News

American Solutions for Business raised $500 for local kindergarten classes in Glenwood, MN. Every September, ASB’s internal Stewardship Committee holds raffles for the school and distribute to the areas with the greatest need. This year, the school counselor indicated that each kindergarten family is asked to pay $30 to help cover snacks for the year. This is a struggle for some families. The funds raised and donated by ASB will help cover the costs and alleviate some of the financial burden local families are facing.

The Stewardship Committee at American promotes the American culture and fosters fellowship among employees while coordinating events, activities, and fundraisers to benefit the communities in which they live and the causes to which they are dedicated. The group focuses on six to eight charitable causes each year but as needs arise, the team may sponsor other benefits.

Throughout the year, the Stewardship Committee also donate to Pope County Hospice, Pope County Food Shelf, Pope County Humane Society and Rainbow Rider to help the local Head Start children get a ride to school.

American Solutions for Business raised more than $3,000 through its virtual fundraiser for United Way of Douglas and Pope counties. This fundraiser was held through the Glenwood, Minnesota-based distributor’s proprietary ecommerce platform, ACES, in August, trading dollars for votes for one of its senior leadership team members to be “pied” in the face.

The fundraiser wrapped up on August 10, as the results showed that Vice President of Sales Support Miriah Cassidy and Vice President of Technology Mike Pfeiffer were the winners and were going to be pied by ASB Founder and CEO of Larry Zavadil.

The event raised $1,532 and a matching donation from Zavadil for a total of $3,100. On September 15, the pies were delivered to the building parking lot as spectators gathered to watch the pies fly. The event was also live-streamed on Facebook.

Registration is now open for the highly anticipated The PPAI Expo 2022 in Las Vegas. The industry is ready to fully get back to business, and the The PPAI Expo will be ready to make it happen. The promotional products industry’s largest and longest-running trade show is returning to the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on January 10-13, 2022, and it’s bringing opportunities for attendees to reconnect with suppliers, grow their business, take advantage of extensive education options, and expand their professional communities through social and networking events.

The PPAI Expo 2022 begins on Monday, January 10 with The PPAI Expo Conference. The one-day education event will feature a curated line-up of impressive and knowledgeable speakers who will expand attendees’ minds and professional toolkits. The trade-show floor, including its popular product pavilions, opens Tuesday morning and runs through Thursday afternoon and will feature nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies from across the promotional products landscape.

“Registration is open!” says PPAI Director of Business Development and Expositions Ellen Tucker, CAE. “Those three words mean a little more this year, and they are bringing a greater level of excitement with them. They mean the countdown has started, the show is a go, that we are committed to bringing the industry together, in person, to kick-off 2022 with The PPAI Expo. With our Healthpitality plan in place, we are eager to safely bring the community together to engage in impactful networking, best-in-industry professional development and a place to do business.”

Healthpitality is the Association’s commitment to ensure the health and safety of show attendees and is an important part of the planning processes for every in-person PPAI event. The show rules are based upon local and federal laws, as well as any Mandalay Bay rules and regulations, and they will remain fluid. Find the most up-to-date event status regarding Healthpitality safeguards here.

Register early for discounts on select hotel accommodations. For more information on Expo 2022, visit expo.ppai.org. And to register, click here.

PPAI announces the recipients of its most prestigious awards for 2022, including PPAI Hall of Fame, PPAI Distinguished Service Award and PPAI H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award, and the Promotional Product Pioneers.

The PPAI Hall of Fame gives permanent recognition to those whose selfless efforts and devotion to the industry are monumental. The 2022 inductees are Sherri C. Lennarson, MAS (left), the retired senior vice president of business development at Bankers Advertising Company, and Cliff Quicksell, Jr., MAS+ (second from left), president of Cliff Quicksell Associates.

The PPAI Distinguished Service Award celebrates members who consistently contribute their skills and expertise toward the betterment of the Association, through volunteer service or by offering their leadership skills to PPAI. In 2022, the recipients are Brandon Mackay, MAS (center), president and CEO of Snugz USA, and David Regan, MAS (second from right), vice president of sales and marketing at The Vernon Company.

