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Promotional Products News
Find out the latest promotional products news here. Be in touch with the promotional products industry for the latest products and news about distributors and suppliers.
PPAI’s Expo East Begins!
02 days
It’s arguably the biggest promotional products trade show on the East Coast.
The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI)’s Expo East 2013 officially launched yesterday, May 19 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The brand new event, which is possible thanks to an alliance between PPAI and the Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY), will run through Wednesday, May 22.
According to the trade show’s website, the goals for the show are to:
1. bring the grandeur of The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas to the east coast
2. better serve members of SAAGNY and other regional associations
3. increase engagement with new and existing PPAI members
If you’re attending Expo East this week, leave a comment and let us know how it’s going!
U.S. Postal Service Reports Second Quarterly Loss for 2013
09 days
In the first quarter of 2013, the United States Postal Service reported a loss of $1.3 billion. Now, despite efforts to be more efficient, the agency is reporting that it’s lost another $1.9 billion.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the U.S. Postal Service “has seen mail volumes decline precipitously.” So what has it done to cut costs? So far, it’s reduced its workforce by nearly 50,000 over the past year. The agency now has the lowest number of staff members since 1996.
Promo Marketing magazine reports that the federal postal service has proposed several ideas in order to cut back, including everything from closing locations to ending Saturday deliveries. However, changes to the agency’s operations require Congressional approval.
The U.S. Postal Service is proposing a five-year business plan that it hopes can repair its services. Read more about the proposal here.
Distributor BrandAlliance Welcomes New CEO
012 days
Canada’s second-largest promotional products distributor, BrandAlliance, announced earlier this week that it’s named a new CEO: Marc Roy. Roy will join the BrandAlliance team as of May 27, 2013.
“We are thrilled to have Marc play a significant role in our long-term strategic plan of accelerating growth in North America, as well as globally,” BrandAlliance board chairman Nick Thompson told Counselor PromoGram. Thompson called Roy a “motivational leader” and is looking forward to him joining the company’s executive team.
According to Counselor PromoGram, BrandAlliance reported an 11 percent increase in ad specialty revenues for 2012 over 2011.
Tragedy in Bangladesh: Garment Factory Collapses
022 days
Tragic news came out of Bangladesh last Wednesday, April 24, 2013, when an eight-story building comprising several garment factories near the capital city collapsed.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that at least 87 workers had been killed. That number has now more than quadrupled, with more than 350 people reported dead.
According to CBC News, “The collapse has become the deadliest disaster to hit Bangladesh’s garment industry, which is worth $20 billion US annually and supplies global retailers.”
However, the tragedy is not the first of its kind. Promo Marketing magazine reports that less than five months ago, a factory fire killed 112 people, underscoring “the unsafe conditions in Bangladesh’s massive garment industry.”
For more on this story, click here.
Raining Rose CEO Named 2013 Iowa Small Business Person of the Year
028 days
Congratulations are in order for Raining Rose’s Charles B. “Chuck” Hammond Jr., who has been named the 2013 Iowa Small Business Person of the Year.
The promotional items supplier CEO helped transform Raining Rose Inc. from a small company with just 12 employees to a large operation with more than 140 staff members.
According to Promo Marketing magazine, “As the 2013 Iowa Small Business Person of the Year, Hammond will represent Iowa at National Small Business Week ceremonies in Washington, D.C. June 16-22 where he will compete for the National Award.”
Congratulations to Hammond and the entire team at Raining Rose Inc.
Help Ben Holberg Set a World Record with Promotional Pens
137 days
“Just a small-town boy, living in a promo-pen world!”
Lots of people want to set world records, but this one certainly stands out. Ben Holberg of Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. wants to set a World Record for largest promotional pen collection.
According to the campaign’s Facebook Page, the 23-year-old is passionate about promotional pens from “local businesses, banks and organizations.” Holberg has reached out to several big names within the industry for help, including Staples Promotional Products and Motivators Inc. Staples even posted a blog in support of Holberg’s goal.
Want to help Mr. Holberg reach his objective? Send your promotional pens here:
WLPCA
c/o Ben Holberg
2511 8th Street South #325
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495
University of Louisville Halts Sales on Kevin Ware Promo T-Shirt
044 days
The University of Louisville waited a mere three days after sophomore Kevin Ware, guard for the Louisville Cardinals, was seriously injured before releasing promotional t-shirts featuring his number. Now, the school and supplier Adidas are struggling to cope with brutal backlash on the web.
According to Promo Marketing magazine, “The Louisville Cardinals 2013 Final Four Rise Up #5 On-court T-shirt was removed from the site just days after it was unveiled amid accusations that the university and Adidas were trying to capitalize on a student’s injury.”
Ware was hurt after attempting to block a shot, at which point he collapsed.
![By Flickr user "K. Coles" (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcjc/419127638/) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.promotionalitemsbuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/LouisvilleMascot-247x300.jpg "By Flickr user \"K. Coles\" (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kcjc/419127638/) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons")
The t-shirt was added to the school’s website on April 3. The University of Louisville received negative feedback from fans who felt the move “was in poor taste,” reports Promo Marketing magazine.
The University of Louisville halted sales on the t-shirt in question on Thursday with no comment.
PPAI’s Product Safety Summit 2013
051 days
The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) has announced the dates for its Product Safety Summit 2013.
According to PPAI, the event will take place August 14 – 15, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. It’s designed to help industry professionals learn “product safety issues currently impacting the promotional products industry, as well business implications and challenges associated with compliance.” Compliance is expected by clients, so learning the ins and outs of safety issues and regulations is imperative.
Even better, attending the PPAI Product Safety Summit awards you 12 MAS points.
To register, click here.
PPAI Announces Expo East 2013
065 days
For promotional items pros, the Promotional Product Association International (PPAI)’s and Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY)’s Expo East is the premier East Coast industry trade show. And now that PPAI has officially announced the expo’s dates, everyone’s getting quite excited.
According to the event’s official website, Expo East will run from May 19 to May 22, 2013 at the Atlantic City Convention Center in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
The trade show includes free workshops, product sneak peeks and several keynote sessions from big names within the industry.
Have questions about the event? Read Expo East FAQ to find out more.
It’s Promotional Products Work! Week
086 days
It’s finally here! The Promotional Products Association International (PPAI)’s Promotional Products Work! Week officially launched today, Feb. 25, 2013.
The week-long initiative, dedicated to spreading awareness about the power of promotional items as a medium for advertising, will run through Friday, March 1, 2013.
Read more about the initiative here.
Is your organization taking part in this important event? If so, tell us how you’re getting involved!