the supplier side of the business, having worked for Top 40s that include Vantage Apparel (asi/93390), SanMar (asi/84863) and Charles River Apparel (asi/44620), as well as most recently Zing Manufacturing (asi/99025). Now, he’s taking his talents to the distributor side of the industry. “I am so fortunate to have the experiences I have had in this amazing industry,” Corvalan states. “This company was formed to honor the past and bring forward the spirit of true partnership. I know the supplier side of the business, and all we have ever wanted was to create partnerships with our distributors that are a win, win, win…win for the supplier, win for the distributor and win for the end user. Transparency will be the driving factor, as well as loyalty with my supplier partners.”

PCNA (asi/78897), a Top 40 supplier, announces that multi-line rep Shaun Rolfe of R2 Agency is no longer representing Trimark (asi/92121; Canada, 92122) in British Columbia, effective this month. Rolfe is relocating to the United Kingdom with his family and pursuing a new chapter in his career, after having represented Trimark for more than 15 years. While PCNA works to fill the position, distributors in BC may contact Chris McMurray, PCNA regional sales manager for Eastern Canada, at cmcmurray@pcna.com or Erin Harris, director of sales for PCNA Canada, at eharris@pcna.com.

Proforma (asi/300094), a Top 40 distributor, announced that it has launched 7,500 e-commerce stores, through its in-house solution ProStores. The company attributes the landmark to the success of its certification program, which allows Proforma’s distributors to educate themselves on best practices in e-commerce. “These classes offer our distributors and their teams a chance to become certified e-commerce consultants,” said Stan Maxwell, chief strategy officer. “This valuable tool was made specifically with them in mind and has provided the training to solve customer problems with e-commerce solutions.” Proforma says it has increased its e-commerce footprint by 2,600 ProStores in the span of a year.

Hexa | Custom (asi/60557) has hired Jessie Bender as senior account manager. Bender brings 20 years of experience in marketing, sales strategy and brand communications to the position. Most recently, she was a creative marketing consultant specializing in sales-driven initiatives for brands in the outdoor, wellness and travel industries. Hexa tripled the number of distributors it works with from 2021 to 2022, according to the company. “As we solidify our market position within the promotional products industry, we’re excited to be able to attract talent and expertise such as that shown with Jessie,” said Sue Timbo, CEO and co-founder.

SanMar (asi/84863), promo’s largest supplier, has launched its Spring 2023 Fresh Takes collection. It features more than 120 new styles across 15 brands. There are expanded retail offerings in the TravisMathew and Russell Outdoors lines, as well as trend-forward looks from SanMar’s in-house brands, District and Port & Company. SanMar also just partnered with Brooks Brothers, and apparel from the iconic clothier is included in Fresh Takes. “This spring, our new product offering ranges from tailored to casual, outfitting teams in the workplace, outdoors or at play,” said Shelley Renning, vice president of merchandising at SanMar. “What all of our new products have in common is that they help our customers expand the definition of comfortable want-to-wear apparel.”

Zing Manufacturing (asi/99025) has hired Nicole Deen as regional sales director – west coast. Deen will serve promo distributors in California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington. Deen previously held roles at Top 40 supplier Polyconcept North America (PCNA, asi/78897) and CleggPromo (asi/45450). In her promo career, Deen has been instrumental in building promotional merchandise programs for some of the world’s largest and most well-known brands, executives said. “Nicole’s knowledge of our industry and strong expertise in curated merchandising programs will help propel Zing as the industry standard in state-of-the-art printing and personalization services,” said Zing Vice President Rob Watson.

American Solutions for Business (asi/120075), a Counselor Top 40 distributor, has announced that four new members have joined its Vendor Advisory Board: Kim Newell of Gold Bond (asi/57653), John Abbott of Abbot Label Inc., Mark Gammon of Cap America (asi/43792), and Kevin Mullaney of PDF Print.

Zing Manufacturing (asi/99025) has hired TJ Walter as its regional sales director for the central U.S., covering Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Walter has a proven track record of building multimillion-dollar programs and cultivating strong partnerships, according to Zing. “Zing’s obsession to create the most dynamic, personalized experiences between distributors and their clients is equally matched by TJ’s unending desire to deliver world-class service to his customers,” said Rob Watson, vice president of Zing.