Named after the late H. Ted Olson, MAS, PPAI president emeritus, the PPAI H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award represents what Olson stood for—volunteerism inside and outside of the promotional products industry. The award is presented to PPAI members who have shown longstanding empathy, devotion and commitment to improving quality of life and facilitating change for the betterment of a community. In 2022, PPAI honors Peter Hirsch, MAS, president of Hirsch Gift, with this award.

Logomark (PPAI 110898, S12) has partnered with Ascentials Pro, bringing the retail brand of lifestyle and travel bags to the promotional products industry. Founded in Boulder, Colorado, in 2018, Ascentials Pro manufactures bags built using high‐performance outdoor materials designed with a modern, urban aesthetic.

“What first struck me with the Ascentials Pro brand is the keen attention to detail in every bag they produce,” says Trevor Gnesin, CEO of Tustin, California-based Logomark. “The high‐quality materials and the intricately designed parts that are both beautiful and functional create an overall effect that is rarely found in retail brands available today. I really love the look and feel of this brand.”

Webb Company (PPAI 143213, S8), based in Eagan, Minnesota, has rebranded as Mixie. The supplier, founded in 1993 and offering lip balms, lotions, sanitizers, breath mints and more, was acquired by HPG in 2020.

With the new company name comes a new logo, website, font, marketing collateral, product photography and entire visual identity system. Simultaneously, with the new rebrand comes a newly completed upgraded state-of-the-art production facility for Mixie in Eagan with a streamlined assortment of USA-made health and beauty products that can be mixed more quickly.

This marquee rebranding is the fourth completed by HPG’s in-house creative marketing team, based in Danville, California, and led by Jason Lucash, chief development officer.

“The transformation to Mixie was nothing short of a collaboration of creative minds,” says Lucash. “Working with the Webb team to develop a modern, bright and playful brand has been incredible. It was important that we chose a name and brand identity that embody the product line context and company expertise perfectly. In addition, we wanted to choose a concept and color scheme that was visually different from the rest of the HPG family to truly give Mixie its own identity.”

The Webb acquisition in 2020 allowed for HPG to gain market share in the rapidly growing personal care sector of the promotional products industry.

“Since HPG’s acquisition of Webb last year, our experience working with the team has been a fantastic journey,” says HPG CEO Chris Anderson. “It’s with great enthusiasm that we welcome the fresh new look, brand and product experience that Mixie will bring to the industry. Combined with our recently completed state-of-the-art Minneapolis facility, Mixie is sure to set the standard for personal care.”

To support schools serving low-income and diverse student populations, St. Paul, Minnesota-headquartered 3M is providing backpacks full of school supplies to 17,000 public school students in its hometown, through a partnership with the St. Paul Public School District and the Kids in Need Foundation. More than 700 teachers will distribute the products, which range from Scotch Glue Sticks and Post-it Notes to notebooks and pencils. 3M operates in the promotional products market through its 3M Promotional Markets Dept. (PPAI 113638, S11).

3M plant communities are also teaming up to provide locally needed supplies this year. 3M’s sites in Monrovia, California, recently collected six barrels of requested back-to-school items, working together with partner Foothill Unity Center. This month, the 3M Austin, Texas, site is collecting required polo shirts for a public school.

In 2020, 3Mgives and the 3M Foundation facilitated more than $28 million in 3M product donations, which went to disaster-relief efforts, schools and community nonprofits. Through its Supplies for Schools program, 3M donates products such as office supplies, hand sanitizer, tapes, glues, adhesives, highlighters, masks and sponges. To help make sure supplies reach students and teachers who need them the most, including underrepresented communities, 3M partners with leading nonprofit organizations such as Kids in Need, Teach for America and DonorsChoose.

Through DonorsChoose, public school teachers can create classroom project requests. 3M is providing $500,000 in annual support to DonorsChoose, which has supported 7,794 teacher projects since 2014. 3M has also launched a fresh round of Science at Home online educational resources that can be done at home or in the classroom. Teach for America partnered with 3M to promote awareness of Science at Home resources this year and is dedicated to Title 1 schools serving low-income students. In addition, 3Mgives donates more than $1 million in products each year which are distributed to more than 3,900 FIRST Robotics Competition teams in their Kit of Parts.

Peerless Umbrella, headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, has signed an exclusive deal with Weatherman to be the sole provider of Weatherman umbrellas to the promotional products industry. Initially Peerless will offer two styles in the line’s most popular colors, and more styles and colors will be added as the partnership evolves.

