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American Solutions for Business raised $3000 through their virtual fundraiser for the Fishing for Vets program. This virtual fundraiser was held through their proprietary eCommerce platform, called ACES, April 19-21, and results were announced live on April 21^st. Those participating in the fundraiser went online and traded dollars for votes for either Director of Technology, Nate Disrud, to shave his beard, or VP of Technology, Mike Pfeiffer, to shave his head.

The purpose of the fundraiser was to raise money for charity, Fishing for Vets, a non-profit organization with a mission to provide veterans, both active and retired, with an opportunity to fish some of the mid-west’s premier fishing destinations. This was the favorite charity of late ASB employee, George Nerby.

“George was a great employee and valued member of the team,” shared Pfeiffer. “He and I shared interests in fishing and rock concerts, such as the one that I attend each year called www.shiprocked.com cruise. When we talked, we had planned to try to hit a concert in Fargo. The pandemic has proven to hit everyone differently. George will be missed.”

“The decision to shave my beard was a simple one,” expressed Disrud. “With George, our work relationship was exceptional, and we bounced questions and ideas off each other daily. I miss this daily interaction.”

The live results were revealed at Lakeside restaurant in Glenwood, MN where the votes revealed that Mike Pfeiffer had won. ASB Founder & CEO, Larry Zavadil, was unable to attend in person, but shared a video message after Mike was shaved that he was matching the donations to create a tie. Nate Disrud then had his beard shaved as well. The event was also live streamed for those far and near to watch.

PPB Newslink is sharing the stories of several 2022 Pyramid Award winners to highlight their accomplishments and to learn more about what it means to secure a PPAI Pyramid win. This issue spotlights the 2022 Silver Pyramid Award won in the Supplier Decorating: Embroidery category by supplier Terry Town (PPAI 230911, S7). Submissions for the 2023 Pyramid Awards are open through May 14. 

“We submitted our first Pyramid Award in 2018 for Supplier Decorating,” says Alp Ereren, Terry Town content manager. “Our advice for someone who is submitting for the award would be to put as much effort into the submission as you can. Adding personal stories and your experiences in your write ups will add depth to your submission. Be the expert in your category and provide quantitative results to back up your program.” 

For its winning “Rainforest Kisses - Elegance Through Advocation” entry, Terry Town used high-definition embroidery to decorate its Sweatshirt Beach Bag for PONGO Lifestyle, a brand of organic, all-natural skin care products. With a decoration comprised of 53,000 stitches, the project was chosen for showcasing just how clear and concise an embroidered logo can look. 

“Terry Town first started to submit in Supplier Decorating, as we wanted to showcase our prowess in sublimation printing on large format textiles,” Ereren says. “Our first few wins came from Supplier Decorating and it was amazing to see our products displayed and heralded for their quality. As our company kept growing, we were able to expand into other programs like marketing, branding, and self-promotion campaigns. We felt we had made great strides in all of those categories, so we thought ‘Why not?’ and just submitted. Even though we were up against some great companies, it was remarkable to see our work recognized for the entire industry to see.” 

Pyramid Awards not only celebrate a company’s success, but cane be an education in themselves. Ereren notes, “Winning the awards over the years has really taught our company to never be complacent. We want to keep striving to be better than the year before and outdo ourselves to ensure we don’t do the same things over and over again. The Pyramids look great in our lobby, as we have them on display for visitors to see when they come to the office. We just hope the table they’re sitting on doesn’t collapse!” 

The 2023 Pyramid Award competition is accepting entries through May 14. For more information and to enter the competition, go to www.ppai.org/pyramid. If you need assistance or have additional questions email awards@ppai.org.

With submissions to the 2023 PPAI Pyramid Awards now officially open, PPB Newslink is sharing the stories of several 2022 winners to highlight their accomplishment and to learn more about what it means to secure a PPAI Pyramid win. Today we’re taking a look at OrderMyGear (PPAI 704581, AS), which asked the committee to take a look at how one of its programs made a difference for good, and it took home a 2022 Silver Pyramid Award in the Marketing Program category as a result.

