News

SAGE, the leading provider of information, marketing, and business management solutions to the promotional products industry, is pleased to announce the official launch of SAGE Online 16. The latest version of their flagship solution includes over 200 new user-driven additions, designed to streamline workday efficiency.

“We’re excited to be releasing so many new enhancements that our customers have requested,” Eric Natinsky, SAGE CEO, commented. “We always listen and try to implement as many of their ideas as we can to help them become more efficient, more creative, more productive, and all around more successful.”

A brand-new Project Management area has been included in SAGE Online 16 where distributors can easily view and manage all projects with just one tool and track the status of each project, all while improving their team’s organization. The Project Management area was created exclusively for the promotional products industry and can be customized to each distributor’s specific workflow. This addition also includes a client portal to streamline communication on each project. Clients can view a project’s status, approve proofs, pay bills, upload artwork, and be notified of any activity associated with a project.

Other new features to SAGE Online 16 include a refreshed, modern look, with automatic, less intrusive software updates. Upgrades to the product search area include several new criteria such as the ability to search for end quantity pricing, filter by SAGE Inspire Catalog participating suppliers, and more. Additionally, teams can now track accrued or paid commission and run commission reports through the SAGE Order Management module.

Users will also see a new, in-depth product ratings system that combines both supplier and product ratings all in one place. This new system enables users to leave product comments and see rating trends. Suppliers will be notified via email regarding their ratings and will have the opportunity to respond to comments.

The new SAGE Online 16 also includes ten holiday-themed marketing email campaign templates for distributors to send to their clients as well as ready-to-go catalogs in the SAGE Print Studio. These catalogs are editable and fully customizable so products can be added or removed, and the pricing can be adjusted to meet each distributor’s individual needs.

SAGE Online 16 is available now. Subscribers will receive an "update available" prompt upon logging into SAGE Online as soon as the new version is available to them. There is no additional charge for the upgrade.

SAGE encourages distributors who are not already SAGE subscribers to take advantage of its complimentary 30-day Total Access subscription. Visit their website to get started with SAGE Total Access, which includes SAGE Online, SAGE Web, and SAGE Mobile.

American Solutions for Business has integrated their proprietary eCommerce technology (ACES) with FAST Platform, a technology company with a network of 20+ decorators around the country (a list that continues to grow).

“This integration with the FAST Platform provides a distributed, nationwide footprint for decorating,” explains Mike Schmitz, ASB’s Senior Director of eCommerce. “This means faster delivery and lower shipping costs for our customers. Sales associates don’t have to search for, source and validate the quality of the printers, since that is all part of the offering provided by the FAST Platform.”

This integration allows customers to place online orders for branded merchandise in quantities of one or many. Orders are placed on ACES and then directed to the FAST platform which then routes orders to the closest decorator to the end user. Decorating techniques available include embroidery, screen print, DTG and heat press – all with a 5-day production time.

“We are very excited to partner with American Solutions for Business. ASB is a well-respected industry leader full of great people and a visionary leadership team. We look forward to building on our partnership for years to come and providing their sales associates with industry leading technology and service,” says Taj Schaffnit, CEO, FAST.

AAkron Line, a top 40 promotional products supplier, announced today they have increased production capacity by 50% in their molding department. This supports increasing demand for Made in USA products.

“Increasing our production capacity allows us to ramp up production on our 350 Made in USA products,” says Danielle Robillard, President, and Co-Owner of AAkron Line. “We want to make certain distributors have options to fit their clients’ needs as imported product inventory becomes limited. By increasing production on our domestically made products we are able to offer them readily available alternatives.”

AAkron Line’s Made in USA line accounts for over 75% of units sold annually, which recognizes them as a notable leader in the promotional products industry. The company has two manufacturing facilities; one in Akron, New York and the other in Bakewell, Tennessee.

