Syracuse, New York-based Notes Inc. announced it recently became the first sticky notepad manufacturer in the U.S. to receive chain of custody (CoC) certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), recognized throughout the world as the leading third-party-verified program for sustainable forestry practices. FSC certification allows Notes Inc. to offer products made with paper carrying the FSC trademark, which assures customers that at every stage of its manufacture—from the management of the forest to the pulping of the wood and the making of the paper—it meets FSC’s strict environmental, social and economic standards. “Getting FSC certification demonstrates our serious commitment to green initiatives as
Read MoreGraphik Hires National Sales Manager
Graphik (formerly Graphik Vinyl), headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., announced the hiring of Gregg Chatterson as national sales manger. Chatterson will be responsible for building relationships with distributors on a national basis. He will also work with the company’s multiline reps and develop and implement tradeshow strategy. “Gregg’s experience and strong relationships will help more distributors realize the many virtues of working with Graphik. He is a true professional and we are fortunate to have someone of his caliber join our team,” said Jim McDermott, president of Graphik. Chatterson previously worked for industry companies Admanco and Senator. Graphik is currently represented by Hutchinson Marketing
Read MoreCap America Awards Top Honor
Cap America, based in Fredericktown, Miss. announced that sales representative company Brooks and Brooks of Pequea, Pa. earned the prestigious top sales award at the annual sales meeting held December 13, 2007 in St. Louis, Missouri. Carson Brooks accepted the award, which is given based on a territory’s growth throughout the year. “Brooks and Brooks is a lead contributor and a primary force behind our success in 2007. They continue to improve on their expertise of the Cap America product line and most importantly, delivering the highest-level customer satisfaction,” said Bruce Watson, president, Cap America. Joshua, Carson and Debbie Brooks represent Cap America in
Read MoreSolo Appoints Addario To Oversee Sales Division
Hauppauge, New York-based U.S. Luggage LLC, has promoted Bob Addario to vice president of sales for its SOLO division—a supplier of consumer-targeted collections of laptop cases, attachés, business backpacks and ladies’ totes. Addario is taking over all responsibilities of SOLO president, Stuart Goodman, who retires in January 2008 and will oversee the entire sales division. Goodman had been with U.S. Luggage LLC for 21 years. “We are excited to have Bob at the helm of the SOLO sales team,”said U.S. Luggage CEO Richard Krulik. “He has proven himself as a great leader, and with his vast experience in sales and knowledge of our industry
Read MoreLeed’s Announces Sales Force Expansion to Meet Growth
Pittsburgh-based Leed’s, a member of Polyconcept North America and the second largest supplier within the promotional products industry, announced it will expand its sales team based on recent sales growth by hiring three regional sales managers, Kristen O’Leary, Sandy Damjanoski, and Rick Jeronimus; two new business development representatives, Brian Anderson and Jason Fularz; and an inside sales manager, Chuck Helden. In addition, they will be hiring Dave Lassman as the new vice president of operations and making several changes to the sales structure. Rick French, currently the regional sales manager for southern California and Nevada, will be moving to the east coast
Read MoreProRose Acquires Promar Industries
Stamford, Connecticut-based supplier ProRose Inc. announced it has acquired supplier Promar Industries’ penlight division, previously based in Bridgeport, Conn. ProRose has incorporated Promar’s products and services into its current line. Promar has serviced the promotional industry for more than 30 years, offering high quality penlights and other lighting products. Production of the penlights has been moved to ProRose’s Pennsylvania location, and all orders, quotes, and any inquiries will be handled from ProRose’s headquarters in Stamford, Conn. “We have known Phil and Cathy Lindstrom of Promar for many years,” said ProRose president Ron Rosencrans, “and always admired their dedication to their business
Read MoreArthur Blank & Co. Adds Secure Bank Cards
Boston-based Arthur Blank & Co., part of the American Banknote Group, announced it is expanding into the secure bank card market in the U.S. with the recent MasterCard and Visa certifications of its 50,000 square foot production facility in Mt. Pleasant, Tenn. Internationally, American Banknote is a leading provider of MasterCard, Visa and other secure credit cards. The newly certified Tennessee facility joins card production facilities worldwide, including France, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and the Czech Republic, with an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 2 billion plastic cards for payment, prepaid, gift, marketing and chip-based card products. “This new U.S. facility for secure
Read MoreNew Multiline Representatives for Halls & Company/ID Line
Halls & Company announced it has selected two companies to represent its product lines. In the southeast, states Jim McKinley of McKinley Promotional Marketing of Matthews, N.C. will represent the company and in the northeast states, they have selected Wayne Burden and Roberta Reiss of Northeast Marketing based in Cranston, Rhode Island. “Each of these companies has a tremendous amount of experience in their respective territories and a great deal of respect from distributors in their area.” said Eric Johnson, MAS vice president of sales and development. He added, “We look forward to these two companies helping us grow to the next level
Read MorePro Towel Etc. Offers Organic Options in 2008
Pro Towels Etc., based in Pittsburgh, announced it will offer eco-friendly products for 2008, stressing that the importance of helping create a sustainable environment has become a priority to the company. The eco-friendly items being offered include 100 percent organic beach towels and 100 percent bamboo beach towels and robes. The organic cotton being used in the towels is environmentally friendly. Organic crop production is based on a system of farming that doesn’t use toxic synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides to replenish and maintain soil fertility. Certified organic means a verification process was performed by an independent state or private organization to ensure that
Read MoreS&S Activewear Hosts 10th Annual Open House
S&S Activewear, a leading national distributor of imprintable sportswear, will celebrate 20 years in business and 10 years of hosting guests at its headquarters in Bolingbrook, Ill. with a daylong open house on Friday, April 25, 2008. The open house will run from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm and feature an up-close look at S&S Activewear’s newest brands: Augusta, bella Exclusives, Doggie Skins, edun LIVE, J. America, L.A.T Sportswear, Umbro and Van Heusen. The event will be held in trade show format, feature products and representatives from the leading mills in the industry and will include: • Tours of S&S Activewear’s 454,000 sq. ft.
Read More