Compleat Company And PromoShop Merge
Effective today, Seattle, Washington-based distributor The Compleat Company^® (UPIC: COMPLEAT) is joining with Los Angeles, California-based distributor PromoShop, Inc. (UPIC: pro). The new company, known as The Compleat Company-Powered by PromoShop, will continue to conduct sales from its Seattle office while relocating corporate activities to Los Angeles.

Memo Kahan remains president of PromoShop and Matthew Mason of Compleat moves into the role of vice president of business development. Mason's partner, E. Glenn Leimbacher, is now vice president of sales.

"I am excited about this opportunity," says Kahan. "Together we will be able to expand on the opportunities in the Pacific Northwest and ramp up the already high level of service we provide."

DIGISPEC Companies Complete Product Safety Audits
Las Vegas, Nevada-based suppliers DIGISPEC^® (UPIC: DIGISPEC), CounterPoint^®(UPIC: DOYOUPOP) and Visstun^® (UPIC: VISSTUN) have successfully completed third-party audits of their products and practices, which conform to safety standards governed by California's Proposition 65 and the federal Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).

"With all the recent concerns over product safety, especially for children, we have been proactive and are taking all precautions to meet Prop 65 and CPSIA guidelines," says Ed Hamilton, DIGISPEC president. "We want to make sure we provide all necessary information to distributors so they are confident that the products they purchase from us are safe and compliant."

The tests were conducted by Enfield, Connecticut-based Specialized Technology Resources, Inc. (STR), an independent testing and accreditation agency. Certificates of Conformity may be viewed at www.digispec.com/safety, www.doyoupop.com/safety and www.visstun.com/safety.

Pacific Sunset Promos Operating
Under New Ownership
Yucaipa, California-based distributor Pacific Sunset Promos (UPIC: pacsunp) is under new ownership after being purchased by Jeff Kroeker on June 26. Pacific Sunset was previously owned by Eric Stalter, and Pacific employees Beth Cox and Eric Lopez remain with the company in their current positions.

"Throughout the years of doing business in the community, I've always believed that customers are the life of this business, and providing quality products with great services is our greatest asset," says Stalter. "I found in Kroeker our similar philosophy of holding customer service to the highest level."

Kroeker has a background in sales and marketing and he says he is excited about the opportunity to help Pacific Sunset and the businesses in his community grow. Kroeker intends to start "door-to-door" service to businesses in the San Bernardino mountain area while the distributor evaluates storefront options in the Lake Arrowhead community.

Association Sponsors Presentation At Advertising Week
PPAI once again is playing a significant role in Advertising Week, September 21-25 in New York City. The Association is sponsoring the presentation "Creativity In Motion" on Wednesday, September 23.

Doreen Sullivan, president of South Carolina-based creative marketing agency Post No Bills, Inc., will discuss the effective use of promotional products in entertainment marketing. Sullivan's company has clients in the movie and television industries and also has worked with the United States Olympic Committee.

The presentation will be at 3 pm EDT in the Goodson Theatre. For more information on Advertising Week, click here.

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Lyons Named Executive Director For SAAGNY
The Specialty Advertising Association of Greater New York (SAAGNY) has named Barbara Lyons its new executive director. Lyons recently filled in as interim director for Walter Schatz when he left the post in July, and prior to that she was the association's assistant executive director for 10 years.

"The board asked me to serve as interim until the end of the year, but they recently decided they would not continue the search for a new director," says Lyons.

For Lyons, the biggest change in her service to the regional will be working with the tradeshows. "As assistant director I spent a lot of time working with committees, and now I'll be more involved with the shows," she says.

The next steps for SAAGNY and Lyons are to work on long-range planning, which they'll do later this month with the help of PPAI Membership and Regional Relations Director Michele Packard-Milam, CAE.

"I'm excited about it," says Lyons. "We still have a couple of programs left to finalize for this year."

Regional Member Spearheads Legislative Action Campaign
Chris Morrissey, president of Fort Collins, Colorado-based distributor Proforma Big Dog Branding, did more than just put pen to paper when he crafted a clever legislative campaign against S. 301, the Physician Payments Sunshine Act.

Morrissey and several members of Rocky Mountain Regional Promotional Products Association (RMRPPA), as well as other industry members working in Colorado, combined the pen and paper to illustrate just how far off-base the bill may be when it comes to defining "gifts."

"On June 2, we put 408 of those letters in the mail," says Morrissey, each one containing a pen from the company of the person who signed it.

The letters hit the desks of U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, and several U.S. representatives.

Afterward, Morrissey and others met with Sen. Bennet's aide, who showed them the drawerful of pens that had accumulated as a result of the campaign. "The pens were a big hit," he says. "They told us to keep sending them!"

During the Association's show in Denver, the group decided to re-launch the campaign and asked attendees to come by the booth and sign updated letters.

Visit PPB online to read more.

4imprint Gives $42,500 Worth Of Products To Nonprofits
Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based distributor 4imprint (UPIC: 4imprint) provided $42,500 in grants to 85 nonprofit groups across the United States and Canada as part of its one by one^® program.

The in-kind promotional products donations are designed to help eligible nonprofits reach their goals of boosting awareness, thanking employees, recognizing donors, promoting events and more.

Local and national charities received a $500 in-kind donation to use toward their program and service offerings during the second quarter of 2009.

"From the stories we hear, it's clear these recipients are creatively using the product donations to make a difference," says Kevin Lyons-Tarr, 4imprint president. "These organizations are finding great ways to reach out and help even more people."

Oregon Distributor Talks Business Strategy With Local News Channel
The consolidation of two locations for North Bend, Oregon-based distributor BNT Promotional Products (UPIC: bnt97459) was featured on a news segment in late August.

"We're really in a just-in-time business. You want to put your logo on something, you want to brand your business, that's what we're good at and that's what we want to focus on for the long term," says co-owner Scott Terhaar in the story.

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

Calling All Camera Mavens!
What great photos do you have from a recent company event, meeting or outing? PPB is on the search for industry pictures of all kinds--whether they're shots of your company's awards dinner or your co-workers' community service project. Send high-resolution photos and a description of what's taking place and who's pictured to Snapshots@ppai.org by September 18.

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 September 8 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 wanted to know whether she should pay 100 percent up front or walk away.

Defending Our Turf
All of us know that well-planned and well-executed promotional campaigns are wise investments and represent powerful ways to communicate important messages. In today's economy, our medium is more effective than any other medium. Promotional products are viable, tangible and personal. They create mind-capture and help increase market share. At least they should.

Case Study: Bandannas Promote Pet Health
Summertime is a risky season for pets with soaring temperatures, potentially toxic lawn fertilizers and an increase in mosquitoes, fleas and ticks. This is why Jennifer Sander, national account executive with Atlanta, Georgia-based distributor Capital Ideas, Inc. (UPIC: CAPI0002), stepped up with an awareness campaign for Schering-Plough promoting animal health.

Grassroots Advocacy 101
Are you too busy to write to your congressman or senator? Too disinterested in the political process? While these may seem like legitimate reasons (or excuses, depending upon your perspective) not to communicate with elected officials, the overriding reason for doing so is to protect and promote your business and industry to decision makers who invariably impact them.