Crystal D, of St. Paul, Minn., announced three new hires and two promotions in business development, marketing, customer service and purchasing. The Crystal D business development department has added Jeremy Haukaas. Haukaas has nine years of customer service experience as well as eight years of experience in the promotional products industry. He will be responsible for establishing professional customer relationships, training distributors, and presenting solutions for all project and product requests. Lorraine Rosecrans has been hired as marketing manager. Rosecrans has more than 20 years of sales and marketing experience in the promotional products industry. She has won 11 national awards for marketing,
Read MoreJayme Weber Appointed President of the Promotional Products at PremiumWear
“Jayme Weber has been appointed president of the promotional products division effective November 30th, 2007,” announced Harris Hester, CEO Forsyth Holdings, parent company of PremiumWear, Minnetonka, Minnesota. Jayme succeeds Tim Klouda who is leaving PremiumWear for another position in the industry. Weber joined PremiumWear in 2001 as national sales manager and was named vice president of sales, promotional products division in 2005. Further, Weber has more than 20 years experience in apparel sales management. Prior to his career at PremiumWear, Weber worked as an independent owner of a sales representative organization and as a sales representative. “We are excited about our growth in
Read MoreSeastone Dresses Up Restaurant Gift Cards
Provo, Utah-based Seastone, a supplier of specialty gift-card packages and gift-card promotional programs, announced an new offering of gift-card packages and programs for the restaurant industry. “We know that in the retail industry, and particularly within the restaurant segment, customers are looking for ways to personalize and add value to make gift-cards more of a gift,” said Mary Cusick, senior vice president, restaurant marketing for Bob Evans Farms. “We think Seastone will help us do that within our brand character.” Seastone currently is helping restaurants and other retailers develop their 2008 gift-card promotional programs. Depending on the type of restaurant, Seastone’s gift-card packages
Read MoreLeed’s Signs Licensing Agreement with Zippo
Effective December 21, 2007, Leed’s, a member of Polyconcept North America, which is headquartered in New Kensington, Penn., will become the exclusive promotional industry supplier of Bradford, Pennsylvania-based Zippo brand products. Through Leed’s, distributors will have access to Zippo’s line of multipurpose lighters, the classic Zippo windproof lighters, and Zippo non-flame products spanning a variety of categories. Zippo, an American icon for 75 years, has had a presence in the promotional products industry since 1935. Greg Booth, president and CEO of Zippo, explained, “This agreement is a great opportunity for Zippo. Strategically, it makes sense. We continue to do what we do best—design and
Read MoreSanMar Raises $36,000 For Breast Cancer Research
Seattle-based SanMar Corporation, a supplier of imprintable apparel and accessories, proudly announced that their employees raised more than $36,000 for breast cancer research. “It was a whirlwind of fund-raising activity and certainly no lack of creativity, with raffles, bake sales and garage sales. We are so pleased to partner with the local community and raise money towards such an important and worthy cause,”explained Susan Jarvie, human resource manager at SanMar. The SanMar fundraising campaign was held in conjunction with the October campaign of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Cities around the country, including Seattle, host five-kilometer noncompetitive walks to raise funds to fight
Read MoreS&S Activewear Releases 2008 Catalog Marking 20 Years in Business
S&S Activewear, based in Bolingbrook, Ill., a national distributor of imprintable sportswear, enters its landmark 20th year in business in 2008 with the release of the largest and most diverse catalog in its history. The S&S Activewear 2008 Collection contains 384 pages of 1,400 styles from 58 top brands. Among the highlights are expanded offerings in organic and sustainable apparel from several brands. In addition, the catalog cover is printed on TerraSkin, a tree-free paper made from stone. Because it is a fiberless material, TerraSkin uses 20 to 30 percent less ink than conventional papers, and is extremely strong. The following eight brands are
Read MoreZipline Unveils Nearly 50 New Product Styles for 2008
Green Bay, Wisconsin-based Zipline, announced the early launch of their new 2008 catalog in order to offer distributors a chance to build momentum early for 2008 sales campaigns. According to Zipline president Hans Kindsgrab, “By launching our catalog early, it offers our distributor partners a great way to set themselves apart by giving their customers fresh new ideas to consider for their 2008 promotion and recognition needs.” Zipline prides itself on being adamant about avoiding any new products readily available by other suppliers. According to Kindsgrab, “We promise to only add new items that are truly unique. Our distributors should grab our catalog
Read MoreSenator USA and Dart Pen Merger
Senator & Co. announced the merger of Senator USA and Dart Manufacturing into the newly formed Senator Promotional Group USA. Michael Nick, president and CEO of Senator Group Worldwide, said, “This is the first step in Senator’s global strategy to become a prominent supplier of promotional products around the world. Senator enjoys the number-one position for promotional ball point pens in Europe and has a significant presence in about 90 countries around the world. We are very happy to now have a strong foothold in the U.S. market, the biggest promotional products market in the world. We also recognize that we need to
Read MoreProforma Achieves $30 Million in Monthly Sales in October
Prepared to celebrate its 30th Anniversary in 2008, Cleveland-based Proforma, provider of print and promotional products, achieved a record-breaking month, exceeding $30 million in system-wide sales. The earnings figure represents a 10 percent increase over the company’s previous high that was achieved in December 2006. “We are proud to announce this milestone in the growth of Proforma,” began Greg Muzzillo, founder and co-CEO of Proforma. “Proforma is focused on increasing system-wide sales through the retention and recruitment of quality owners who believe in Proforma and in selling comprehensive business solutions to their customers. This record-breaking month is another exciting indication that Proforma is
Read MoreSportsman Cap Network Showcases Headwear for 2008
In an effort to allow distributors to be better prepared for the upcoming year, Shawnee, Kansas-based Sportsman Cap Network has made its catalog available early. “We have an exciting product lineup for 2008 and we couldn’t wait to get the catalog into the hands of our customers,” said Dan Saferstein, CEO. “We have added new brands, several new styles and trends that are sure to be a hit.” Saferstein believes the wide range of available styles takes into account today’s diverse culture, allowing wearers to display their individuality and fashion sense. The Sportsman line includes an extensive collection of functional caps, as well
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