St. Regis Crystal, the Cheektowaga, New York-based parent company of a group of promotional suppliers, including Chicago-based R.S. Owens and Elliot Lake, Ontario-based Prestige Glass International, announced this morning that it has finalized an agreement to merge with Cheektowaga, New York-based K&R Precision Corp. K&R Precision Corp. will move its operations to St. Regis Crystal’s manufacturing…
Read MoreMicrosoft Acquires LinkedIn
Microsoft, Redmond, Wash., announced today that it has acquired Mountain View, California-based LinkedIn for $196 per share (a 49 percent increase since Friday) in an all-cash transaction worth $26.2 billion. According to a statement from Microsoft, LinkedIn will retain its brand, culture and independence. Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, will remain in his position and…
Read MoreLinks Unlimited Celebrates 20 Years in the Industry
Links Unlimited, Cincinnati, announced that this year marks its 20th anniversary of providing premium brands and quality service to the corporate incentive market. Scott Kooken and Bret Williams founded the company on July 17, 1996, as a company focused on supplying premium golf merchandise to the corporate promotions industry. That niche provided an introduction to…
Read MoreAustralia Uses ‘World’s Ugliest Color’ to Discourage Tobacco Purchases
We all have our favorite colors. Some of us even have our least favorite colors. Australian researchers have taken their opinions of the various points of the color spectrum a bit further by not only naming what…
Read MoreQ&A: Next Products’ Jeff Batson on Drinkware Trends
It’s easy to get lost in the world of drinkware, which is why you should get an expert’s opinion. We spoke to Jeff Batson, president of Next Products, Shelbyville, Ind., to learn what’s trending in drinkware, when high-end drinkware promotions work best and…
Read MoreLast Chance to Vote! PM Video Battle: Rosalie Marcus Versus Bizee Body Promotions
Promo Marketing’s Video Battle pits two industry videos against each other for the chance at the ultimate bragging right: Being declared our readership’s absolute favorite. (Next up: We’re hoping the thunderstorms go around Philadelphia this weekend. We want to be outside as much as possible!) Last week, PWS won its fourth in a row, earning them a…
Read MoreGlobal Trends in Product Transparency
On November 23, 2015, the world’s largest food manufacturer, Nestle, disclosed publicly that slave labor was being used to produce its seafood sourced from its supply chain in Thailand. An investigation had shown that Thai fishing operators lured migrant with false promises. The migrants were sold systematically and then kept in bondage and degrading conditions…
Read MoreCanadian Officials Urge US to Use its Method of Preventing Counterfeiting
After this year’s Super Bowl, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents seized an estimated $39 million worth of counterfeit Super Bowl items. NHL officials just warned hockey fans last week to be on the lookout for counterfeit Stanley Cup merchandise. Heck, even AC/DC asked U.S. marshals to stop counterfeiters from selling items outside of their concerts.…
Read MoreRaining Rose Inc. Adds National Large Account Sales Resentative
Raining Rose Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has announced the addition of Kelly Slaughter as its new national large account sales representative. Slaughter grew up in St. Louis, and attended college at St. Louis University. She worked in her hometown for…
Read MoreThe Republican National Convention Selects Official Merchandiser
While the merchandise provider for the Democratic National Convention was chosen months ago, the Cleveland 2016 Host Committee selected its official merchandise provider for the Republican National Convention yesterday. According to Crain’s Cleveland Business, Mogadore, Ohio-based ASW Global was chosen as…
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