News

SAGE®, the promotional products industry’s leading technology provider, and Promotional Products Association International (PPAI®), the world’s largest not-for-profit association for the industry, have partnered together for SAGE Show Virtual™, the industry’s first interactive, virtual trade show experience. This innovative new event will be held on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 from 10:00am to 4:00pm Central Time. All distributors nationwide are invited to attend for free.

For 2020, SAGE Show Virtual will take the place of SAGE’s long-running in-person event that was scheduled to be held in August in Irving, Texas.

“We are thrilled to partner with PPAI and provide the industry a new way to learn, grow and connect virtually,” said SAGE President David Natinsky, MAS. “The world has obviously changed a lot in the past few months. This new virtual tradeshow experience will allow us to have the closest thing possible to an in-person trade show while maintaining health and safety during this time. We’re excited for everyone to join us!”

SAGE Show Virtual will utilize brand new technology from SAGE that creates an interactive experience tailored specifically to the promotional products industry. This revolutionary technology enables distributors to visit virtual booths and discover 2 thousands of promotional products from top industry suppliers. Distributors can also use the live chat platform to connect with exhibitors in real-time. Suppliers will be posting specials that are only available to SAGE Show attendees. Additionally, distributors can access product pavilions to explore the hottest product trends. Networking lounges will allow attendees to mingle, discuss hot topics and catch up with one another.

In addition, SAGE, PPAI and industry suppliers will provide on-demand, professional education sessions dedicated to exploring cutting-edge technology, improving sales and marketing skills, and promoting growth for industry professionals. These educational sessions will be available for CAS and MAS credits.

“During these unprecedented times, our industry is looking for a way to network virtually,” said Paul Bellantone, CAE, president and CEO of PPAI. “We are excited to once again team up with SAGE and offer this innovative opportunity to our members.”

Exhibitors can easily set up virtual booths, pulling product information directly from the SAGE database. There will be multiple booth options available, so suppliers can choose the booth that best fits their business structure and product line. Sponsorship opportunities are also available to increase visibility during the show.

SAGE Show Virtual is the perfect opportunity to explore new, trending products, network with industry leaders and make lasting connections. For more information, to register to attend or to sign up for exhibit space, visit www.sageshow.com. 

AAkron Line, a top 40 promotional products supplier, announced today they have introduced a new line of antimicrobial products. The new antimicrobial line includes AAkron manufactured 17 oz. stadium cup, plastic token and fly swatter, as well as an imported pen. Products will be available starting early June.

“The shortage of AntiMicrobial products in our industry immediately got us excited about the opportunity to build a line of products. We are fortunate to be a domestic manufacturer so that we could do this is in such a timely manner with these unprecedented times,” says Devin Piscitelli, CEO and Co-owner of AAkron Line.

The antimicrobial additives helps prevent the growth and spread of bacteria, neutralizing over 99% of active bacteria. The powerful, invisible additive does not wear off and remains effective for the life of the product. All of the products have passed and comply with standard industry testing. Test information can be viewed at www.aakronline.com.

AAkron Line will continue to expand their new antimicrobial line and already has additional products in the testing phase. The company will look at both domestically manufactured and imported products as the trend for antimicrobial products will continue into the foreseeable future. 

ZOOMcatalog today announced the launch of ZOOMacademy, an educational platform designed for Promotional Product professionals, which will be available at no cost to the entire industry. The ZOOMacademy will include straight forward, in-depth, and on-demand courses focused on digital marketing and sales. Individuals who complete courses in the academy can also earn credit towards their PPAI certification.

The first three courses available in the ZOOMacademy focus on building a communication plan during the pandemic, becoming a remote promotional product company, and an introduction to branding. Students of the academy will decide what classes will be released next, which may include how to transition catalogs from print to digital, how to use objectives to grow your business and a complete reference guide for industry professionals.

“The ZOOMacademy is a platform we have been planning for a long time. With extensive experience in technology, sales, marketing, and the promotional product industry, we have an opportunity to share our knowledge and help others in the industry grow.” Said co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Bryony Zasman. “In response to recent events, we decided to expedite the completion and launch of the ZOOMacademy. During these unprecedented times, people in the industry find themselves with more time on their hands and are looking for ways to build their skills and prepare themselves for success once business returns to the new normal”.

In addition to the library of courses, the ZOOMacademy also includes a talent pool. Industry professionals are invited to submit their resume and create a profile. The talent pool will be accessible to companies in the industry that are seeking new team members.

