$10 Million Lead Paint Fine and Other Industry News

Though the topic has been out of the news spotlight, we shouldn’t forget about the lead paint issue that effects the promotional products industry. While no one knows how wide-spread the problem is, it is nice to see companies are beginning to be held responsible for their actions.

Producer of Give-Away Lunchboxes Ordered to Pay $10 Million

L.A.-based lunchbox maker sold 100,000 lead-tainted lunchboxes to the state.
Oakland, CA -In San Francisco Superior Court yesterday, Judge Richard A. Kramer ordered L.A.-based T A Creations to pay $10,071,500 for the company’s violation of California law when it sold lead-tainted lunchboxes to

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Gold Medal Fleece and New-At-Vantage

RiverMills Made in USA Fleece endorsed by U.S. Track & Field Champion
RiverMills Outfitters, manufacturer of Made in USA fleece apparel, is proud to announce the endorsement of Dr. Thomas Fahey, 10-time U.s. Track & Field Senior Discus Throw Champion. Dr. Fahey will be wearing RiverMills R100 microfleece jacket at this year’s National Senior Games where he is going for an unprecedented 11th straight National Seniors Champion title.
For more information on RiverMills Outfitters, visit www.rivermillsoutfitters.com

Vantage Adds Veteran Garran to Sales Team
Avenel, New Jersey-based Vantage Apparel hired Brett Garran as the sales representative for Northern N.J. and Western N.Y. Garran

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HOW THE STARS ALIGN

Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true.
«CHARLES DICKENS, ENGLISH NOVELIST
A dear friend of mine is a student of astrology—yes, horoscopes, how the stars align and how these lineups impact our lives. While I do not have much knowledge of these things, she occasionally imparts information to me about astrological matters I should be aware of in my life.
Recently, she informed me Mercury had moved into retrograde and my reaction was a somewhat sarcastic, “So?” She explained this is a time when communications can

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The Hat-Pak

No, this isn’t an updated version of Sammy and Frank’s bunch (Brat Pack for the younger readers), just a new product I happen to like. After finally having some time to sit down and go through business cards, contacts and products from the Las Vegas PPAI show, I came across the Hat-Pak sample I received. Just one of many diverse and unique new products, I might add.
I think one of my most enjoyable conversations came in the final hours of the show. Thinking that I’d seen it all and done it all over the first three days, I

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What Is The Secret Ingredient for Marketing & Sales Integration?

In almost 20 years of working in both marketing and sales roles, I’m consistently perplexed by the cross-departmental relationships between marketing and sales teams. Recently, I’ve been working with a number of companies to learn more about the key factors involved in integrating marketing and sales and producing increased sales revenue and ROI.
It has become clear to me that the secret lies in training both your marketing and sales teams to truly listen to your customers. This allows you to better understand your customer, their needs and the solutions and/or experiences they are looking for. Armed with this valuable information, you will be

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Today’s News and Notes: PromoMarketing.com is launched!

Today’s news is the launch of the new PromoMarketing.com Website. After months of development, we are happy to say that we’re up and running and raring to go. The goal is to provide distributors and suppliers that latest and greatest information, be it new products or reviews of the best that is out there.
I hope everyone will stop back, or take a minute between searches to see what is going on with all of our industry insider blogs. Publisher Matt Barnes will be sharing his more than 10 years of industry knowledge, as will Promo Marketing magazine editorial director Nichole Stella.

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