When the founders of Plan B Marketing learned that their hometown of Mobile, Ala. led Forbes Magazine’s 2008 list of Top 10 Fastest Growing Small Business Economies, they took notice. When they discovered three other cities within an eight-hour drive also made the list, they took action. Plan B Marketing opened its doors to serve businesses throughout Ala. and along the Gulf Coast. Founded by Deborah Fetherland, Tucker Frazer and Amanda Bray, the company offers marketing and sales consulting services as well as more than 300,000 imprinted promotional products. “We help our clients get what they want from their marketing and sales programs,” explained Bray,
Read MoreSeastone Ranks No. 11 Among Inc. Top 100 Consumer Products Companies in America
Provo, Utah-based Seastone, the market leader in specialty gift-card packages and gift-card promotional programs, announced it ranked No. 11 on the Inc. magazine Top 100 consumer products companies, and No. 180 on the Inc. 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America. With a three-year growth of 1,300 percent, Inc. noted Seastone is growing because gift-cards represent a rapidly developing sector in consumer products, and demand for the personalized gift-card packaging Seastone provides is rising just as quickly. “Seastone and its Give-A-Gift brand have grown tremendously over the past few years, and we’re pleased to see the company recognized at such a high level,” said Eric
Read MoreProforma 21st Annual Convention Paves the Way to Achieving Infinite Dreams
Cleveland-based Proforma held its 21st Annual Convention and Family Reunion in Orlando, Florida, August 3 to August 6 at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. More than 800 attendees benefited from educational sessions, seminars and networking opportunities at the four-day event. This year’s convention was Proforma’s most successful to date with a 20 percent increase in attendance. The increase was largely due to the effective and consistent communication of the key benefits of attendance. Attendees participated in a multitude of sessions delivered by industry recognized speakers such as Cliff Quicksell, David Blaise, Dave Fellman and Laura Posey, as well as a unique presentation
Read More30th Annual SAAC Show Scores Big Success
The West Hills, California-based Specialty Advertising Association of California (SAAC) celebrated the 30th annual SAAC Show this past August 6 and 7 at the Long Beach Convention center in Long Beach, California. The SAAC Show consisted of education seminars, networking events and two exhibit days. Sara Ferguson of PromoShop commented on the show, “I brought back a unique perspective from this year’s SAAC Show. The creative juices are still flowing. I always look forward to this show because it’s well-planned, manageable, and great to reunite with the industry family.” Exhibitors were also very pleased with this year’s SAAC Show. Ronald Baron of Winthrop-Atkins
Read MoreR.S. Owens’ Brian Nawrocki Joins Executive Account Team
Chicago-based R.S. Owens, manufacturer of recognition awards, announced the promotion of Brian Nawrocki to executive accounts senior customer-service specialist. In this role, with a focus on custom award programs, Nawrocki will provide customer service to many of Owens’ executive accounts. “This is a great move for Brian, for Owens and for our customers,” said Mary Busch, executive accounts manager. “Brian has 14 years of experience at Owens in customer service and managing custom programs, and he recently spent about half a year cross training in our quoting department, learning how to develop cost estimates for custom requests,” continued Busch. “This has given him a
Read MoreiPROMOTEu Hosts First Annual SupplierPalooza
Wayland, Massachusetts-based iPROMOTEu hosted the inaugural SupplierPalooza August 6, 2008 in Long Beach, Calif. at The Auld Dubliner. Hundreds of guests attended including distributors, salespeople and suppliers. The event was held to publicly celebrate and thank iPROMOTEu’s preferred suppliers. The event coincided with The Specialty Advertising Association (SAAC) Show, which was also held in Long Beach, August 6 to 7. Distributors and salespeople were instructed to visit a SupplierPalooza sponsor’s booth to pick up an admission sticker for the party. “It was great to be able to push people to the sponsors’ booths and create more traffic at the show for them,” remarked Kristin
Read MoreVantage Launches Zoom Same-day Embroidery
Avenel, New Jersey-based Vantage Apparel, a manufacturer and decorator of logo apparel, announced it has introduced a same-day embroidery service called Zoom. The company’s Zoom service is being marketed as the fastest way to get Vantage embroidered apparel with same-day service levels offered at a nominal 20 percent upcharge from its standard embroidery pricing. In addition to lower pricing, the company announced it has extended the cut-off time allowing customers to place qualifying orders for same-day shipping on Vantage catalog items as late as 2 pm Eastern time. Zoom service requires an approved logo to be on file with Vantage. “Zoom service leverages our
Read MoreBoardroom Eco Apparel Awarded ‘ECO’ Trademark in U.S. and Canada
Vancouver, British Columbia-based Boardroom Eco Apparel announced it received certificates of registration for its ECO trademark in both the U.S. and Canada. “We are very excited,” said Mark Trotzuk, owner and design coordinator of Boardroom Eco Apparel. “Registering the ECO trademark enables us to officially protect and defend our brand which currently represents the highest environmental apparel standard in the industry. This trademark will help to dispel any confusion arising from the improper usage of the term ECO by companies that infringe upon our trademark. When referring to environmentally friendly apparel, the correct term is ‘ecological,’” added Trotzuk. Boardroom Eco Apparel launched the
Read MoreEmblem Hosts First Blood Drive
Miami-based World Emblem International hosted its first blood drive in coalition with the Community Blood Centers of South Florida on July 25, 2008. Twenty-five World Emblem employees donated blood to this reputable cause. Each donor gave a pint of blood, which can aid up to 4 people in need. The blood drive was coordinated by World Emblem’s community outreach program. For more information on World Emblem, visit www.worldemblem.com
Read MoreHanesbrands Announces EasyColor System
Hanesbrands, based in Winston-Salem, N.C., announced that buying the right color apparel has become easier with the company’s EasyColor system. The EasyColor system has three parts: Practically every T-shirt, fleece and sport shirt will be available in 10 core colors 11 T-shirt styles will be available in 20 classic colors Beefy and tagless, two of its most popular tees, will be available in a full range of 40 colors Hanesbrands’ EasyColor system is available in both the adult and youth styles. The goal is to make the process of finding and securing product easier by adding more continuity. Hanesbrands’ EasyColor system also
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