Commonsku announces that Chief Content Officer Bobby Lehew will host a webinar on Thursday, August 3 at 1:00 p.m., featuring ASI’s Michele Bell, VP of Editorial, Education & Special Events, and Nate Kucsma, senior executive director of Research, to discuss Counselor’s 2023 State of the Industry report. Register here.

Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125), a Top 40 supplier, has completed a third-party Service Organization Control (SOC) 2 audit for cybersecurity standards, focusing specifically on security, availability, processing integrity, confidentiality and privacy. “Our IT team has put in countless hours preparing us for this audit and bolstering our infrastructure,” says President Eric Shonebarger, Counselor’s 2017 Technology Executive of the Year. “Their hard work and dedication to this process has put Hit in a position to confidently do business with the most security-minded companies in the world, protecting both our company’s reputation and those of our valued distributor partners at the same time.”

Crystal D (asi/47759) announces that blanks and samples manager TeriKay Thein is retiring after 18 years at the company. She started as a receptionist in 2005 and transitioned to her most recent role in 2015. Thein has received numerous employee recognition awards from Crystal D. “We would like to wish TeriKay all the best in the next exciting chapter of her life,” says Mike Irvine, executive vice president and COO. “We are very appreciative of all the dedication and hard work she has contributed over the past 18 years. She will be dearly missed.”

Charles River Apparel (asi/44620) has promoted Jason Lipsett to the position of vice president of strategic initiatives. Most recently, Lipsett was marketing director for two years. He is the grandson of founder Walter Lipsett – the family recently spoke with ASI Media about the company’s 40-year anniversary.

Crystal D (asi/47759) has hired two new territory managers. Kristin Altenburg is now Midwest territory manager, while Erika McCullough has been hired as the Northeast territory manager. With the hiring of McCullough in the Northeast, Denise Davis is moving from the role of the Northeast territory manager after growing the territory over the past two years to the Southern territory manager to help develop strong relationships there. “We are excited for Kristin and Erika to join the team and for Denise to transition to a new territory,” said Stephanie Maday, executive vice president of sales.

ACS Affiliate Services has appointed Britne Rosalez to the account services team. As an account coordinator, Rosalez will play a key role in supporting the distributor affiliate program, offering time-saving services, streamlining daily operations, and facilitating full business financing for ACS's partners, the company said.

American Solutions for Business (ASB, asi/120075), a Top 40 distributor, has created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion council composed of employees from all around the country. The council crosses gender, geographic, age and department lines, and has a goal of sharing education and awareness with all members of ASB. “This council is one of the crucial next steps that ASB has been working towards,” said ASB President Justin Zavadil. “Our company has changed so much since its inception, and this council allows us to continue to serve the new lives and backgrounds that make up our employees, supplier partners and customers.”

BotanicalPaperWorks (asi/41273) has launched a line of hand-poured candles made with natural soy and coconut wax that’s paraffin-free and vegan. Each candle, available in three different scents, has a customizable label and burns for more than 30 hours. Find more details in the BotanicalPaperWorks Holiday Idea Book.

PowerStick.com (asi/51566) announces that Anthony DiRienzo has returned to the company as director of sales. Previously, he spent three years as sales manager. In his new role, he will spearhead key marketing and sales initiatives and will oversee the sales team. “It’s an honor to rejoin this exceptional team, and I’m eager to contribute to the continued success and growth of our organization,” says DiRienzo. “Together, we will deliver innovative solutions that exceed our customers’ expectations.” In addition, the company has released new updates to its Spot line of Bluetooth trackers and finders, including Spot App 2.0, SpotX and PowerTag, which is integrated with both the iOS and Android operating systems.

AIM Smarter and ACS Affiliate Services have announced that Carey Meddles and Rachel Kilgore have joined the company’s Supplier Relations and Events team. Meddles has been in the hospitality industry for 15 years, coordinating events and marketing at Rock-n-Roll City Harley-Davidson in Cleveland, Ohio and most recently at Top 40 distributor Proforma (asi/300094). Kilgore has been in the promotional products industry over eight years, first with the Proforma support center and then with Lands’ End Business Outfitters. “We’re thrilled to welcome Carey and Rachel to our team,” said Cathy Cummings, executive vice president of supplier relations for AIM Smarter and ACS Affiliate Services. “Their exceptional skills and industry knowledge will contribute to the continuous development and success of AIM and ACS.”

