Eight promotional products distributors have affiliated with iPROMOTEu, Wayland, Mass., in July, representing an annual sales volume of approximately $1,000,000. To date, a total of 106 promotional products distributors have affiliated with iPROMOTEu this year. They represent an annual sales volume in excess of $20,000,000. Presently, more than 325 distributors from 42 states (including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia) are affiliated with iPROMOTEu. The following individuals are among the new affiliates: Dennis Ciecko of Valued Incentives & Promotions, New Hartford, N.Y.; Dennis Hawk of Shenandoah River Promotions, Charles Town, W.V.; Krystal Nunez of OC Promo Group, Fullerton,
Read MoreMaple Ridge Farms Announces 85,000 Sq.-Ft. Expansion
Tom Riordan, CEO, today announced Maple Ridge Farms, Mosinee, Wis., is breaking ground for a new 85,000 sq.-ft. facility that will operate in conjunction with its existing facility. The new structure, which will be located in the Central Wisconsin Business Park in Mosinee, adjacent to the company’s current location, will increase total operating space to 110,000 sq. ft. “The addition of this new facility will more than triple our existing operational space and allow us to continue to grow our business,” stated Riordan. “We estimate the new facility will be large enough to handle our growth for the next five to seven years,
Read MoreDistributor Announces Winner in $5,000 Lip-Balm Contest
Trae Taylor, owner of Peak Incentives, Herndon, Va., designed a self-promotion campaign: The $5,000 Mystery Flavor Game, where contestants were to guess the flavor of custom-flavored lip balms purchased from SnugZ USA, Salt Lake City. Following almost 10,000 guesses in the past 18 months, the company named Natalie Taylor of Reston, Va., as the first $5,000 winner. “We’re thrilled that Natalie, a prospective new customer, is our first $5,000 winner,” noted Taylor. “Looking back, I never would have imagined that this promotion would be so successful—everybody loved it.” Peak Incentives purchased www.mysteryflavorgame.com and built a direct mail campaign around the lip balms, sending
Read MoreCustom HBC Acquires Dovetail Ventures, Ranked in HOT 500 List
Custom HBC Corporation, Waconia, Minn., recently purchased the assets and equipment of Oxnard, California-based Dovetail Ventures, a health and beauty care supplier. In addition, the company was ranked #262 on Entrepreneur’s HOT 500 list, an annual ranking of the fastest-growing entrepreneurial businesses in the United States, which was published in the magazine’s August issue. Custom HBC was chosen from more than 19 million businesses reviewed for the ranking. Of the acquisition, company president and owner, Larry Wilhelm, said, “This acquisition adds unique, proprietary sports-ball shaped products to our product line-up, thereby enhancing our ability to support our distributor customers.” Dovetail Ventures’ owner
Read MorePromoVision Palomino Moves to Larger Facility
As a result of ongoing company growth, PromoVision Palomino, Memphis, Tenn., has moved its sales and marketing office to a new location. The new address is located at 1355 Lynnfield Rd., Ste #205, Memphis, TN 38119. The company’s phone and fax numbers, and e-mail and Web addresses will remain the same. For more information, call (901) 795-6500 or visit www.pvpal.com
Read MoreAprons, Etc. Introduces “Uncommon” Line
Aprons, Etc., Mauldin, S.C., has formed a partnership with V-Tex Corporation to exclusively market V-Tex’s Uncommon Threads Line to the industry. The line offers a 72-page catalog of in-stock chef, cook and servers apparel. Culinary accessories are also included. For more information, call (800) 467-1996 or visit www.apronsetc.com
Read MoreBIC Gains $15+ Million in Assets in Atchison Deal
Reporting a sales value in excess of $15 million, Atchison Products, Atchison, Kan., has signed a definitive agreement to be purchased by Clearwater, Florida-based BIC Graphic USA. The agreement is expected to close on Aug. 31. According to Jack Teague, president of BIC Global Graphic, a major benefit of the acquisition is getting Atchison’s products—totes, bags, coolers and backpacks—into the hands of more distributors. “We believe that the biggest sales opportunity is the fact that Atchison Products currently sells to less than 3,000 distributors within our industry,” he noted, adding that BIC’s distributor count is more than 15,000. “Our expectation is to mutually work
Read MoreEnnis Acquires Trade Envelopes
Ennis, Midlothian, Texas, has acquired Trade Envelopes, a printer and manufacturer of envelopes headquartered in Carol Stream, Ill. The acquisition is Ennis’ direct response to distributor requests for an envelope supplier to service the Midwest and Southeastern United States. The acquisition is expected to provide the capital and customer base Trade Envelopes needs to grow and develop the wholesale envelope business in the area east of the Rockies, according to Ennis personnel. Ennis entered the envelope market with the 2006 acquisition of Block Graphics. “The distributor demand for envelopes is still a growing part of the market, and Ennis has actively been seeking
Read MoreTips of the Trade: If you have sticky notes everywhere…
By Ilise Benun, marketing mentor I’d be dead without my lists. There are so many distractions over the course of a day, I often forget what the heck I’m supposed to be working on. (Can you relate?) Until recently, I had sticky notes all over my calendar, computer and desk to remind me. But then, I discovered Ta-da lists. It’s a simple, Web-based software that basically serves as a big bucket for all the lists I want to keep—all in one place. I just keep the browser window open all day with my lists in my face to make sure I stay on
Read MoreGet on the Road with SHOWTIME
SHOWTIME, Greenland, N.H., kicked off its Autumn 2007 tour with its first trade show in Mansfield, Mass., on Mon., Aug. 20. The traveling trade show will visit a number of major American cities over the course of three weeks: Aug. 20-24, Sept., 24-28 and Oct., 8-12. Of Monday’s show, Alan Goldfarb, president, noted: “We had a typically successful day, and I am thrilled to be back on the road again.” Goldfarb admitted the first day of exhibits did not set any new attendance records, nor did he expect it to. However, he added all the supplier-exhibitors were pleased with the “quality
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