Team Phun (asi/342550) has promoted Brittany Aanestad to the position of brand sales manager. She joined the team in 2020 as a brand consultant, and brings more than 13 years of hospitality experience and a decade of sales and marketing experience to her new role. Previously, Aanestad was a senior sales manager with Hilton Worldwide and received both the Embassy Suites Hotels Spirit and Circle of Excellence Awards. “I’m excited to see the new levels that I will be pushed to professionally,” she says, “as well as to build on invaluable partnerships with our customers and operational partners.” Team Phun is headquartered in San Diego and has a showroom in Charleston, SC.

Fossa Apparel (asi/55141) has appointed Tony Sabo of multi-line agency Brickyard Sales & Marketing to represent the supplier in Florida. Sabo has more than 20 years of industry experience, including time with Points of Light, now part of Prime Line (asi/79530), the hard goods division of Top 40 supplier alphabroder (asi/34063); Aakron Line (asi/30270); and Top 40 distributor ePromos Promotional Products (asi/188515).

Gemline (asi/56070), a Top 40 supplier, will be hosting a free, live webinar on Tuesday, April 5^th, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. eastern time: Understanding the War in Ukraine – Causes and Consequences. Gemline CEO Jonathan Isaacson will be joined by Harvard professor and renowned Eurasian expert, Rawi Abdelal, who will help listeners understand the conflict in Ukraine, its roots and where events may lead. The webinar will also feature Ukrainian business and political leaders in Europe and in Kyiv, who will provide firsthand accounts of life during war. Additionally, listeners will hear from colleagues from Lynka, a promotional products supplier in Poland, on how they are dealing with the humanitarian crisis and how you can help. The event is open to suppliers and distributors. Register here.

Koozie Group (asi/40480), a Top 40 supplier, has announced that it’s now a participating company with the Fair Labor Association, a nonprofit collaborative effort of universities, civil society organizations, and businesses promoting adherence to international and national labor laws. Koozie made the announcement in highlighting advancements achieved during the first full year (2021) of its environmental/corporate social responsibility program “Keep it. Give it.” Other labor-focused efforts tied to the initiative include: The company conducts weekly audits that go beyond industry standards and OSHA requirements to drive safety observations and develop leading indicators for injury prevention. 

Something Inked (asi/466856) has promoted David Schneiderman to chief procurement officer. One of the founding partners of Something Inked, Schneiderman has more than 50 years of experience in branded merchandise and promotional products. He was previously vice president of vendor relations and marketing services. In his new role, he will be focused on maximizing the company’s vendor relationships, product cost savings, custom programs and much more. “This move truly best represents David’s role and passion for what we do best – help service our clients, who we consider friends that we get to work with daily,” said Oliver Landry, president managing member at Something Inked.

BotanicalPaperWorks (asi/41273) now offers special-edition Save Our Oceans soaps to benefit conservation efforts. The seeded paper supplier in Winnipeg, which began offering handmade soaps last year, will donate 10% of proceeds from sales of the soaps to Oceana, an international advocacy organization.

Starline Industries (asi/89213, U.S., 89320) has promoted Domenic Falso, formerly Ontario sales manager, to the position of director of national accounts for Canada. “We couldn’t be any more excited to promote Domenic into this role – slightly delayed due to the events of the last few years, but timely with the reopening of the Canadian market,” says Brian Porter, SVP of sales and marketing. “Dom brings an exceptional mix of supplier and distributor background to the table. With his focus on key and strategic accounts, Starline eagerly anticipates this new opportunity to build upon its status as a premier supplier in Canada, at the highest level.”

Quinn (asi/80228) has appointed David Hunzelman of multi-line agency DMH Marketing to represent the flags, banners and tents supplier in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas.