Based in Dallas, OrderMyGear (OMG) is a sales tool aiming to empower dealers, distributors, decorators, and brands to create custom online pop-up stores to sell branded products and apparel. The company decided to use those tools to react to the economic upheaval of 2020 due to the pandemic. The result was the Community Tee Project (CTP), which provided communication resources, free store building services and project-related logo designs to clients.

Through CTP, distributors, decorators and dealers could identify local businesses, schools, and organizations in need of financial support, select a unisex t-shirt and a single-color logo and create an online pop-up fundraising store, adding messaging on the storefront to communicate the purpose and goal.

“When the OMG team sat down to brainstorm which program to focus on, we knew right away we should focus on our Community Tee Project initiative, which helped raise funds for local businesses and organizations that suffered from the pandemic,” says Lauren Seip, Content Marketing Manager at OMG. “We thought this submission was unique because it allowed us to use our online store platform in a new way by supporting others across the country during an uncertain time.”

Seip also stressed that the PPAI Pyramid Awards application process for OMG was more than simply writing “Community Tee Project” on a form and submitting. The company spent a month compiling all the relevant information and statistics in order to convey what results came out of the project and how exactly the company accomplished them.

“One other piece of advice is to make this a team effort,” advises Seip. “Lean on your team for supporting collateral, statistics, or any other details that can help support your application.”

At The PPAI Expo 2022 in Las Vegas, the Association announced its upcoming foray into major end-buyer facing events. These virtual shows reflect PPAI’s newly announced mission statement: “Be the voice and force to advance the promotional marketplace for the benefit of our community.”

The Promotional Products Work (PPW) Expo was created to help buyers boost creativity, inspire ideas and work more cohesively with their distributors. Invited clients will have access to supplier booths, content and education while engaging with their distributor hosts. The first Promotional Products Work Expo will kick off on May 18 as a precursor to what will become an annual event in the fall to help clients plan for holiday gifting and their promo budgeting in 2023.

By sharing ways to leverage promotional products, these virtual shows give distributors a way to remain top of mind for clients. While some distributors wonder about the potential industry impact of clients interfacing with suppliers, others expressed excitement about facilitating meaningful conversations that lead to sales.

PPAI President and CEO Dale Denham, MAS+, says, “Clients rarely, if ever, have the opportunity to learn about the many different ways promotional products can be used to inspire, attract or reward their audience. Distributors are often asked for what’s new, and while that is important and helpful, the PPW Expo will give them the opportunity to get inspired by successful campaigns and new trends in utilizing promotional products.

“In addition to inspiring education, clients will have the chance to hear and interact with suppliers who know their product lines the best, all while protecting and reinforcing the value of the distributor.”

Denham assured members that the virtual platform—the same used for PPAI Expo Direct-2-You—will be customizable, so that the program feels like it’s the distributor’s own event, just under the umbrella of Promotional Products Work. “We’re hoping by the fall show to have specific rooms for you that are unique to you, but there will be no ability for [clients] to interact with any other distributors,” Denham says. “Someday, we hope to allow pre-set appointments so clients can choose the places to go on a schedule.”

PPAI Board Chair Dawn Olds, MAS, says the Promotional Products Work Expo will support the existing supply line between clients, distributors and suppliers. Olds says, “During our strategy plan development sessions, the PPAI Board of Directors was very excited about the possibility of extending a D2U-like experience to end buyers.

“We know that the pandemic made it more difficult for industry salespeople to physically connect with their buyers, who are often working from home now. We saw this as a way to create reconnection opportunities and to showcase some of the best products and ideas in the industry at the same time.”

PPW Expo won’t be a disrupter. “From a distributor's perspective, you have all kinds of representation on the Board, from large firms and mid-sized firms, and then also there is representation from independent distributors,” says Olds, SVP of operations at distributor HALO. “We’re going to make sure that line isn’t crossed over. Please be assured that we’re not looking to introduce anything that would break that channel. We all recognize how valuable that is. That’s really what our purpose is, to further the community. Violating that would be the complete opposite of our mission.”

