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Two industry legends, Gene Geiger, MAS+, of Geiger and Chuck Pecher of Skinner and Kennedy Co., were inducted into the PPAI Hall of Fame on Monday evening during the PPAI Chairman’s Leadership Dinner at the PPAI Expo in Las Vegas. The elegantly designed affair, held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center ballroom, brought out the industry’s luminaries, dignitaries and leaders to celebrate the achievements of these honorees, and to pay tribute to this year's winner of the Distinguished Service Award, Michele Jennrich, MAS, and the H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award winner Daryll Griffin, MAS.

PPAI Chair Dale Denham, MAS+, and President and CEO Paul Bellantone, CAE, emceed the ceremony, which began with silent recognition of those industry members who passed away in 2018.

PPEF Chair Wayne Greenberg, MAS, was then welcomed to the stage to provide an update on the Foundation’s scholarship program.

Next, suppliers Fey Promotional Products and Kellmark Corporation were presented with PPAI’s Milestone Award to celebrate their remarkable 50 years in business. The trophies were accepted by Tom Carpenter, MAS, and by George Kelly and James Jones, respectively. A presentation followed highlighting this year’s class of PPAI Pioneers—a group described as representing the industry’s past and ensuring its future. The honors went to the late Martha Sanders, former president of supplier Sanders Manufacturing Co. and the first female chair of the SAAI Board of Directors, and to the late George Kling, Jr., owner of Potential Profits Group and an icon the incentive industry.

Bellantone stepped on stage to introduce the first award presentation. This year’s winner of the H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award was Daryll Griffin, MAS, of Accolades, Inc. who was introduced by one of her nominators, Mary Ellen Sokalski, MAS. With humor and amazement, she reeled off Griffin’s many substantial accomplishments over the years including mentoring students at Stephens College and Spelman College, and supporting the Minority & Hispanic Councils of Atlanta and of Georgia, among many others. Amid thundering applause, Griffin’s son, Michael Griffin, joined Sokalski on stage to accept the award for his mother who was unable to make the trip, but the audience was treated to a pre-recorded video acceptance from a grateful Daryll Griffin.

Denham then welcomed Joel Schaffer, MAS, who introduced Michele Jennrich, MAS, of Howard Miller Clocks, as winner of the PPAI Distinguished Service Award. His introduction told the story of a woman whose longtime and dedicated volunteerism is well known across the industry within PPAI and her regional association, Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York, as well as in her local community where she serves schools, her church and many charities. She is also a tireless volunteer for the industry in Washington D.C., having participated for many years in PPAI’s Legislative Education and Action Day.

Jo-an Lantz, MAS, CEO of Geiger and a past Hall of Famer, introduced the first Hall of Fame inductee. She began by describing how she first met Gene Geiger on September 18, 1978—a day she remembers vividly—and proceeded to describe her relationship with the family company over the decades that followed, along with her admiration and appreciation for Gene Geiger. “I often think of Gene as Jimmy Stewart in A Wonderful Life. Can you imagine what our lives would be like without Gene Geiger?” she asked.

As the audience delivered a standing ovation, Geiger humbly came forward to accept the award. He spoke of his early years when he debated about succeeding his larger-than-life father and joining the 140-plus-year-old family business, and about the highlights and challenges he has faced over the past 45 years. “It was several more years before I came to understand that I had different gifts and skills than my father—which I later realized were, in many ways, more valuable for the company we needed to become,” he said.

Hall of Fame inductee Chuck Pecher was introduced by longtime friend, Mark Gillman, CAS, chairman of Gill Studios. Gillman began by describing the historic industry company into which Pecher was born and the rich history he inherited along with admiration for Pecher’s strong work ethic and skills that helped him nurture and grow the company. In accepting the award Pecher thanked his wife, Trisha, and other family in attendance along with company employees, and also noted that he was the fourth person from one of his family’s companies to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He smiled at the thought. “Tonight, I know that my uncle and his brother and long-time partner, my dad, Bob Pecher, are looking down and saying, ‘Good job kid!’”