Weatherman was created by meteorologist Rick Reichmuth. After years in the field covering severe weather events, Reichmuth was looking for an umbrella that met his standards. When he couldn’t find one that had all the features he wanted, he decided to design it himself. The Weatherman is built to stand up to extreme weather conditions and offers a lifetime warranty. Weatherman has previously partnered strategically with companies in the golf space, including Arnold Palmer Enterprises, Folds of Honor, the PGA of America and PGA TOUR, and its custom designs have been seen from the Ryder Cup to the recent Olympic games in Tokyo.

“Peerless has been in business for nearly 100 years and has set the standard for what a quality umbrella should look like,” says Peerless Umbrella National Sales Manager Dan Edge. “It is an honor to now bring such a well-known, high-quality retail brand umbrella into our line, and to work with a company that shares our love for impeccable craftsmanship.”

Tyler Kupper, partner and chief revenue officer of Weatherman, adds, “We’ve been able to witness firsthand the attention to detail and workmanship that Peerless puts into the production and design of their products. Since Weatherman’s inception, we’ve seen a large number of requests for co-branded and custom umbrellas but found ourselves limited by bandwidth to meet demand. We’re optimistic about our partnership with Peerless and are excited about the partnership as it allows us to meet demand at scale and continue to grow.”

Koozie Group (PPAI 114187, S13) headquartered in Clearwater, Florida, has formed a new, exclusive supplier partnership in the U.S. and Canada with SCX Design. Founded in 2017, SCX Design is a French company that creates innovative, useful tech accessories.

“We are excited to partner with SCX Design,” says Pierre Montaubin, senior vice president, product management and sourcing at Koozie Group. “From power banks, to speakers, to cables, their products have a retail feel that offers great options for high-end gift-giving.”

Stan Confavreux, owner of SCX Design, adds, “Koozie Group is the perfect partner to bring our cutting-edge tech accessories to U.S. and Canadian customers. We look forward to building on the relationship as customers come to know our products and our commitment to quality.”

With this partnership came the launch of 19 new products on September 7. These include speakers, charging cables, a sound bar, wireless headphones, a flashlight, a notebook, a mouse pad, wireless chargers and power banks. Every SCX Design product arrives ready for gifting in a box or pouch, and most feature a soft-touch finish for a premium feel and can be customized with an illuminated logo. In line with the company’s eco-friendly mission, all three-in-one cables are made with recycled content, and every SCX Design product comes with a three-year warranty, cable excluded

Distributor HALO (PPAI 106462, D15), headquartered in Sterling, Illinois, has acquired Captiv8 Promotions, a distributor located in New York City.

“Larry Shapiro has built an impressive business by focusing on creative product design and exceptional service to a list of blue-chip clients,” says Marc Simon, CEO of HALO. “The Captiv8 team’s core competencies align perfectly with the growing suite of client-centric offerings we provide at HALO. The addition of Captiv8 to our successful selling and operational teams in New York City—HALO Recognition and the (formerly) Axis Promotions group—will enhance our strategic market strength in this key market.”

Shapiro, president of Captiv8, who will continue as senior vice president of sales with HALO, adds, “Our business continues to grow, and the extensive support HALO provides clients will expand our offering to our current customers and allow us to attract new business, as well. The Captiv8 team is excited to present the breadth and depth of HALO capabilities to our clients.”

Captiv8 Promotions was launched in 1993 with a focus on selling custom baseball caps to local bars and restaurants, and has grown into a branded merchandise agency offering merchandise and event creation for clients in a variety of industries.

Captiv8’s sales, support and creative services team will maintain their Manhattan presence expanding HALO’s footprint in the New York City market.

The move marks the third New York City distributor acquisition for HALO. In January 2020, it acquired Axis Promotions, led by Larry Cohen, and in October 2017 it acquired Michael C. Fina Recognition, which was rebranded as HALO Recognition.

Jim Stutz, HALO’s executive vice president of sales and business development, says, “Captiv8 is a perfect example of the synergy that drives HALO’s growth strategy. The Captiv8 team will provide insightful client development expertise through product design, and HALO will expand the resources available to Captiv8 clients.”