As end buyers have become more aware of issues such as sustainability, DEI and product safety when making buying decisions, Olds says the industry can position itself as a guide. “PPW gives the Association an opportunity to support members by demonstrating our industry’s commitment and proficiency in these topics,” she says. “As we have learned from our industry-wide collaboration on product safety and in our government advocacy programs, there are some topics or initiatives that we cannot take on as individuals and are far stronger when we stand together. Educating end buyers about the value, power and trustworthiness of our industry is one of them.”

Olds says end-buyer facing events have always been and will continue to be important to the promo industry. “Many distributors, including my own, have successfully held end buyer events for many years. It is a terrific way to trigger conversations about the buyer’s upcoming events and remind the buyer how powerful our medium is,” she says.

Paul Zafarana, MAS, is one of these distributors. As founder of Michigan-based distributor Pica Marketing Group, Zafarana recently partnered with Cliff Quicksell, MAS+, as a consulting client to hold a buyers’ event in 2021. “We invited 90 people to this end-user event, and 100% showed up and stayed the entire time,” says Quicksell. “The revenue he generated was over $270,000 from just that hour and a half.”

Zafarana says he decided to put on this event to bring value to his clients. “If I could do more of them, I would,” he says. “It gives us distributors a chance to showcase our value. I think these events bring some polish to the industry.” As an engagement piece, Zafarana created a kit filled with products from presenting suppliers. This creative component was sent to each attending client and was tied to the diner-themed experience.

Quicksell says end-buyer events showcase strong supplier relationships. “The suppliers will make or break your event,” he says. “Having strong supplier presentations was critical. We set an expectation with our vendors on how their presentation should be. We told our suppliers that their rep should be someone with high energy. We spent a lot of time reviewing presentations to make sure they weren’t just reading the catalog.”

For a successful event, Quicksell says there must be a post-show action plan. “At the end of a show, you only have seven days to connect with attendees before you’re forgotten. How do you complete the circle? There has to be built-in key performance indicators (KPIs) so distributors can measure their effectiveness and make plans for long-term engagement.”

With more end-buyer shows, clients will better understand the best ways to use promotional products and likely increase their purchases through distributors. Denham says, “Clients will recognize how promotional products can be extremely targeted both to the recipient as well as where they want to be reached. You can target the recipient in their office, car, kitchen or other places in their home, as well as at events and many other places.

“No other medium gives more opportunity to remain visible when you choose the right product for the right recipient. As PPAI helps to elevate and reinforce the value of promotional products to buyers, we will remain top of mind to take a bigger portion of the marketing spend.”

Vantage Apparel (PPAI 113235, S10) has announced that it will now offer decorated specialty retail brands Gap and Old Navy to the promotional market. 

The Avenel, New Jersey-based supplier’s roll out includes performance and fashion fleece styles for men and women, a unisex Old Navy full-zip hoodie and a Gap brand, 100% cotton, classic t-shirt.Details on the full collection are available here. 

“We’re seeing an entirely new way of dressing for work,” says Ira Neaman, MAS, Vantage president and CEO. “It’s a culture of comfort, and apparel items such as hoodies and t-shirts are a big part of the weekday wardrobe. The Gap, Inc. family of brands is dedicated to bringing incredible quality, style, and value to businesses all over the world. It’s a perfect fit for corporate comfort.”   

Richard Culberson, general manager of GPS Apparel, the business-to-business apparel arm of Gap, Inc., says, “We take pride in creating products our customers love, and working with Vantage in the promotional space expands the reach of our quality, sustainable products to meet the promotional and uniform needs of business leaders.”

As the industry leader for environmental and social responsibility, Polyconcept North America (PCNA) has established an unwavering commitment to creating positive change. Today, the company is excited to introduce the next big step in that commitment: ProudPath™.

ProudPath™ is a new platform that will empower distributors seeking to meet their customers’ environmental and social responsibility objectives, not only with an industry-best assortment of products and retail brands, but also the expertise they need to educate and sell, as end-user demographics create a long-term shift in the promotional products market.