The program wrapped up with Denham inviting all Hall of Fame inductees in attendance to the stage to be recognized. Joining him were: Willis Bywater; Bob Davis, CAS; Mark Gilman, CAS; Gene Geiger, MAS+; Wayne Greenberg, MAS; Paul Kiewiet, MAS+; Jo-an Lantz, MAS; Chuck Pecher; Joel Schaffer, MAS; Paul Lage, MAS and David Woods, CAS.

The R.S. Owens’ designed and manufactured Allstate Sugar Bowl trophy that was won on New Year’s Day by the No. 15 ranked Longhorns in a 28-21 win over No. 5 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

The trophy is proudly made in America by the R.S. Owens award winning group of artisans and is emblematic of the quality of workmanship that goes into making a world-class award. An interesting fact about the Sugar Bowl trophy is that it didn’t get its name from the shape of the trophy but from the fact that the original stadium was built on the site of an old sugar factory.

The trophy is hand-cast metal with an antique silver finish and is embellished with a 24k gold and polished silver replica of the Superdome in Louisiana where it is played.

Holding this massive trophy over the winning team’s heads takes a team effort worthy of the accomplishment it took to earn.

In today’s rapidly changing world, it is important for the Association to remain adaptable and nimble. With this sentiment in mind, the PPAI Board of Directors has made a significant change to its governance intended to provide more transparency, inclusiveness and representation with a focus on the future.

As membership organizations have become more complex and diverse, boards of directors must have a wide range of knowledge, skills and experience to address the needs and challenges of the industry. A growing trend for associations is to develop a governance model based on a more intentional, skill-based process to recruit directors.

According to BoardSource, the recognized leader in nonprofit board leadership, “the most successful boards are thoughtfully composed as it relates to skill sets, leadership styles, and diversity of thought and background. They understand the leadership needs of their organizations and seek out board leaders who can bring the expertise, passion, and external leadership that they need both now and into the future.”

As PPAI works to develop a board with balanced competencies (e.g., qualities, skills and expertise) to lead the organization, it has adopted a new nomination and selection process for new directors going forward. PPAI will continue to use a proven approach to identify and leverage the diverse experience base of its membership, and an extensive process to access candidates and present both a supplier and distributor finalist to the membership for approval.

Currently, the Elected Directors Nominating Committee (EDNC) selects multiple supplier and distributor candidates for a general election by the PPAI membership. One supplier candidate and one distributor candidate with the most votes serve on the board.

In November, the PPAI board voted to change this process. Supplier and distributor members are now eligible to apply or to be nominated to serve on the board—a change that should encourage more members to consider board service. The Leadership Advisory Committee (LAC), a group whose membership is representative of the PPAI membership, will review all applications, conduct interviews and submit a recommended list of candidates who meet the competencies sought for open board positions. Candidates selected will also complement the balanced leadership skills needed to fulfill PPAI’s strategic goals. The EDNC will then select one final candidate for each open supplier and distributor position and those two individuals will be presented to the PPAI membership for approval.

By refining the nomination and selection process, PPAI members will be provided with strong and effective leadership that supports the strategic direction of the organization and represents their interests. This change will also encourage more PPAI members with various qualities, skills and expertise to apply through a respectful and strategic nomination process that eliminates engaging in a publicly-observed contest that PPAI has been told can feel more like a competition.

The new process will allow PPAI members to continue to engage in a democratic process to select directors to serve on the board by nominating themselves and other members, through involvement of the member-represented LAC and EDNC, and by voting to approve the final supplier and distributor candidate presented for consideration.

The next board election is scheduled for Fall 2019.