The company’s roots are in their Made in USA products; manufacturing rulers and yardsticks when the business started in 1967. Now, over 50 years later, AAkron’s manufacturing capabilities have expanded to include pencil manufacturing, blow molding, and injection molding.

In 2017, the company built a new 16,000 square-foot, state of the art, molding facility in New York. Further adding to the company’s molding operations, they expanded their existing 12,000-square-foot manufacturing warehouse in New York, adding another 9,000 square-feet to it. AAkron Line will continue to look for manufacturing opportunities, bringing products in-house when possible.

The company has a 2020 Made in USA e-catalog, which can be found at www.aakronline.com. 

American Solutions for Business recently held a 5K Run/Walk in conjunction with their national sales conference to benefit the United Way of Fort Worth.

Over 170 individuals donated and 125 participated in walking or running the race on Sunday, February 2nd. In addition, 13 suppliers stepped up as event sponsors to donate product and monetary contribution. These suppliers include: Ennis, Spector & Co., Logo Mats, KTI Promo, Bagworld, BEL Promo, SanMar, Dubow Textile, Showdown Displays, Alexa Springs, Raining Rose, Terry Town and Outdoor Cap.

Participants received a swag bag full of active-inspired promotional products and branded apparel.

American Solutions for Business recognized a record number of sales associates at ASB’s annual national sales conference in Fort Worth, TX on February 1-5.

Held during their general session on Sunday, February 2^nd, ASB welcomed awarded vendors recognize them for their sales volume, customer service and commitment to ASB over the 2019 fiscal year.  

American recognized the 25 Top Vendors, which are presented to those vendor partners with whom ASB sales associates have done significant levels of business during the past year. These awards are based on volume.

The Rising Star Vendor awards are presented to those partner vendors who have shown significant growth with ASB Sales Associates. These awards are based on volume, customer service levels, or both. This award was presented to Gold Bond, Royal and Essendant.  

“We understand how hard our vendors work and want to ensure we recognize them for everything they do. It really does matter,” says Dana Zezzo, ASB’s VP of Marketing, Vendor Relations and Events.  

Several vendor awards were voted in exclusively by our sales associates as write-in answers.

The American’s Choice Award is dedicated to the vendors who have earned your trust through excellent communication, customer service, product selection, quality and overall experience. The winners were SanMar, alphabroder, Lippmann Printing and American Print & Digital.

The Best Customer Service Award is dedicated to the vendor companies who excel in customer service: response time, competency, kindness and life-saving skills! Winners included SanMar, Imagen Brands, Lippmann Printing and Carbonless Cut Sheet.

The U.S. House of Representatives is considering legislation named The Safety Hazard and Recall Efficiency (SHARE) Information Act, which would make changes to Section 6(b) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA). Section 6(b) addresses requirements the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) must adhere to before making public disclosures about a company's products. There are two main changes to the CPSA included in the SHARE information Act.

First, the legislation would increase the limit on penalties the CPSC can pursue for various actions banned by the Consumer Product Safety Act. The current limit for penalties is $15 million and the newly proposed legislation would increase the limit to $50 million. Second, the proposed legislation would remove provisions that allow companies an opportunity to stop the CPSC from disclosing inaccurate information about their products.

Since the inception of PPB’s Best Multi-Line Rep program in 2011, the magazine has spotlighted 49 of the most well-respected multi-line reps in the business. Those selected were nominated by suppliers and distributors across the industry based on level of service, product knowledge, responsiveness, creativity, communications skills and follow up, among other factors.

PPB congratulates the eight multi-line reps selected for this year’s honor: Ken Cecco, Kenneth Cecco & Associates; Vincent Deissroth, APPI; Chris Dollar, Chris Dollar Marketing Group; Alain Gailloux, AGCMS; Jennifer Kruger, MW Reps; Kyle McGovern, McGovern Marketing Group; Kurt McGovern, McGovern Marketing Group and Marty Michalson, Marty’s Lines.