“If we can help one person find their next role, that’s a win for us.” Said Head of Design, Alex Hughes.

To access the ZOOMacademy and talent pool, visit www.academy.zoomcatalog.com.

Top 40 promotional product supplier and manufacturer, AAkron Line, announced today they have begun manufacturing face shields, after waiting nearly a full month for proper certification from the federal government. The new face shields will be immediately available to state and federal first responders while being available to promotional distributors next week.

“We immediately began to look at the whole spectrum of PPE products to see where and how we could use our manufacturing expertise to help in the COVID-19 fight. We have also seen first-hand numerous products that are available with no certification or documentation so we felt very strongly that whatever we did had to be done to the highest standards” says Devin Piscitelli, CEO & Co-owner of AAkron Line.

AAkron’s face shield is a FDA Listed Device and has passed ANSI testing. The test conducted and passed are ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2015-Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices – Full Requirement , and ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2015-Personal Eye and Face Protection Devices – Droplets and Splashes.

The face shields have an elastic band for flexible fit, a crystal clear shield and are foam padded for comfort. The company will sell the face shields with the option of imprinting or they can be purchased blank.

These face shields are the second item AAkron Line has introduced in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Last week the company introduced their new Face Mask Ear Saver. The ear saver is also Made in the USA of a latex-free, thermoplastic rubber which allows elastic bands of the face mask to be comfortably hooked together to prevent rubbing behind the ears.

Since our last update, we wanted to keep you informed about our operations and that we remain open for all product categories in our St. Louis headquarters. The operations of our west coast facility, however, have been temporarily suspended due to government directives.

As we move forward, the health and safety of our team remains paramount. They are equipped with the required protective equipment and follow the required protocols for social distancing and sanitation.

In addition to our full product line, over the past month we have expanded our line of hand sanitizers and introduced a new line of protective face masks. Response to each has been amazing and we have many more in development, including an expanded line of PPE.

Please let us know what more we can be doing for you during this time. As we all continue to navigate these uncharted waters, we hope you, your family and your colleagues remain safe and well.

Take care and stay healthy!

From the Ariel Team

There is no question the events of the last 6 weeks have had and will continue to have a significant impact on our economy, industry, businesses and personal lives.

As you most likely know, Tekweld was designated by the State of New York as an Essential Supplier of goods to combat this invisible enemy. The biggest juggling act and our number one priority is to be socially responsible during this crisis, while also trying to meet our customers demand for essential products in the line. Two weeks ago, we were required to halt production on most of the line to give priority to hand sanitizer orders. While each day continues to bring new challenges, we are happy to report that as of today we are again able to produce both essential and non-essential items currently.

It is with grateful hearts that within the last week we were able to bring back 25% of our factory workers. This week we will double that number and will be well on our way to running at full capacity once again. We very much appreciate your patience with us over the last month as we encountered several challenges that come with trying to scale to meet the demands of an unprecedented amount of increased business that accumulated basically overnight. Our CRR, KAM departments and Regional Sales Managers have worked tirelessly fielding phone calls and doing everything possible to keep you, our valued customers well informed.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION : As it relates to our current production status - Please note that our average production time on hand sanitizer is still extended due to limited availability of product. We are filling as quickly as we can, however the current and incoming stock has been allocated to existing orders, with incoming stock already set aside for backorders. We do, however, have a waiting list and are adding purchase orders to it daily while increasing our domestic output and overseas orders to meet demand.

The rest of our product line, for the most part, can ship in 3 to 5 working days. This includes lip balm, sunglasses, cannabis products, drinkware, pet items, and more. For a complete listing, we encourage you to visit our website www.tekweld.com or flip through our 2020 books digitally on Zoom Catalog.

If you would like virtuals or any marketing resources, please connect with our team. We would love the opportunity to help you help your clients get back to building and strengthening their brands during this time. As we move forward, please know that our number one priority is taking care of you, our clients, and each other here at Tekweld. We are committed to providing you with the level of service you deserve while continuing to keep our employees safe. This means practicing safe social distancing, continuing to sanitize work areas, and properly outfitting employees with the equipment they need to do their jobs and feel confident about their health and safety while doing it.

In order to emerge from this unique time in our country's history, it is the companies and individuals who take charge and push forward with an  attitude of optimism that will help to breathe life back into this industry. We’re here for you, ready to make it happen. We also know that by partnering with each other we can all come back even stronger than we started. Let’s work together to make it happen. #PromoStrong

Sincerely,

Taylor Tadmor

President, Tekweld

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.