Supplier Showdown Displays (PPAI 254687), headquartered in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, has announced that its 2019 Product Guide catalog contains only California Proposition 65 approved products. Proposition 65 requires manufacturers and sellers to provide warnings to California-based consumers about any potential exposure to chemicals that have been identified by the state to cause cancer, birth defects or reproductive harm. Products that have not passed testing for these chemicals must include a prominent warning. Showdown has ensured that not a single item in their 2019 catalog will require a warning label.

"After extensive testing, preparation and implementation, we're proud to announce that our 2019 Product Guide contains only Proposition 65-approved products," says Kevin Walsh, president of Showdown Displays. "Our commitment to our distributor partners is second to none, and we've removed every concern over whether or not a product can be sold in the state of California without a warning label. Using the Showdown Displays 2019 Product Guide means you don't have to worry about Proposition 65. It's that easy."

Leed’s (PPAI 112361) has entered into an exclusive partnership with FinalStraw, a manufacturer of collapsible, reusable straws, to bring the brand to the promotional products industry.

“Leed’s is an industry leader who understands the importance of corporate social responsibility, so our partnership with them felt very natural,” says Emma Cohen, CEO and co-founder of FinalStraw. “FinalStraw was started in response to the devastating impact that plastic pollution has on our environment. By selling in the promotional products channel, we hope to get more reusable straws into more people’s hands in an effort to reduce plastic pollution.”

Leed’s will carry FinalStraw, which includes a collapsible re-usable straw, squeegee to clean and a small case for both items to fit in, beginning this month. It will be available with multi-color decoration and will qualify for next day turn with SureShip.

“FinalStraw has a strong understanding of the promotional products market,” says Heather Smartt, global category director at PCNA. “Now more than ever, there’s demand for non-disposable items and we are fortunate that, as a company, we are able to bring these types of items to our industry in an effort to provide consumers with the brands and items they want.”

Supplier Gemline (PPAI 113948) has announced a long-term, strategic partnership with Seattle, Washington-based active lifestyle brand MiiR. Lawrence, Massachusetts-headquartered Gemline will be the exclusive supplier of MiiR products for the promotional products industry with an initial product offering consisting of insulated drinkware styles launching in April of 2019.

“We are very excited about our strategic partnership with MiiR,” says Jonathan Isaacson, president of Gemline. “We were drawn to this partnership due to MiiR’s tremendous growth history, sleekly designed sustainable products and successful philanthropic initiatives.”

A Product to Project™ company committed to trackable giving, MiiR gives three percent of revenue to partner organizations with an aim to provide people with access to a better future. MiiR is a certified B Corp and leader in the social enterprise movement.

“We could not be more excited to join Gemline,” says Bryan Papé, founder and CEO of MiiR. “It was important to choose a supplier with a solid reputation represented by quality products to complement the MiiR brand and mission.”

Papé and his team will be previewing the introductory collection at the Gemline’s booth # 5017 at The PPAI Expo. MiiR will be offering sample pours of craft coffee currently sold at the MiiR flagship store in Seattle in its best-selling, vacuum insulated Camp Cups.

Today at SAGE Conference, held in Las Vegas in conjunction with The PPAI Expo, SAGE announced several new product releases and updates to their products and services. Eric Natinsky, SAGE CEO, revealed SAGE Online 15, the latest version of the company’s flagship research and business management solution, and SAGE Web 3.5, the latest version of SAGE’s web-based platform. Other releases included new features and capabilities for SAGE Websites, an advanced, end-buyer ecommerce website, SAGE Company Store Premium, and SAGE Chat, an all-new chat platform for the industry.

“We’re proud to be releasing so many new features and enhancements to multiple platforms at one time, many of which were suggested by our customers,” Eric Natinsky, SAGE CEO, commented. “We are pleased to continue to upgrade our products, all while keeping our offerings affordable and user-friendly.”

SAGE Total Access will include over 200 new features and enhancements, including a new drill-down option for product search results in both SAGE Online 15 and SAGE Web 3.5. This drill-down option will allow users to further filter their search results by relevant categories. The new “color sense” search enhancement feature will automatically display products of a certain color when that color is used as a search criterion. Additionally, similar products will be showcased at the bottom of each product detail page within a search to further assist with the selection process.