“Multi-line reps are an integral link between suppliers and distributors, yet they often operate under the radar. This program spotlights the vital contributions of these hard-working professionals and gives them a high-profile opportunity to talk about what they do and to educate distributors and suppliers about the value they add to businesses,” says PPB Editor Tina Berres Filipski. “Congratulations to this year’s Best-Multi-Line Reps.”

Watch for a feature story on this year’s honorees in the April issue of PPB magazine.

Appleton, Wisconsin-based distributor AIA Corporation (PPAI 101364, D12) recently welcomed Imprints by Joyce and MDM Pro to its community of nearly 300 distributors and more than 3,000 supplier partners. All three companies will have access to AIA's financial, technical, sales, marketing and purchasing solutions.

Vantage Apparel (PPAI 113235, S10) reports that it has reduced its environmental footprint by replacing virgin plastic poly bags with recycled packaging. The 100-percent-recycled poly bags are made from post-industrial scrap and provide a durable, biodegradable solution to protect garments from dust, dirt and moisture during transit. Customers can expect the new bags to be implemented as early as March.

Vantage Apparel COO Marc Loeb says, “Vantage is excited to take this important step toward sustainability. We will continue to seek efficiencies internally and with production partners, such as EcoEnclose, a leader in eco-friendly packaging supplies, as we work towards our goal to manufacture and ship with the least amount of environmental impact as possible.”

Vantage lists the packaging initiative is a core pillar of the Avenel, New Jersey, company’s sustainability strategy which also addresses the use of recycled materials in garment manufacturing. The first items to meet this mark were released earlier this year and include polos, hoodies and button-down knit shirts for men and women. Marketed under Earthwise, the styles all use REPREVE high-quality recycled polyester made from post-consumer plastic bottles.

HUB Promotional Group has rebranded as HPG with a fresh look and approach. HPG is the parent company of suppliers HUB Pen (PPAI 110772, S11), Beacon (PPAI 113702, S10), BEST Promotions USA (PPAI 461689, S4), Cooler Graphics (PPAI 226076, S4), Debco (PPAI 317015, S4), BCG Creations (PPAI 207888, S6), Origaudio (PPAI 421483, S7) and HandStands (PPAI 111285, S7).

After the successful relaunch of Hub Pen as “Hub” in September 2019, HPG’s marketing services team went to work reimagining HUB Promotional Group as “HPG.” Jason Lucash, senior vice president of marketing and innovation, says, “There was a lot of confusion in the market about the difference between Hub, the pen company, and Hub Promotional Group, the parent company—it didn’t help the logos and colors were almost the same as well.”

Lucash adds, “‘Hub’ is synonymous with ‘pens’ in the promo industry already, so it felt like a small leap to drop ‘Pen’ from the name. It also has a broader product assortment than only pens now, which we’re expanding even further this year. The parent company name had started to build some awareness, so simplifying it to HPG meant it wouldn’t lose that momentum entirely."

He says the brands that make up the HPG family are all very different. “Different cultures, products and production techniques. But they’ve all succeeded by going above and beyond for their customers and, because of that, the brands they’ve built have value we didn’t want to diminish,” he says. “Our approach was to redesign HPG’s brand to be neutral yet flexible. So, on the surface, it would never compete with the other brands, but we could use elements of it to wrap around them, leaving a subtle but distinctive mark that’d bring some consistency to the group.”

The HPG rebranding and new website was first revealed in early January. However, the HPG booth at The PPAI Expo 2020 attracted the most attention to the new creative direction for the group with its neon sign, surreal art and imaginative product displays.

“We wanted to design a space and experience that no one could walk past without stopping, if only to do a double-take. It’s not every day you see a photo of a giraffe in Palm Springs with balloons covering its torso,” says Lucash. “It was a lot of work to pull together our brands in one space, as well as a big risk. We knew it was the right move when we were the busiest, loudest booth relative to those around us for three straight days. This year’s theme for the booth was ‘Expect the Unexpected.’ You won’t want to miss what we do next year either.”