Prominate (asi/300426) has promoted Andy Ducksbury to COO. In his role, he will have overall business operational responsibility, leading licensee management to grow and develop Prominate business. Ducksbury has over 20 years of experience with Prominate UK, most recently as sales director.

Pop! Promos (asi/45657) has announced a new line called Simpler Socks – an easier way, the Philadelphia-based supplier said, for distributors to order custom dress socks at minimums of 50. The process works thus: Distributors choose from one of the 18 different styles, pick a colorway, and provide Pop! with a logo. Pop! takes it from there. “In our world, where the design possibilities are endless, we wanted to provide a new avenue for our customers to engage with our product line that’s easy to navigate. Additionally, we understand distributors often have tight in-hands dates and need a high-quality, custom option to close business,” said Jesse Gray, Pop!’s vice president of marketing. “Simpler Socks services those needs while also affording our clients a white-glove level of customer service.”

K.C. Fields & Associates Inc. (asi/822150), a multi-line representative group, has added Alyssa Fields to the team in the role of manufacturer’s representative. She will be working with customers in Ohio, Kentucky and western Pennsylvania. She has more than five years of experience in the promo industry. “Alyssa’s great work ethic assures our company we will continue to provide our suppliers and distributors with first-class sales representation,” said President K.C. Fields.

Outdoor Cap Company (asi/75420), a Top 40 supplier, has released its promotional catalog for the 2023-24 season. It features 24 new styles ranging from sporty to stylish. “The supply chain challenges of the pandemic may have forced us to change the cadence of product release dates, but there’s proven to be a silver lining. This July catalog release will allow our customers to be better prepared, earlier in the upcoming calendar year as we’ve deeply stocked our top sellers and have new styles for fresh looks earlier in the customers’ hands,” said Jeanelle Harris, CEO.

Orbus Visual Communications (asi/75209) has introduced two new product lines: the MODify Retail Merchandising System and the Blaze SEG Light Box. MODify is a collection of retail displays that incorporates push-fit fabric graphics. The flexible system allows for easy modification with graphics, accessories and furniture. The Blaze collection is a series of fabric light boxes available in wall-mounted, freestanding and hanging variations.

Totally Bamboo (asi/91565) has received national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise by the West Certification Committee, a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). The certification process is designed to confirm the business is at least 51% owned, operated and controlled by a woman or women, and that the business has appropriate structure and strategic business planning and implementation in place.

Victorinox Swiss Army (asi/93755) has promoted Melissa Goodrich to director for Swiss Army Knives, Margaret Gregory to director for kitchen knives and Epicurean, and Brigid Dunphy to director for travel gear. In their respective roles, each will lead and expand a sales team across the United States and Canada and will report to Ulrich Wohn, president of Victorinox North America.

Ashlin BPG Marketing (asi/37138) has launched Arkilos, a suite of services for industry companies that includes software and website design, app development, e-commerce powered by BigCommerce and Shopify, and more.

BAMKO (asi/131431) in Canada, a Top 40 distributor, has promoted Ian Huntley to the position of vice president of strategic initiatives. He has been vice president at the firm for the past three years.

Proforma (asi/300094), a Top 40 distributor, announces that its marketing team has received two American Inhouse Design Awards from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA), a media trade group serving the graphic design industry. Proforma was recognized for its 2023 Annual Product Catalog and its “ProShop” direct-mail campaign. This is the 12^th consecutive year that Proforma has been honored by GDUSA. “Winning a design award is a testament to the innovation and dedication that our creative team brings to the table day in and day out,” said Patrick Magyar, vice president of marketing at Proforma. “But to be recognized for 12 years in a row proves that we are ahead of the design curve and are the thought leaders in our space.”

Facilisgroup, a software-as-a-service company and partnering community within the promotional products industry, announces the return of its Partner Summit, a three-day event dedicated to leadership, industry education, innovation, and community. In what’s a first, Facilisgroup will hold two Partner Summits in the same year. This year’s summits will be held in Boston, MA from July 9-12 and in Denver, CO from September 26-29. “Adding a second event will allow us to keep things intimate,” said Ashley McCune, president of Facilisgroup. “Smaller groups will ensure that every attendee can contribute to the conversation and experience some meaningful dialogue about overcoming obstacles, growth, and so much more.”