International Merchandise Concepts (IMC), Agoura Hills, Calif., appointed Doug Smith to the newly created position of creative services manager. Smith will coordinate the production of all marketing materials, manage the graphics department and assist the vice president of sales and marketing in developing and implementing IMC marketing strategies. Smith brings with him 16 years of experience in art creation and production, sales and account management and marketing. His sales and marketing experience has included the development of national marketing programs and account acquisitions. Of the new position, which he has held for a little over two weeks, Smith said, “The slower season is starting
Read MoreNorwood Takes Introspective Look with “The Mighty 8”
In an effort to learn how it could better serve distributors and improve its overall service, Norwood Promotional Products, Indianapolis, recently hosted a focus group consisting of eight distributors, dubbed “The Mighty 8.” “Getting feedback was important to us because we wanted to learn how we could give our distributors the best service, which may include calling more often, improving order status or helping them custom-source products,” explained Allison Avin, manager of marketing communications. Members of Norwood’s leadership team, including company president Paul Lage, engaged the group in dialogue about the company’s perception in the industry, its past performance and plans for the
Read MoreSanMar Strikes It Big
Seattle-based SanMar has opened a new 770,000-sq.-ft. facility in West Chester, Ohio, which is estimated to be the wholesale apparel industry’s largest warehouse. The facility was constructed from the ground up and is strategically placed in close proximity to many population hubs in order to reach the greatest number of SanMar’s customers. This is part of SanMar’s plan to have 1- to 2-day shipping for 99 percent of the American population. “The size of the new facility represents a dedication to having the inventory our customers need so they can be confident about delivering products on time to their own clients,” said Jordan Lott,
Read MoreTogether Forever after 25 Years
In 1981, Chicago Gourmet Specialties was formed. After being in business for one year, the company split, giving birth to Chicago Gourmet Specialties and A La Carte. Then, after a 22-year-long seperation, the two companies were reunited in 2003 under the A La Carte umbrella and new ownership. This year, the company is celebrating its 25th anniversary. “Both companies had grown in different directions over the 22 years they were apart,” noted Mike Shulkin, principal. “Chicago Gourmet Specialties was more customer-service and computer oriented, and A La Carte had a lot of new production capabilities that Chicago Gourmet didn’t have. The combination worked
Read MoreFamily First at RMK Worldwide
Now in its 21st year of operation, RMK Worldwide, Deerfield Beach, Fla., has launched a new line of stress relievers with family in mind. The fully-customized DLK line was named in honor of the owners’ first child, six-month old Dylan Lexi Knobel, who was born on February 7. According to Robert Knobel, president/owner, the DLK line will be introduced in a number of series, with the first containing automotive-related stress reliever keychains. “The line will contain a variety of unique merchandise, such as exotic cars, cell phone holders, boats, planes, gum ball machines and piggy banks,” he said. While the company has been very successful with
Read MoreOOBE Launches Partnership Rebate Marketing Program
OOBE Corporate Outfitters, Greenville, S.C., recently announced a new promotional Partnership Rebate Program, which allows the company’s growing list of wholesalers and their premium promotion distributor (PPD) customers to take advantage of lower per-unit pricing on all of OOBE-branded merchandise. In addition, PPDs can gain a $0.50 manufacturer’s rebate for every garment purchased during the promotion period, which runs through the end of September. “Our industry needs the generation of more sales from the higher-end of the rapidly expanding performance sector of the apparel industry, and we need to help our customers aggressively develop this new category of business with the OOBE brand,” noted
Read MoreBodek & Rhodes Offers Major Retail Brands for 2007
Bodek & Rhodes, Philadelphia, recently announced the addition of the following brands to its 2007 wearables line: Tommy Hilfiger, Weatherproof Garment Co., Alo, NYNE and Oxford Golf. These additions bring the total number of brands carried by Bodek & Rhodes to 32. The brands will debute in the supplier’s annual Big Book catalog, available Jan. 1, 2007. “Bodek and Rhodes has always focused on helping our customers grow their sales within traditional markets, as well as new markets,” said Mike Rhodes, president. “We’ve talked to customers and studied trends. Our additions for 2007 reflect our findings. We’re delivering more designer fashions and retail
Read MoreDard Products Gets Foster Children Ready for School
In response to a local newspaper article requesting help in furnishing supplies to local foster children with limited back-to-school resources, Dard Products, Evanston, Ill., provided hundreds of its school-related products to the Lake County Charities Office Foster Care Department. The company contributed products from its sizeable Tagmaster line, including staplers, rulers and pens, which were received in time for the upcoming school year. This act of charity was not the first for the family-owned company. Last year, after the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and the surrounding areas, Dard Products donated a variety of its safety and emergency items to aid hurricane
Read MorePPAI Women’s Conference Named Annual Event, Empowered Attendants
Approximately 100 industry female executives were inspired, empowered and refreshed at the Second PPAI Women’s Leadership Conference last month. Participants evaluated the conference at an overall value of 99.4 percent, which helped to influence PPAI’s decision in making it an annual event. “I was drawn back to this year’s conference because of the relationships I established at last year’s conference,” said Teresa Moisant, president/owner of Oklahoma City-based distributorship Moisant Promotional Products. “The personal bonding experience is just amazing. It’s a group of women with a total commitment to helping each other.” The event, which convened in Colorado Springs, Colo., July 19-21, provided opportunities for
Read MoreNorwood Promotes Two to Sales Management
Norwood Promotional Products, Indianapolis, recently announced the promotion of two account managers to sales management positions. Kevin Wicks, a 15-year Norwood veteran, has been promoted to vice president of sales of the central region. He will lead account managers in the Midwest, representing all Norwood product lines except dated products. Prior to joining Norwood, Wicks spent several years in marketing and sales roles for various industry suppliers. Michael Clark, who joined the company in 2004, has been promoted to vice president of national accounts. Clark made the transition into promotional products after working for several years in the incentives industry. He will join
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