Superior Group of Companies, the parent company of Top 40 distributor BAMKO (asi/131431), is moving its corporate headquarters from Seminole, FL to downtown St. Petersburg, FL. “We’ve been in Seminole for over 40 years and loved our time there, but given the high growth trajectory that our company is on, and just with the way things are now with more workers going remote, we needed less of a physical footprint than we had in Seminole,” Jordan Alpert, the company’s senior vice president, general counsel and secretary, told the Tampa Bay Times. “We made the decision to move to a more vibrant community that matches the business outlook for us and what we want for our company going forward. So we’re moving to downtown St. Pete.”

Pro Towels (asi/79750) and Palmetto Blankets say the Pro Towels Catalog endpoints are live now with PromoStandards integrations. The supplier said a partnership with Web Services Pros-PromoLink and ShopWorks helped launch the following endpoints: Product Data 2.0.0, Inventory 2.0.0, Product Pricing and Configuration 1.0.0 and Media Content 1.1.0. “We are so very proud of our key partnership and working relationship with Web Services Pros and ShopWorks in taking our information technology integration to the next level,” said Kevin Nord, CEO/owner of Pro Towels. “Our hope is with these new PromoStandards endpoints, that the Pro Towels and Palmetto Blankets products, catalog and inventory are easily accessible to all who wish to gain access.”

Fields Manufacturing (asi/54100), a supplier based in St. Cloud, MN, has undergone a branding makeover, creating what the company says is a “fresh new look” to reflect its “fresh approach.” The “Fields” is now in a bright green color that “represents positivity, creativity, economy and trust,” said Andy Bertram, vice president of marketing. “The teal dot represents inspiration like a lightbulb and its color serves as a symbol of commitment to our roots and dedication to our customers.” Fields specializes in lanyards, grow kits, seeded products, educational guides, coloring books, safety glasses, wristbands, buttons, and hand fans, along with hundreds of other sku’s of branded merch. Fields is the parent company to American Greenwood, Sprout Tyme, Better Life Line and additional past acquisitions.

SnugZ USA (asi/88060), a Top 40 promo products supplier, has partnered with ZipSip, a brand whose namesake product acts as an adjustable holder for beverages. Thanks to zippers on each side, the ZipSip sleeve can be adjusted to allow users to fit cans, pint glasses, solo cups and other drink containers of varying sizes. Through the partnership, SnugZ will be selling ZipSip to the promo market. SnugZ also recently announced that it has partnered with MPOWERD.

Blue Generation (asi/40653), a Top 40 supplier, has named Susan Koedoot director of key accounts. Koedoot has about 25 years of experience on the supplier side of the business, as well as two years on the distributor side.

Cap America (asi/43792), a Top 40 supplier, has promoted Rhiannon Marquis to corporate sales supervisor and Christina Dulaney to quality assurance manager. Marquis joined Cap America in 2015 as order entry in the customer service department. In 2020, she became an account executive. As corporate sales supervisor, Marquis will directly supervise and coordinate the roles of all order entry, customer service reps and account executives in the corporate sales division. Dulaney started at Cap America in 1994 as an eyelet machine operator. She became supervisor of domestic sewing operation in 2007, where she also helped to oversee the knit and screen print department. She later transitioned to supervisor of quality control and the emblem department. In her new role, Dulaney will add shipping and receiving to her direct reports.

Outdoor Cap Company (asi/75420), a Top 40 supplier, has named Mallory Swan as sales and wellness coordinator. Swan will support the company in healthcare decisions, advocate for employees and build relationships with outside entities to ensure Outdoor Cap provides the best wellness and safety solutions, the company said. She most recently worked for Nabholz Corp., a construction management company. There, she did the legwork for its corporate wellness programs, challenges, personal training and a program for tobacco cessation.

PromoStandards, a nonprofit organization committed to improving supply chain and transactional efficiencies in the promotional products industry, has launched a Service Provider Committee. It’s responsible for enhancing PromoStandards service provider members’ experience, from the onboarding process to contributions to standards and best practices for service provider members. The committee members are industry executives that include Counselor Power 50 member Catherine Graham of commonsku and Kevin Jiang, senior vice president and chief technology officer at ASI.