“The focus on environmental and social responsibility is changing how we all do business. We’re proud to continue leading that change,” says Neil Ringel, PCNA CEO. “Just as our assortment of sustainable and socially responsible gift solutions has grown during the past several years, so has our ability to make a difference through partnerships with nonprofits and forward-thinking retail brands. ProudPath™ represents the next big step in our commitment to the planet, its people and our distributor partners.”

The ProudPath™ platform is designed for distributors to use as their own. With a broad assortment that’s easy to navigate and sales tools to educate and share ideas – including a new eCatalog – they’ll be equipped to establish themselves as leaders for environmental and social responsibility in the promotional products marketplace.

In creating gifts people can feel good about, distributors can help their customers make an impact in a variety of ways, whether it’s retail brands that give back to great causes, supporting small businesses or

eco-friendly products. PCNA will continue its work with 1% For the Planet – a partnership that began in 2019 – donating one percent of eco-product sales to environmental nonprofits Well Aware and One Tree Planted.

Sustainability is a key component of every decision PCNA makes, Ringel says. The supplier uses UPS® carbon neutral shipping to deliver orders and has earned Forest Stewardship Council® Chain-Of-Custody certification for U.S. facilities in Pittsburgh, Miami, and Charlotte, ensuring that FSC®-certified products are from responsibly managed forests. Moving forward, PCNA will partner only with retail brands that share its commitment to environmental and social responsibility. By 2025, the supplier is aiming for a 50% reduction in carbon emissions and 100% supply chain transparency.

While PCNA continues to strengthen its commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Ringel believes now is the time for an industry-wide transformation.

“The world is changing, and it’s time for our industry to do the same,” Ringel says. “This is an opportunity for everyone to reimagine what they’re doing today and make a commitment to do better for tomorrow. Collectively, we’ll shape a future that will make us all proud.”

Sterling, Illinois-headquartered distributor HALO has announced executive management alignment changes and additions to focus on key areas for the company.

The Moves: Paul Bellantone has been named senior vice president of customer experience; Dawn Olds, MAS, was named senior vice president of industry relations and DEI; and Cathie Hernandez has come onboard as senior vice president of drop ship operations.

What They’re Saying: “Paul and Dawn are excellent examples of how industry veterans help HALO continue to be a destination of choice for account executives and customers,” says Marc Simon, HALO CEO. “Cathie is the latest executive we have attracted from outside the industry to provide depth and experience to support future growth—enhancing the selling experience for our valued sales team and providing innovative solutions for HALO clients.”

Full Disclosure: Bellantone joined HALO in 2021 after two decades with PPAI, including serving for 10 years as the Association’s president and CEO. Olds is currently the chair of the PPAI Board of Directors.

Background:

• Bellantone joined HALO one year ago as senior vice president of sales for the Western U.S., a newly created role at the company. In his new position as senior vice president of customer experience, he will report directly to Simon and be responsible for developing strategies to address the growing needs of HALO’s global client base. Bellantone says the new role will focus on driving end-to-end customer experience. “My passion will be to see that buyers and account executives continue to benefit from unparalleled HALO opportunities and experiences,” he says.
  
  
• Olds, a 33-year HALO veteran, previously served as the distributor’s senior vice president of operations. In her new role at HALO, Olds will be accountable for translating her knowledge and relationships into strategies to improve its prominence externally and deliver value for its account executives, and lead the business initiatives to advance HALO’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategy. She will report to Jim Stutz, HALO executive vice president of sales and business development.
  
  
• Hernandez will report to HALO Chief Operating Officer Kevin Pollack. She comes to the company from Equifax, a multi-billion-dollar leader in the workforce solution, data, and technology market. Hernandez will be responsible for continuing the HALO’s forward focus on all aspects of order management, including order processing, customer service and billing.

Proforma, the $500 million technology and business success leader, hosted its largest Million Dollar Club trip at the luxurious Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel.More than 250 Owners joined over 50 Supplier Partners to celebrate more than $1 Billion in collective sales and recognize 90 new and next level Members of the Million Dollar Club. These next levels accomplishments include induction into the Multi-Million, Five Million, Ten Million, and Twenty-Five Million Dollar Clubs. 