Other enhancements to product searches in SAGE Online 15 include a new “Add to Site” feature which will allow distributors to add a product to their SAGE Website or SAGE Company Store directly from any given product search.

SAGE also announced a refreshed product search results and detail pages. The new modern layout allows for ease-of-use and a more efficient searching experience.

Upgrades to SAGE Online’s Order Management include a refreshed order dashboard, the ability to highlight and flag orders, an option to quickly “peek” into an order without opening it, the option to add thumbnail images of products to order forms, and easy-to-use filter tabs to quickly reference what you’re looking for. SAGE Online 15 is scheduled for a rolling release this February.

Also, scheduled to release this month is SAGE Web 3.5, bringing major new features and enhancements. One of the biggest additions in SAGE Web 3.5 is the ability to use the SAGE Print Studio to create custom catalogs in both virtual and print formats.

In addition, SAGE Web users will soon be able to send email campaigns, which will create even more opportunities to connect customers with featured promotional products. The email campaign feature in SAGE Web 3.5 will also allow distributors to track their success rates with real-time reporting.

Also, arriving in March are brand new interactive features for SAGE Websites. Those with SAGE Website Professional and SAGE Website Professional Plus will now be able to upgrade their customer service and respond faster to potential customers with the new Live Chat feature using SAGE Chat for a streamlined line of communication. The Live Chat feature will include a full feature-set, including the ability to set business hours, configure automatic replies, and multi-task among several sessions at the same time.

SAGE also announced new homepage customization and styling options, including the addition of SAGE Signature Collections, which will showcase popular products from across the industry.

SAGE Signature Collections will come with the option for a lifestyle vs. carousel design theme, and products will change monthly to keep distributor websites fresh and continuously updated.

Another new feature for SAGE Website Professional and SAGE Website Professional Plus owners is “Welcome Alerts”, which are pop-up message boxes that will appear once a visitor arrives to the website. These welcome alerts can be used to announce sales on items, offer discounts, or provide a place for a customer to provide their contact information. Plus, SAGE Websites will now include SAGE’s new “color sense” search enhancement feature, a drill-down option to allow users to further filter their search results by relevant categories, and similar products that they may be interested in.

SAGE also announced SAGE Company Store Premium, which will allow promotional product distributors to sell products online through completely customizable professional stores, create an unlimited number of custom pages, manage inventory levels with real-time alerts, create packing slips and shipping labels, and see advanced statistics and reports for each store. In addition, end-buyer customers will be able to rate products and leave product reviews in SAGE Company Store Premium, allowing for enhanced SEO.

Additionally, SAGE has announced new features for SAGE Company Store Standard, including full-site SSL, responsive design, and the ability to print packing slips and shipping labels.

SAGE is also pleased to announce SAGE Chat, the replacement for the previous SAGEim platform. SAGE Chat will feature an all-new look, new features, and can be used to easily facilitate conversations internally within individual companies, between distributors and suppliers regarding product questions, and with other industry distributors. SAGE Chat will also integrate with Live Chat on SAGE Websites to provide a line of communication between end-buyers and distributors. SAGE Chat is scheduled to release in March of this year.

Eric Natinsky added, “We always listen to our customers 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. I am proud of the work we’ve done to take customer feedback and turn it into all of these new products and features I know our customers are really going to enjoy using.”

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.

The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index ended 2018 on a positive as it recovered in December from a minor decline the month before. The index rose to 111.61 from 110.23 in November. December’s increase represents a 5.4 percent increase over the past year. It also comes as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the country’s economy added 312,000 jobs in the last month of the year.

“The Employment Trends Index rose sharply in December, reversing the declines in recent months, suggesting that employment will continue to expand in the coming months,” says Gad Levanon, chief economist, North America, at The Conference Board. “With gloom and doom views dominating the news in recent weeks, it is somewhat reassuring that leading indicators of employment are growing. While employment growth could slow down in 2019, it is still likely to expand fast enough to further tighten the labor market.”

