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In The News - March 2021

Starline (asi/89320) welcomes Kelly Skinner to the inside sales team. She’ll be working alongside regional sales manager Marc Mann covering the Midwest-West territory.

Cap America Inc. (asi/43792) welcomes Charles Campbell as print supervisor. “We’re very glad to welcome Charles to his new role,” said Tom Gillespie, vice president of production. “His years of knowledge and technical expertise will bring the Cap America print department to a level we have never experienced before as a company. Charles will be a strong addition to our production team, and I am looking forward to working with him as a part of the leadership team to further advance our printing capabilities.”

Pro Towels (asi/79750) offered a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic for all its employees on-site at its Abbeville, SC, facility. Pro Towels partnered with Abbeville Area Medical Center to get employees vaccinated on-site so they wouldn’t have to leave work to do so. “The well-being of our employees and their families is of the greatest importance to us, as well as making sure we continue to provide a safe working environment for them,” said Kevin Nord, president of Pro Towels.

Facilisgroup welcomed a total of 15 new partners to participate in in-person meetings in February and March. The two-day events also allowed partners the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the Facilisgroup support team and receive product training that greatly expands on the many benefits and opportunities available within the platform. Attendees had the opportunity to bond further over dinner and were treated to a “Taste of St. Louis” goody bag featuring local favorites such as Fitz’s root beer, Bissinger’s chocolate and Gooey butter cookies.

Fairytale Brownies (asi/53518) will recognize National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week in May by asking distributors to submit their favorite healthcare stories and photos for a chance to win a brownie gift for both the distributor and healthcare worker. Stories (under 300 words) and photos should be sent to contest@brownies.com by 12:00 p.m. ET on April 30, and Fairytale Brownies will choose three winners.

Gemline (asi/56070) will be hosting a live webinar on Tuesday, March 30 at 1:00 p.m. ET. In celebration of Women’s History Month, there will be a panel of female leaders from the promotional products industry discussing how they have reached their current positions, what challenges and victories they have encountered, and what they are doing to continually grow and excel in their careers. You can register here.

Quinn (asi/80228) welcomes Matthew Wickenheiser to the product development team.

SanMar (asi/84863) announced its support for T-Mobile’s #GiveThanksNotPranks movement, stepping away from the traditional April 1 pranks and instead giving thanks to educators across the country. T-Mobile has pledged up to $500,000 through the nonprofit education crowdfunding site DonorsChoose to help outfit teachers’ classrooms, both virtual and in-person, with basic supplies they need to teach their students.

iPROMOTEu (asi/232119) names Michele Cochran, owner of Six Twenty Six (asi/466916), as the recipient of the inaugural Affiliate Appreciation Award, presented to the iPROMOTEu affiliate who distinguishes themselves by going above and beyond to support the company, and the entire affiliate network, through his or her positive and encouraging attitude. “I am beyond flattered for being recognized as a quality person who shares valuable information,” Cochran said. “Ross Silverstein and his leadership team foster individualism and offer an infinite amount of professional support which motivates and inspires me to be better. I enjoy collaborating with the entire iPROMOTEu community, including the affiliate network and supply chain partners.”

Mak Group (asi/68595) has uploaded its 2021 collection to ESP. The assortment includes eight new men’s styles and seven new women’s styles of leather jackets.

Fairytale Brownies (asi/53518) will recognize National Nurses Week and National Hospital Week in May by asking distributors to submit their favorite healthcare stories and photos for a chance to win a brownie gift for both the distributor and healthcare worker. Stories (under 300 words) and photos should be sent to contest@brownies.com by 12:00 p.m. ET on April 30, and Fairytale Brownies will choose three winners.

alphabroder (asi/34063) has redesigned its website for a better customer experience.

Blue Generation (asi/40653) is supplementing its annual catalog with the release of the 2021 Lookbook, featuring complete uniform merchandising examples to help distributors jumpstart sales.

Peerless Umbrella (asi/76730) has implemented a new Guaranteed Inventory Program featuring six of Peerless’ bestselling umbrella styles in a select number of popular colors that are guaranteed to be in stock and production ready at any time. 