“Our Owner network works hard all year to make it to the Million Dollar Club trip,” said Proforma V.P. of Sales, Greg Armstrong. “My favorite part of these days together is hearing Owner success stories that detail their unique journeys to this coveted recognition.” 

The industry’s leading Supplier Partners in attendance were also recognized during the award ceremony for their exclusive partnerships with Proforma. 

“It is amazing to witness the invaluable networking of our Owners and Suppliers, first-hand,” explained Proforma CEO, Vera Muzzillo. “This idea exchange among the best of the best continues to propel our owners to their next levels of success.” 

During the event, Supplier Partners and Owners engaged in receptions, offsite adventures, golf, hospitality suites, meet-and-greet meals, and other events to network and develop valuable, lasting relationships.

Gemline (PPAI 113948, S11) has released its 2021 annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report. The Lawrence, Massachusetts-based supplier’s CSR efforts are focused on making a positive impact on society through environmental stewardship; charitable giving; diversity, equity and inclusion leadership; and ethical business practices.

Environmental Stewardship:

In 2021, Gemline undertook multiple initiatives to reduce its impact on the planet:

• Gemline’s headquarters is a zero-landfill facility.
• Also at its headquarters, Gemline has installed a 1,736-panel solar power system that, when it becomes operational by early Summer 2022, is expected to reduce energy consumption by approximately 43%.
• The company has joined the UPS Carbon Neutral Program, designed to offset C02 associated with its shipments.
• Gemline has expanded its already robust and line of eco-friendly products.

Gemline has also become a certified member of the Sustainable Business Leader Program through the Sustainable Business Leadership Network of Massachusetts (SBN). The SBN is committed to raising the bar for business practices that are local, green and fair, and is part of the American Sustainable Business Network, a nationwide organization that is committed to building a stakeholder-driven sustainable economy.

Charitable Giving:

• In 2021, Gemline donated more than $575,000 in monetary and in-kind contributions to a range of charitable organizations that support communities through health and wellness programs, education and leadership activities, with a focus on Lawrence, one of the most impoverished cities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Gemline’s brand partners, including MiiR, CORKCICLE, Soapbox, Moleskine and W&P all contributed funds to charitable efforts as well.

Looking Ahead:

• Gemline is undertaking several sustainable initiatives intended to come to fruition in 2022.
• The company is reducing the use of PVC in its products, as part of its commitment to the elimination of PVC from the entire Gemline product line by 2025.
• Gemline is slated to decrease packaging waste by 50% by the end of the year.
• Gemline recently partnered with EcoVadis, a globally recognized sustainability ratings provider, to benchmark its current sustainability practices and environmental impact, increase sustainability performance and identify future improvement opportunities across the company and supply chain.
• Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) has been a key focus of Gemline’s for a long time. In 2022, it is strengthening its DEI commitment by engaging a DEI training firm to provide extensive training for all Gemline employees, focusing on DEI awareness, inclusion and relationship building, all meant to further enhance Gemline’s culture.

In Their Words:

“We strongly believe Gemline has a long-term ongoing responsibility to our community and the environment. We will continue to build on our corporate social responsibility efforts, seek out opportunities to lead by example and raise the bar in everything we do,” says Jonathan Isaacson, CEO of Gemline.

Planning for the future is a component to any success in business, but it’s just as important for any corporate social responsibility initiative. One-off philanthropic efforts can make a difference, but just like with business, plans and goals create accountability, guiding principles, and most importantly, results.

In 2020, Koozie Group established the framework for Keep It. Give It., the Tampa, Florida-based supplier’s multifaceted initiative to create positive, lasting change for the people within the company and the world outside of it. There’s plenty to admire about Keep It. Give It., but perhaps its most valuable asset is its lack of ambiguity. There are goals and there is a timeline to accomplish those goals; Koozie Group is currently in the second year of a three-year plan for Keep It. Give It, and over the course of the spring has released information on the progress from its inaugural year in 2021.