There were no signs of a slowdown in job growth in the December jobs report from the U.S. government, Levanon notes, and wages continue to accelerate, with average hourly earnings growing at an annual rate of 3.2 percent in the past 12 months and 3.7 percent in the past six months. He says, “All the main measures of wages are now rapidly accelerating, suggesting that more people from the sidelines will return to the labor force in 2019. The improving labor force participation rate in December led to an increase in the unemployment rate to 3.9 percent. The expansion in labor supply is allowing employers to more easily expand their workforce and meet demand for their goods and services.”

Levanon adds, “While we do expect some slowdown in the U.S. economy and labor market, this jobs report should boost confidence in the U.S. economy. Together with strong wage growth, it suggests that markets are probably underestimating the number of times the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates in 2019. We expect two rate hikes during 2019.”

In determining its Employment Trends Index, the Conference Board aggregates eight labor market indicators that it has found are accurate within their own areas. It notes that aggregated individual indicators are placed into a composite index to filter out “noise” and show underlying trends more clearly. The increase in December was fueled by positive contributions from seven of the eight components. From the largest positive contributor to the smallest, these were: the Percentage of Firms With Positions Not Able to Fill Right Now, Percentage of Respondents Who Say They Find “Jobs Hard to Get”, the Ratio of Involuntarily Part-time to All Part-time Workers, Initial Claims for Unemployment Insurance, Industrial Production, Number of Employees Hired by the Temporary-Help Industry, and Real Manufacturing and Trade Sales.

An indicator tracked by The Conference Board but not providing a positive contribution in December’s aggregate figure was the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings data.

IMAGEN Brands, parent company of suppliers Crown Products (PPAI 113430) and Vitronic (PPAI 114197), is celebrating in a unique way the memory of Francis “Fran” Ford, Jr., CAS, president of supplier Castelli, a division of Magnet, LLC, and 2015 PPAI Hall of Fame inductee, who passed away in May 2018—with a teddy bear. Ford was known for his memorable greeting, “Hey buddy!” In remembrance of Ford’s impact on the industry, the Hey Buddy Bear was born, and with every bear sold, IMAGEN Brands will donate to the Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF).

The Hey Buddy Bear was designed with hearts on its paws and “Hey Buddy” imprinted t-shirt, and comes with a hang tag with an image of Ford and a special message. The Hey Buddy Bear will make its grand debut at shows this month.

“Hey Buddy Bear was inspired by a very special friend, Fran Ford,” says Paul Lage, MAS, president of IMAGEN Brands. “He is someone that has touched so many of us. He gave you that ‘teddy bear’ feeling of being your best friend, someone you could always talk to, and gave you that warm comfort as you traveled through life. We all seem to get more than we ever gave. That’s why we are donating some of the proceeds back to the Promotional Products Education Foundations to help others in need. We hope Hey Buddy Bear touches others who may have a Fran Ford person in their lives.”

The partial government shutdown continues into its third week after weekend negotiations took place between the Vice President and staffers for congressional leaders. As the disagreement over the federal budget continues between the White House and congressional leaders, stories about the impacts of lacking government services are beginning to surface. Initial reports stated that tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) would be on hold because the IRS' fiscal year 2019 appropriations have yet to be approved. However, the White House Director of the Office of Management and Budget Mick Mulvaney announced that a policy shift would allow the IRS to issue tax refunds during the shutdown to prevent delay. Also, the National Park Service announced that it will use entrance fee funds to subsidize operations during the shutdown. This decision comes after numerous reports of degradation in the parks' facilities. Another example of the impact of the shutdown relates to trade issues. 

The International Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Commerce are closed. Processing of filings for exclusion requests related to the steel and aluminum tariffs is currently on hold due to the shutdown.