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 MoreEric Baumgartner Joins WorkflowOne as Senior Vice President
WorkflowOne, based in Dayton, Ohio, a provider of print, promotional products and supply chain services, announced Eric Baumgartner has joined the company as senior vice president, strategy and solutions delivery. Baumgartner will be responsible for WorkflowOne’s strategy, marketing, communications, solutions development, pricing, proposal support, strategic sourcing and implementation. Baumgartner will report to Greg Mosher, chief executive officer and chairman of parent company Workflow Management Inc., based in Palm Beach, Fla. “Eric brings a wealth of industry experience with leading companies in the print, customer communication and electronic document markets,” Mosher said. “By coupling strategic insight with solid execution, he has developed market-leading business
Read MoreSanMar Presents the Women’s 2008 Sizing Edition
Seattle-based SanMar Corp, a leading supplier of imprintable apparel and accessories, announced the unveiling of its Women’s 2008 Sizing Edition: Find the Fit that Flatters. The 12-page sizing catalog debuts three new women’s fit designations and helps dispel the confusion that often surrounds women’s sizing and fit. Organized according to each of the three new women’s fit options—classic, contemporary and junior—the Women’s Sizing Edition allows customers to quickly and easily recognize the distinctive features of each silhouette. In addition, the catalog, with its fashion-inspired photography and easy-to-use layout, provides helpful production suggestions for women’s styles within each fit category. “Like the retail
Read MoreDown to Earth
Just four days ago in Philadelphia, it was 30 degrees outside. Completely appropriate for January, but I really felt—through violent, you’re-an-idiot-for-wearing-a-light-jacket shivering—that I was getting the last laugh. I was heading to sunny Orlando!
Yeah. It might have been sunny, but it was far from warm, as anyone who attended the ASI Orlando show can attest.
And now, here I am, back in Philadelphia. It’s still January. Only this time, it’s 62 degrees outside. And to paraphrase words of my coworker Ethan Boldt (editor of a sister publication at our company), it’s the first time in a long while that people aren’t necessarily
Politics and Promotions
» Be the change that you want to see in the world.
«MAHATMA GHANDI, INDIAN LEADER, 1869 – 1948
I write this editor’s note on the day of the assassination of two-time Pakistani prime minister, Benazir Bhutto. Readers may ask, “What possible connection could her death have with the sales of promotional products?” Directly—I can easily cite, this being our political-promotions issue—it makes sense. Oftentimes, buttons,badges and ribbons are made to commemorate even horrific events, such as this. I can also mention the ensuing ramifications a world leader’s assassination can have on our industry economically. Already-delicate world markets and staggeringly high oil prices—which
Work Smarter, Not Harder for Nonprofitsa
NEED A LESSON in stretching a dollar? Look no further than the nonprofit sector. Because these organizations rely so heavily on the kindness of strangers, each has become adept at making ends meet, not to mention, moving the world with precious few hands on deck. Despite meager budgets and a lack of manpower, however, many nonprofits are seeking outside help to properly position their efforts. According to Daniel Welborne, vice president, promotional products for Dayton, Ohio-based WorkflowOne, “I will say nonprofits have learned marketing plays a critical role in promoting awareness and generating financial support for their cause.” For a sector with such inherent
Read MoreDon’t Rain on My Parade
DURING THE TIMES of pharaohs and pyramids, umbrellas were a convenience reserved only for the upper-echelon of society. However, 21st- century umbrellas have much more to do than shield royalty from rain and shine. They are one of the few ad specialty products deserving of the title, “walking billboard.” With new imprinting techniques and equally modern designs, umbrellas are expanding their scope as viable promotional products. Helen Stromberg, president of Hudson Valley Umbrella/StrombergBrand, Peekskill, N.Y., said, “Umbrellas really started taking off when the imprinting technology started advancing ten years ago.” Now, with a wide selection of printing methods available—digital printing, heat transfer and sublimation, for example—vibrant,
Read MoreLiving in the Lap of Luxury
TIME HAS COME to answer the question, which, truthfully, has long been decided by some of the leading fashion houses: What’s in for spring? This year’s answer is not color, nor is it cut. Don’t be surprised that length is not it, either. This spring, fabrics are where it’s at. “The newest thing in business casual apparel is a gradual swing toward upscale fabrics,” noted Lee Strom, senior marketing manager at Seattle, Wash.-based SanMar. But, it’s not just any kind of fabric that’s in. “Luxury fabrics, like silk, are becoming more obtainable and are available at approachable price points,” explained Strom. Strom couldn’t be
Read MoreHillarakoromnabee!
SOME SAY IT was sheer coincidence when presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s poll numbers soared in Iowa and New Hampshire a mere few weeks after Chuck Norris-endorsed, “Huck and Chuck” campaign gear was released on his Web site. Others will say it was inevitable and simply demonstrates the power of a quality promotional product. What can’t be argued, though, is the fact that promotional products go with politics like peas go with carrots. Fittingly, the first political product actually coincided with the first President of the United States, George Washington, who wore a political button during his inauguration on April 30, 1789 in Manhattan. His
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