Towel Specialties (asi/91605) has announced that its long-time multi-line rep partner Fritz Ford & Associates has hired Mike Jones to represent the line in Michigan and, along with Ford, Ohio. Jones has 28 years of experience in the promo industry, including time on the distributor and supplier sides of the business. “Mike will be a great addition to the team,” said Shawn Kanak, president of Towel Specialties. “It’s great to have someone onboard who is actively seeing customers either in person or through Zoom. Mike is well-known in his territory, so we’re looking forward to a bright future together.”

Top 40 distributor Proforma (asi/300094) has appointed 10 new marketing experts to support the company’s growth and owner network. “This strategic move brings together our tenured team and new talent, allowing us to focus on revolutionizing our world-class marketing tools, proprietary technology and e-commerce initiatives,” said CEO Vera Muzzillo.

Outdoor Cap (asi/75420) has launched Headwear 101, a new microsite with product resources for distributor clients and end-users. Content includes details on cap construction and features, selling tips and more.

Koozie Group (asi/40480), a Top 40 supplier, has announced additional highlights from 2021 related to “Keep it. Give it.,” an initiative that guides company efforts to increase positive social impacts and environmental sustainability. Koozie noted that it donated 100 laptops to A New Direction for Women and Men, Inc., a residential facility for drug and alcohol recovery. The supplier also supported college scholarships through the Promotional Products Education Foundation. In addition, Koozie Group provided 300 backpacks filled with school supplies to the United Way in the Red Wing, MN, area and 200 backpacks to employees’ families.

The Book Company (asi/41010) now offers Food Crawls, a series of city food guides by Globe Pequot Press. The soft-cover books focus on eateries in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Denver, New York City, Pittsburgh, Portland, OR, Seattle and Washington, D.C., while Charleston, Houston, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Savannah are slated to be published in the next year. “The Food Crawls collection could not be timelier as locals and travelers alike begin to feel more comfortable venturing back into restaurants,” says Roni Wright, vice president of The Book Company. “Filled with beautiful food photography and smart reviews, these guides work perfectly as a stand-alone item or as part of a kit geared toward local foodies, meetings and conventions, holiday gifts and more.”

Blue Generation (asi/40653), a Top 40 supplier, has appointed Jim Maddox as a sales representative covering Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas, and Ron Fay as a sales rep covering Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. Maddox can be reached at maddoxco@mindspring.com, and Faye can be reached at ron@promotionalsports.com.

Orbus Exhibit & Display Group (asi/75209) has launched a new e-commerce store on orbus.com that improves customer experience when ordering. The site features expedited order processing and more information for users. It allows distributors to upload artwork in the shopping cart; once it’s uploaded, a health reading of the artwork is provided and an e-proof is presented for approval within seconds.

ACS Affiliate Services, a division of Altitude Group, LLC and a subsidiary of  distributor network/membership group AIM Smarter, LLC, added four new affiliate partners to its community in February. The firms are Branded Marketing, DADO Branding Group (asi/556081), Gold Country Marketing (asi/208979) and Miss Printing LLC. ACS, which stands for AIM Capital Solutions, offers any promotional distributor (AIM membership is not required) assistance with order funding, back office support, sales tax submission, custom invoicing and collections, creative services, strategic planning and a suite of sales tools.

Cap America (asi/43792) has appointed multi-line agency MW Reps, comprised of Bryan Mercer, Jennifer Kruger and Katie Hopkins, to represent the supplier in Missouri and Kansas. “MW Reps has a reputation for only partnering with the top suppliers in the industry and providing top-notch customer service,” said Grace Schettler, vice president of sales for Cap America. “I look forward to the opportunities that will arise from this partnership.”

Sonoma Promo (asi/88188) has hired Mike Acker as sales manager. Acker has more than 20 years of sales management and business development experience. “Our staff is so enthusiastic to welcome Mike with his great energy, experience and creative insights that will benefit the company and all of our many customers,” said CEO Judith Friedman.

Quinn (asi/80228) announces its collaboration with multi-line sales rep Deborah Mann of Chicago and her company, Dmannding Results. Mann has a background in marketing, technology and journalism. She’s been an industry elite for more than 25 years. She will help expand Quinn’s reach in the Midwest.