Business Card, Inc. Acquires Triangle Wholesale's Assets
Tullahoma, Tennessee-based supplier Business Card, Inc. (UPIC: CARDS) has acquired the assets of Nashville, Tennessee-based supplier Triangle Wholesale Printing & Pad Company.

The combined business merged operations at the end of June and operates as a new company in Tullahoma, retaining Triangle's name for its product line. Nine of Triangle's employees accepted positions with Business Card, Inc.

"Merging these companies makes tremendous strategic sense," says Joel Isenstein, president of Business Card, Inc. "This merger advances Triangle's pre-press technology, tightens its turnaround times and increases its printing capabilities, and BCI now has a much wider variety of items to offer its customers."

Cooper & Clement Receives
New York State Business Grant
Syracuse, New York-based supplier Cooper & Clement, Inc. (UPIC: MUGMART) has received a $55,000 grant from the Empire State Development Corporation to help offset the costs of upgrading its production capabilities.

The grant is one of several given to New York State businesses in an effort to help retain current jobs and create new ones throughout the state, according to a news story published last week.

Cooper & Clement is planning to renovate its facility to accommodate new laser cutting and printing tools. The company expects to create five new jobs as a result.

Ennis Moves Trade Envelopes Operation
Midlothian, Texas-based supplier Ennis, Inc. (UPIC: ENNIS) is relocating its Trade Envelopes facility in Carol Stream, Illinois, to a larger Ennis facility in Princeton, Illinois. Following the move, administration and customer service for Trade Envelopes will take place in Trade Envelopes' Tullahoma, Tennessee, facility.

The transfer of equipment and work is expected to be completed by September 18. Production, shipping and invoicing in the Princeton facility will continue under the Trade Envelopes name.

Incentive Federation Launches Healthcare Incentives Campaign
The Incentive Federation has launched a national effort to show Congress that incentives can improve healthcare decisions and reduce spending while also enhancing overall health when used as part of wellness programs.

"Employees need compelling reasons and immediate tangible benefits to encourage them to participate in wellness programs," says George Delta, IF executive director. "In fact, recent studies have shown that employee participation in wellness programs measurably increases and costs decrease when incentives are offered."

Click here to read more.

Paramount Apparel Joins Premier Group
Bourbon, Missouri-based supplier Paramount Apparel International, Inc. (UPIC: AMER0034) has joined The Premier Promotional Group, a national alliance of independent suppliers and distributors.

Sanford B2B To Consolidate Decorating Operations
Janesville, Wisconsin-based supplier Sanford Business-to-Business (UPIC: SANFORD) announced a decision to consolidate all decoration operations into the company's existing decoration facility in Mexicali, Mexico.

This decision supports a company objective of more closely integrating and aligning with the parent company's global manufacturing strategy, while consolidating facilities with excess capacity.

The Mexicali facility currently imprints products for Sanford B2B, and its dedicated decoration area will be expanded to accommodate all types of customization for all product lines currently offered.

"We are committed to delivering outstanding products and service, with no business disruptions, while these moves are underway," says John Newcomb, Janesville site leader and senior manager for B2B customer operations.

Sanford B2B is also relocating sales and administrative staff to its parent company's global office products headquarters in Oakbrook, Illinois.

Click here to read more.

Raise Your Voice On S. 301
Congress is headed back to Washington soon, and the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (S. 301) still contains language that could have a serious impact on promotional products business.

PPAI is asking members to give their legislators something to see and hear when they return to the nation's capital by delivering letters, e-mails and phone calls to their offices. Visit www.senate.gov and www.house.gov for contact information for your respective legislators, and stay up to date on PPAI's efforts regarding legislation by visiting www.ppailaw.org.

Industry Job Listings

PPAI Website

PPB Online

PPB Advertising Info

PPB Subscription Info

PPAI LAW

PPAI Product Safety

Promotional Consultant Online

Promotional Consultant Today

Subscribe To
Promotional Consultant

Advertise In Promotional Consultant

PPPC (Canada)

PPAI Membership Info

DailyBoost

OrderTrax²

PPAI Survey Results Show HR Industry Relies On Promotional Products
To motivate employees, boost sales, increase productivity and improve customer service, human resources professionals are increasingly turning toward the power of promotional products.

To measure the trend, PPAI polled attendees at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Show in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 28-July 1.

Seventy-four percent of respondents who had rewards and recognition programs in their company used promotional products in these programs, and of those, more than 70 percent cited promotional products as either "extremely effective" or "effective" in motivating, recognizing and rewarding employees.

The most commonly cited uses of promotional products in awards and recognition programs include employee service, anniversary recognition and employee motivation.

For more details about this study, contact PPAI Marketing Director Keith Vincent at 972-258-3040 or KeithV@ppai.org.

Crystal D Donates Funds To Community Service Group
St. Paul, Minnesota-based supplier Crystal D (UPIC: CRYSTALD) recently donated more than $1,800 to Keystone Community Services with money raised through the supplier's employee donation program.

The employee donation program, initiated two years ago, allows employees to automatically deduct $1 or more from their payroll checks each week. The donations go toward a food shelf supported by Keystone Community Services, a local community-based human service organization.

"The employee donation program really shows the kind of people who work at Crystal D," says Kay Larsen, quality control specialist. "This gift shows that even a small deduction can go a long way in helping others."

Company acquisitions, website upgrades and employee recognition are featured this week on The Industry Show.

How Do You Land The Big Ones?
Have you succeeded in landing a lucrative account, an ongoing program, a big-name company or all three? If you have a star client you're especially proud of, write to Tama Swan by August 31 and describe how you did it and what the experience was like. You could be featured in an upcoming article in PPB magazine.

It's A Distributors' Picks December
Distributors, we're reserving the December issue of PPB especially for you. We're mixing things up and asking you to submit your all-time favorite products and apparel for Editor's Picks and Eye On Apparel. Are you swooning over a gourmet gift basket or has a particular fleece sweatshirt always been a favorite with your clients? Tell us about it. Just e-mail the product and supplier name, along with a few lines on why you love the item, to Audrey Sellers by September 18.

PPAI Needs Your Olympic Products
Promotional products are a key component of many large sporting events, especially the Olympics. PPAI is building a collection of these products for a project. If you've ever supplied product for the Olympics or are producing products for the upcoming Winter Games, send your products or high-res photographs to Erica Edwards, PPAI communications coordinator, 3125 Skyway Circle North, Irving, Texas 75038.

A distributor asks: "A client has asked me to warehouse his imprinted products for several months. I don't usually do this, but I don't want to lose the order or any future business. What terms should I use and what do I need to know?"

What's your answer? E-mail answers along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by August 31 for possible inclusion in the November issue of PPB magazine.

Answers to this month's question are in. Click here to read what others had to say about a distributor who received an unsatisfactory shipment.

Call Signs
Given the fact that most people on the listening end of your voice mails are overwhelmed with tasks during any given day, a message must be so compelling that it wins out over the 23 other urgent things on their lists. Yet, many messages do not even come close to addressing the specific needs and concerns of the person being called.

Close Up: Phil Martin Of Warwick Publishing
When Phil Martin finds something he likes, he sticks with it and gives it all he's got. And after 24 years with Warwick Publishing, the national sales manager continues to enjoy his role serving distributor clients with a caring attitude and his unique sense of humor.

Mixing Music And Logoed Tees
A new way of connecting with customers--and tracking ROI while you're at it--has emerged with the marriage of promotional apparel to music downloads.