Powertex Group (asi/297675) has promoted both Chris Melbinger and Dan Farsht to vice president of business development and Zach Lien has been promoted to director of business development.

PromoPlacement Recruiting welcomes Doug Hazel as executive vice president. “Doug’s addition brings a great wealth of knowledge to our firm with his supplier and business acquisition experience, both areas that will bolster our client services moving forward,” said Patrick McHargue, president of PromoPlacement.

Foxtrot Marketing Group (asi/170720) welcomes Jess Seletzky as an account manager. “Jess is a perfect fit with the collaborative, solution-solving culture at Foxtrot, and she’ll help us strengthen and grow our customer relationships,” said Nettie Sparkman, sales director at Foxtrot.

Penn Emblem (asi/77120) has promoted Alejo Hiram Acosta Celaya to art supervisor.

Displays and Signage (asi/49926) has changed its name to Promo Your Brand.  In addition to trade show display items and large format printing, the line now encompasses direct import of traditional and trending promo items, such as drinkware, bags, writing instruments and tech.

Fossa Apparel (asi/55141) has partnered with Tom Monahan and Lee Gallagher-Coscia of Themco LLC (asi/828251). They will be covering the New England region.

Hirsch Gift (asi/61005) has presented a $100,000 check to Homes for Our Troops. The donation was funded by Patriot Coolers’ giveback program, which donates 20% of net proceeds from cooler and drinkware sales to Homes for Our Troops, where nearly 90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to veterans.

Reciprocity Road is pleased to announce the recipient of its 2020 Q4 grant of $500, which will go to PromoKitchen in support of The Tee Hamilton Creative Education Fund.

Stahls’ (asi/88984) Transfer Express is hosting a free virtual event called Unleash the Color of Transfers on April 7 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET. You can register here.

Crystal D (asi/47759) has announced two promotions and seven new hires. Eric Wiberg has been promoted to customer service manager and Dee Xiong has been promoted to order manager. Crystal D also welcomes Adam Bjerke as executive vice president of sales, Todd Phillips as vice president of business development, Kalee Heinzman as solutions manager, Taylor Bogdanske and Stephanie Maday as business development managers. Christine LaPean and Tim McGuire have come aboard as order entry specialists. “Despite an unusual year in 2020, Crystal D is seeing growth,” said company president Chuck Dahlgren. “The need to expand our sales and customer service teams means we’re trending in the right direction.”

Donna-Jean Plante, executive director of the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY), has received the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

ATTRACTION (asi/37442) in Lac Drolet, QC, has added eco-friendly cushions to its Ethica collection, which includes apparel, make-up removal pads, hats, rugs and woven blankets made of upcycled textile waste like organic cotton and recycled polyester.

Foxtrot Marketing Group (asi/170720) has announced that CEO Jill Haspert is one of the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal’s 2021 40 Under 40 honorees.

The Incentive Marketing Association (IMA) has signed an affiliation agreement with Recognition Professionals International (RPI). This affiliation gives the organizations a larger network and scope of education, combines their reach and resources to build a stronger voice for the industry and offers operational efficiencies. To streamline operations, RPI will move its headquarters to the IMA office where RPI will be supported by IMA staff for daily operations.

The board of directors from the Promotional Products Association of Florida bet the board of the Promotional Products Association Midwest that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would win Super Bowl LV. The loser would wear the winner’s team shirts and buy a round of drinks. On Feb. 24, the PPAMidwest board of directors surprised the PPAF board during their board meeting via Zoom. With true sportsmanship, the PPAMidwest offered congratulations and showed off their custom-made T-shirts and Tampa Bay backgrounds.

PPAF zoom call

Universal Unilink (asi/526000) welcomes Alison Adams as marketing manager. “We are excited to have Alison join the Universal Unilink team. She has great experience in advertising and will bring fresh ideas to drive our marketing ventures,” said Sherryl Stoner, vice president of Universal Unilink.