“I have a 10-year-old, Trey,” says CEO David Klatt. “And I feel strongly about building a better future for the next generation. Our CSR lets me rest easier at night knowing I’m doing my part to make a positive impact on our employees, communities, and industry.”Keep It. Give It. is broken into four subsections with specific goals and motivations. Those categories include fostering diversity and inclusion, giving back to employees and the community, safety and social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. The aims of each were put together by a cross-function steering committee throughout the organization. “We first surveyed our employees about what was important to them; then, we established our four key pillars from there,” says Chief Revenue Officer Melissa Ralston. The foundation of Keep It. Give It had to come from within, but it couldn’t come from just one part of the company.

“The original task force involved members from legal, supply chain, safety, operations, marketing, human resources, finance—really all departments were represented,” Ralston says.

What came out of those surveys was a combination of goals and ideas. Some of those pillars are more goal-oriented than others. Fostering diversity and inclusion is something that can be quantified in some ways and is more about awareness and education in others. But that doesn’t mean actions can’t be taken. In 2021, for example, Koozie Group launched its first ever speaker series.

“A lot of our inspiration comes from what is going on around the country and the world at the time,” says Francine Dupuis, Chief Legal Officer and Chief Human Resource Officer. “Unfortunately, there have been many events that have sparked diversity and inclusion conversations. Since this is close to our backyard in Clearwater [Florida], and we have many employees who are members of the LGBTQ+ community, it was important for me to have Neema Bahrami speak to our workforce as a survivor of the Pulse Nightclub Shooting and an international speaker in support of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Giving back to employees and communities is probably the most straightforward of Keep It. Give It.’s four tenets, but it still requires commitment, and Koozie Group met the challenge in 2021. According to its annual report, the supplier donated more than $250,000 to over 100 non-profits. It donated 100 laptops to A New Direction for Women and Men, Inc, a residential facility for drug and alcohol recovery, supported college scholarships through the Promotional Products Education Foundation, and provided 300 backpacks dilled with school supplies to the United Way and 200 backpacks to employees’ families.

“Giving is really part of our culture of doing what we say we’re going to do and doing it the right way,” Ralston says. According to her, giving regularly can be its own kind of investment. “While nearly every consumer today expects a company to practice CSR, it’s not why we do it. We do, however, expect the investment to pay off not only with happier employees but also with increased sales.”

Environmental stewardship is arguably the most urgent of Keep It. Give It.’s four cornerstones. Various climate reports have stressed the need for immediate climate action in order to protect the planet and slow the increase of natural disasters. The vast majority of this falls on corporations, and the promotional products industry knows that sustainability is no longer an optional part of doing business.

Keep It. Give It. has put Koozie Group on the right track. “Our focus in 2021 was to gain [Forest Stewardship Council] and [Sustainable Forestry initiative] certification in our Sleepy Eye, Red Wing, and Clearwater facilities, and we achieved that,” Klatt says.

Klatt also says that in 2022 Koozie Group will measure the company’s greenhouse gas emissions in order to set targets for reducing those emissions over the following years. “This goal will touch almost every area of our business, including manufacturing and overall supply chain, transportation, and packaging.”

Koozie Group also took an important step forward in safety and social responsibility by becoming affiliated with the Fair Labor Association.

“The Fair Labor Association aligns with our commitment to improving working conditions and protecting workers’ rights,” says Sandeep Jain, Vice President of Vendor Relations, Sourcing, and Compliance. “It also takes into account social and environmental considerations when managing relationships with vendors. It is difficult for suppliers to be good employers if their buyers are not committed to responsible purchasing practices.”

Above and beyond OSHA requirements, the company conducts weekly audits to drive safety observations and find indicators for injury prevention.

Employees across the organization helped create the foundation for Keep It. Give It, and Koozie Group’s three-year plan is well underway. But three years comes and goes, so what will the future look like for Koozie Group’s CSR program?

The company doesn’t want to get away from the employee engagement that helped set the program’s standard, so it has created the Employee Experience & Communications Specialist position and have tapped Trisha Joyce, who has employee engagement experience at Under Armour and Carr Properties, for the role.

“At Koozie Group our tagline is ‘Keep the good going,’ and I hope to do just that with our Keep it. Give it. initiatives,” says Joyce. “The KIGI program has a great foundation, and I hope to help highlight our accomplishments across our various departments as we continue to work toward our 2024 goals.”