Quality Certification Alliance, Chicago, announced a newly restructured participation model and tiered fee structure to further engage and include distributors and end-buyers, along with providing more access for suppliers and distributors of varying sizes. The new model will have four categories: End-Buyer Supporters, Distributor Advocates, Certified Distributors and Decorators, and Accredited Suppliers. “What we’ve done…
Read MoreAuthor: Brendan Menapace
HUB Promotional Group Acquires HandStands, Its Seventh Acquisition in Two Years
In a deal finalized on Dec. 21, 2018, HandStands, Salt Lake City, Utah, joined HUB Promotional Group, which is now made up of eight suppliers. Established in 1983, HandStands was one of the first companies to bring mouse pads to the promotional marketplace. Today, HandStands offers a wide variety of products, from phone and tablet accessories…
Read MoreHALO Branded Solutions Acquires Boost Promotional Branding
HALO Branded Solutions, Sterling, Ill., announced this morning that it has acquired Boost Promotional Branding, Richmond, Va. It’s HALO’s third acquisition within the last six months, with the company acquiring Sunrise Identity in August and Chamberlain Marketing Group in September. “Jeff [Hall, president of Boost] and Teki Hall have built a successful business by focusing…
Read MoreHow One Distributor Doubled Her Sales in the Financial Market (and How You Can, Too)
The financial market is certainly appealing for promo distributors. The obvious reason is, well, the money, and not just the kind in the bank vaults. There are seemingly countless numbers of banks (with numerous branches all over the country), lending institutions, credit unions, you name it—and if you approach them the right way, it could…
Read MoreThose Iconic ‘Thank You’ Plastic Bags Aren’t Going Anywhere—They’re Just Reusable Now
Plastic bags with a big smiley face or a repeated message of…
Read MoreGildan Announces ALStyle Partnership With Apparel Wholesalers
ALStyle, the merchandise brand purchased by Gildan from Ennis Inc., will now be sold through a select number of wholesale companies within the promotional products space. ALStyle was previously only a retail product sold via licensing agreements, but will now be sold by alphabroder (California, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Georgia and Florida), American T-shirt Company (Hawaii), The…
Read MoreDoes eBay Have a Teespring Problem?
eBay seems to have angered some of its sellers, as the e-commerce company partnered with Teespring to beef up T-shirt listings during the holiday period, allegedly at the expense of smaller merchants. Some of those sellers theorized that eBay bent its own rules to allow Teespring to have as much of a presence as it…
Read MoreGeiger Announces European Acquisition
Geiger, Lewiston, Maine, announced that its U.K. distributor GeigerBTC has acquired London-based distributor EMC Advertising Gifts as part of its continued expansion strategy to support clients in the UK and across Europe. The move follows Geiger’s acquisition of CM Promotions, announced last week, and its promotion of three members of its executive team. EMC has…
Read MoreThe Late Tyler Trent, Purdue Super-Fan, Immortalized as Bobblehead to Benefit Pediatric Cancer Research
Tyler Trent, the Purdue Boilermakers super-fan who endeared himself to the sports world during his battle with a rare form of cancer, sadly passed away this week at the age of 20. For anyone who followed college sports, Trent was probably a familiar figure. He was typically decked out in Purdue black and gold, and…
Read MoreGraphic Designer Hand-Prints 1,000 Pairs of Custom Flip Flops Highlighting President’s Tweets
The internet has given us countless opportunities for education and growth as human beings. We can access information at the touch of a button. Arguments are settled in seconds. We can see metaphorical vaults of historical documentation from a little device in our pocket. It also comes with some double-edged swords, however. The permanence of…
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