According to the sticky note put on my desk by Charles Plyter (PM’s esteemed Web editor and my cube neighbor), I am a grinch.
I can’t help it.
I’m just not feeling very Christmas-y this year. And though that just happens to be my denominational holiday, I’ll even go out on a limb and say I’m also on the outs with Hannukah and Kwanzaa. Not even up for Festivus. My lassitude is that bad—I’m actually denouncing holidays I’ve never even celebrated.
But that doesn’t mean I’m going to rain on your seasonal parade. However, if I may, I’m going to widen
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Created for active, on-the-go individuals, Alo, a women’s and men’s performance-based sportswear collection, introduces unique proprietary technologies and fabrications for spring 2008. “Our spring ’08 collection brings elements of fashion into sportswear design so it is incredibly easy to wear every day,” said Daniel Harris, co-founder of Los Angeles-based Alo. Harris added, “Each style in this collection is designed and fit to enhance and flatter the body, making the wearer look as good as they feel.” The performance fabric featured in various women’s and men’s styles blends stretch bamboo and cotton spandex to create a lightweight, breathable jersey fabric. It also features naturally
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Dayton, Ohio-based, WorkflowOne announced it will help The Smile Train (www.smiletrain.org) by providing significant savings on its fund raising and brand-related spending. By handling all print and promotional product management for The Smile Train, WorkflowOne will save the organization an estimated $1.6 million annually. These savings will be used to provide free cleft palate surgery to approximately 6,400 children in developing countries. WorkflowOne will also provide additional services including design, sourcing, warehousing, marketing, fulfillment and delivery for the charity. Unlike many charities that support a number of causes, The Smile Train is focused on solving a single problem: cleft palates. Clefts are
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Wayland, Massachusettes-based iPROMOTEu announced that 17 promotional products distributors have affiliated with iPROMOTEu in October 2007. During the first 10 months of 2007, a total of 139 promotional products distributors have affiliated with iPROMOTEu (surpassing last year’s total of 114 new iPROMOTEu Affiliates). The annual sales volume represented by these 139 new iPROMOTEu Affiliates is in excess of $28,000,000. Presently, 345 distributors from 42 states (Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia as well) are affiliated with iPROMOTEu. Adding the salespeople working for iPROMOTEu Affiliates, more than 400 industry sales professionals are being supported by iPROMOTEu. “Experienced industry distributors and
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“Avaline is proud to be a part of a great industry with a history of giving back,” said Leonard Hornstein, CEO of Parsippany, New Jersey-based supplier Avaline. “We feel our Bronze Level donation ($12,000) to the PPEF Tomorrow Fund is an appropriate contribution given our size and financial plan over the next few years.” Hornstein believes higher education is important to all businesses and all Americans. “We compete in a global economy where jobs are exported to low-cost providers all over the world. We cannot stop this natural flow, but we can retrain and educate our people so they gain new skills to replace
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Leed’s, New Kensington, Pa., unveiled 100 percent post-consumer recycled products and other environmentally-friendly products in its Meeting and Conventions launch. Leed’s, a Polyconcept North America company, is debunking the perception that environmentally-friendly products compromise style by offering options that are made from recycled material but still maintain mainstream appeal. Owl is the flagship collection for Leed’s EcoSmart effort and includes bags composed of either 100 percent or 51 percent post-consumer recycled material. EcoSmart also encompasses stationery made from recycled leather or cardboard. For every EcoSmart import order placed, Leed’s will plant a tree through American Forests. “We stand by our environmentally responsible products,” explained
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PromoCard Services, Miami Beach, Fla. announced the launch of a promotional campaign for brand marketers called MysteryPIN. The new promotion is based on the concept of a “mystery prize,” which is uncovered by customers when they log onto a branded Web site and enter the PIN code from a product’s package or on an individual promotional item. This strategy stimulates customers to join in a promotional treasure hunt, thus driving multiple sales and repeat business for brand marketers. The goal of MysteryPIN is to provide end-users a way to drive multiple sales by linking one or more large prizes to personal identity numbers
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PassAlong Networks, Franklin, Tenn. and PromoCard Services, Miami Beach, Fla., announced the launch of an MP3-only online store to make downloading gift cards and music incentive programs more accessible. The MP3-only download store (http://MP3.BallyhooMusic.com) will feature more than two million songs from both independent labels and major market label EMI, making it the largest legal MP3 catalog that includes songs from a major label. Utilizing PassAlong Networks’ StoreBlocks music distribution platform, which supports Safari, Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers, the MP3 tracks available at the site work well with both Macintosh and Windows operating systems. Music download cards and
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Golden Pacific, City of Industry, Calif., announced Howard Berman as the new national sales manager. Berman has extensive experience in the promotional products industry, having previously served as the director of sales and marketing for Calibre International, Irwindale, Calif. Prior to this, Berman was also a promotional products distributor for five years. Best known for its line of promotional bags, Golden Pacific also carries products in a range of other categories: sport bags, business cases, stationary, coolers, backpacks, totes, luggage, specialty bags and accessories. For more information on Golden Pacific, call (888) 388-8842 or visit www.golden-pacific.com. Do you have a press
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Winthrop-Atkins, Middleboro, Mass. announced a new line of upscale calendars, featuring original designs and fashion trends. nown as the Evolution Series company officials hope to turn age-old, yet always sought-after, calendars into highly desirable instruments of home and office fashion. Showcased at promotional product trade shows during the third quarter 2007, Winthrop’s calendar collection featured new calendar features ranging from animal skins to stainless steel to crystal and diamond-studded units. Further, Winthrop announced same-day service for many of its presentation-folder products, an attempt to offer distributors a virtual “drive-thru” for last minute foil stamped folders. Such immediate service is very valuable in the
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