Industry sales veteran Steve LaFalce, vice president of sales at Parsippany, New Jersey-based Avaline, will retire at the end of the year to pursue a longtime passion of golf instructing. “After playing golf for nearly 40 years, along with social instructing at outings and events, combined with 25 years of giving promotional product presentations, it was only natural for me to want to combine these for the last phase of my life,” he said. LaFalce will be at the helm of a new company named To You Golf Instruction. He recently obtained Master Professional Golf Instructor certification from PGTAA. Len Hornstein, CEO, and Gary
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In the “Badges, Buttons and Lanyards” product section in the July 2006 issue, two of the products featured were misidentified. The following are the correct product descriptions: Stick Your Neck Out End-users can stick their necks out and gain valuable advertising exposure with Banaka’s Convention Neck Wallet. The wallet is made from 300D ripstop polyester with PVC backing for durability. The adjustable nylon cord and lock make it comfortable to wear. The product features a main compartment with Velcro closure, an open pocket on the flap, a front clear-PVC window and a rear open pocket with a pen loop. Available in black, gray,
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Fast Lane Clothing, Tampa, Fla., is a semi-finalist for the prestigious Small Business of the Year Award offered by the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce. Together, the company’s national clothing lines—Toucan Dance and Scrub Nation—offer casual wear, uniforms, medical attire and custom apparel. The Small Business of the Year Award has been given to Tampa Bay area small businesses since 1981. Award winners are chosen for their best representation of successful entrepreneurship. Criteria for selection includes company history and philosophy, management, innovation, response to adversity, leadership, and community contributions. Award winners will be announced and honored at the Small Business Awards Dinner on Sept.
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MasterCast, Pawtucket, R.I., has acquired the Marken Industries line from Josef Creations, Providence R.I. The Marken line of emblematic jewelry was established in 1977 and was owned by Josef Creations since the early 1980s. David Katseff, president of MasterCast, said the Marken line will be marketed as a separate division of MasterCast. “Marken is well known in the promotional products industry for its broad selection of stock and custom castings, pewter collection of specialty items and replicas, and custom collectibles,” he said. “Although we will continue to promote our strong position on American-made products, we will also make available MasterCast’s overseas sourcing resources to
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Chicago-based R.S. Owens has hired Nicole Angeloni as graphic designer. In this role, Angeloni will be responsible for managing artwork for imprinted orders, including typesetting, logo creation and enhancements, layouts, personalizations, and other tasks as needed. She will also be involved in the development and implementation of new procedures to optimize and accelerate artwork turnaround. “With the growth in imprinted orders we have seen over the last year, this is an important position to fill with a professional of Nicole’s talent and background,” said Ray David, art director. “Accurately and quickly preparing art files for our many processes is what our customers expect of
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Former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani visited the Bodek & Rhodes booth at Philadelphia’s ASI show this past May. According to Bodek & Rhodes representatives at the booth, Giuliani spent about 10 minutes with them and showed a keen interest in the company’s UltraClub line and the concept of private-label branding. “Needless to say, we were very excited and honored to have such a well-known person spend that much time in our booth,” said Julie Heller, marketing manager. “He was sincerely interested in our business. He’d be a perfect UltraClub spokesperson.” For more information, visit www.bodekandrhodes.com.
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A leading designer and producer of high-impact dimensional marketing solutions, Structural Graphics’ high-profile pharmaceutical clients include Merck, Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline, Bayer, and Johnson & Johnson. The Essex, Connecticut-based company has found pharmaceutical companies are willing to spend extra money on attention-getting devices, such as 3-D advertising pieces, as well as promotional products and premiums. “Physicians and health-care professionals are bombarded by a tremendous amount of daily direct mail clutter,” said Michael Dambra, vice president of marketing at Structural Graphics. “Relatively speaking, there is a limited target of doctors and specialists out there, and the time they have available for detail representative visits, medical education conferences and
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Chaney Cruze, owner of Nashville-based 4C Promotional Products, placed second in the Nashville Business Plan Competition on June 9. Cruze was awarded $10,000 in cash and prizes for her winning executive summary of her business plan during a ceremony at the Nashville Public Library. “I entered because the first round prize was a chance to go through the FastTrac program,” said Cruze. 4C Promotional Products, which Cruze started with her husband Chip in 2004, provides imprinted promotional items, corporate gifts and logoed apparel to small businesses. The company specializes in helping businesses that serve homeowners find the best way to use promotional products to achieve
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Fey Line, Edgerton, Minn., has added territory managers Brenda Banks and Kristina Meulebroeck to its team of sales professionals. “Brenda and Kristina will be strong assets to the Fey Line sales team,” said Mike Fey, vice president of sales. “They both want to support our company’s mission of meeting and exceeding customers’ expectations, and they can’t wait to get to know our customers better.” Banks, who has a strong background in sales and customer service, will be responsible for managing the central United States region. She will be based at company headquarters in Edgerton. Meulebroeck, who was promoted from customer support representative, will manage
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Aloe Up Sun & Skin Care Products, Eden Prairie, Minn., has hired Rena Wells as director of marketing and merchandising. With more than 11 years of industry experience as both a supplier and a distributor, Wells will be responsible for generating selling programs and ideas for the company’s top 50 distributors, as well as heading up its marketing efforts. “Rena has many years of experience on the supplier side, as well as the distributor side, so she understands better than anyone I know what distributors need to succeed,” said Tom Whaley, president and CEO. “She is here at Aloe Up to help key distributors
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