PPB Newslink 1.12.10

Watch your inbox on Wednesday, January 13, for more news from The PPAI Expo 2010.

January 12, 2010

Editors: Jen Alexander McCall
Teresa McUsic

THIS WEEK'S HEADLINES

PPAI Revamps Volunteer Opportunities Industry Companies See 2010 As Rebound Year Florida Association Names New Board Of Directors BIC Graphic Celebrates Green Achievements Calendars' Longevity Makes News In Minnesota

Industry Companies See 2010 As Rebound Year
No business is more ready to shed the economics of the past year than one in the promotional products industry. And the enthusiasm of thousands of industry members flocking to Las Vegas this week to attend The PPAI Expo is a good indicator of a brighter and stronger 2010.

"I don't expect to see all the doom and gloom this year," says Dana Zezzo, vice president of sales at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based supplier Pro Towels Etc. (UPIC: PROTOWEL).� "Great suppliers will thrive this year. But growth is not going to come easy--it's going to have to be earned."

Click here to read more.

Prime Line� Acquires Leeman New York Product Line
Bridgeport, Connecticut-based supplier Prime Line� (UPIC: PRIME) has acquired the Leeman New York product line. Leeman has had a presence in the promotional products industry for nearly 30 years and offers a wide range of leather and glass items including portfolios, luggage tags, jotters, desk items and others.
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"The Leeman product line fills a niche of higher-end gifts that Prime's existing line does not have. �It gives distributors more of a one stop shop with Prime/Leeman," Jeff Lederer, executive vice president of Prime Line� told PPB yesterday.

Prime will take over production of Leeman items at its Bridgeport plant beginning February 1. E-mail and telephone contacts for Leeman staff will remain in place after the transition is complete. Additionally, there will be no disruption of production of orders during the transition.

"I started the company in 1981 and am so pleased to pass the torch to Prime Line," says Zachary Mankes, Leeman founder. "Prime and Leeman make a perfect match to expose the Leeman brand to a wider distributor audience."

PrintGlobe Acquires Absorbent, Ink.'s Assets
Austin, Texas-based distributor PrintGlobe, Inc. (UPIC: PrintGlo) has purchased the assets of Lawrence, Kansas-based distributor Absorbent, Ink. (UPIC: Absorb). Tthe synergy of the two businesses will serve up growth for years to come, according to PrintGlobe founder and President Dan Steinborn,.

"I'm extremely honored and thrilled to welcome Absorbent, Ink. into the PrintGlobe family," says Steinborn. "The Absorbent, Ink. staff built an excellent web platform and provided first-rate customer service."

As part of the agreement, Absorbent, Ink. President Lee Eldridge has joined the PrintGlobe team. "PrintGlobe has all the pieces in place to do great things in the future," says Eldridge. "I'm very impressed with the depth of their team and vision for the future."

Sourcery LLC And E-Dentity Solutions Inc. Merge
New York, New York-based supplier Sourcery (UPIC: SILICON)� and Chicago, Illinois-based supplier Tele-Comp Solutions By Edentity Solutions Inc. (UPIC: telecomp)� will merge and continue under the name Sourcery Solutions.

The new company will operate out of the former Chicago and New York offices, as each location has advantages for the company, says Joeri Vanderherik, a board member for both companies.

The philosophy behind the merger was to create a brand that could quickly deliver new products and services the companies had been working on together already. "In Chicago with E-Dentity we have warehouse capacity and in-house printing. In New York we have a sales and marketing location," says Vandeherik, adding that the merger will create a stronger brand for both companies.

PPAI Revamps Volunteer Opportunities
Most volunteers for PPAI�s volunteer-staffed committees will see a more flexible time commitment and more project-specific work in a revamping of the Association�s committee structure discussed yesterday at PPAI�s Volunteer Leadership Luncheon during The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas.

"The new model will give more volunteer opportunities for more people," says PPAI President Steve Slagle, CAE. "We're looking for our volunteers to have a more satisfiying experience, while getting more results from the volunteers."

The new model pares down the 13 standing committees to just five, including the Regional Association Council Board, Leadership Advisory Committee, Distributors Committee, Suppliers Committee and MAS/CAS Certification Committee. These committees will continue to include a fixed term of three years and a regular meeting schedule for members, as well as a fixed size and regular reporting mechanisms.

The remaining committees will evolve into action groups and task forces. Action groups will focus on specific tactical assignments across a wide variety of activities. These groups will offer flexible time frames and group size based on the assigned project. Task forces will form as needed to review and evaluate strategic initiatives or issues, and will typically operate on a one-time basis.

To volunteer, PPAI members may join the Volunteer Resource Pool, which links volunteers to the various openings on the standing committees, task forces and action groups, as well as encourages members to participate in focus groups, complete surveys, participate on conference calls and share feedback, ideas and opinions. Contact Lisa Beck at 972-258-3069 or LisaB@ppai.org to sign up.

PPAI Offers Free Seat On OrderTrax² For Members��
More than 100 PPAI members signed up for a free seat on the OrderTrax² network in December, the first month of the offer. The free offer for the first user is available to all PPAI members and additional users on the system cost $199, says PPAI�s Penn Hoyt who is responsible for OrderTrax²�s sales and marketing.

Missy Flaharty with Flower Mound, Texas-based distributor Brand-It Promotions!� (UPIC: BRANDIT), says OrderTrax² has been a timesaver since the company started using in August 2009. The system allows Flaharty to request the status of an order, an invoice or other part of the transaction at the click of a button.

"We can definitely see its potential as a timesaving resource with more suppliers using it for more than just printing our purchase orders," says Flaharty. "Everything related to the purchase order such as artwork, notes, correspondence between me and the supplier and shipping information, is in one location. I don�t have to search through my emails to find anything."

Click here to read more.

Florida Association Names New Board Of Directors
Promotional Products Association of Florida (PPAF) named its 2010 Board of Directors at its annual Holiday Party in December.

Click here for the full list.�

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Gemline Welcomes Stoltz As Sales VP
Lawrence, Massachusetts-based supplier Gemline (UPIC: GEMLINE) has named Bob Stoltz vice president of sales. Stoltz was previously president of Janesville, Wisconsin-based Sanford Business-to-Business Division (UPIC: SANFORD).

"We are extremely pleased to have Bob as a member of the Gemline team," says Jonathan Isaacson, Gemline president. "His extensive experience both inside and outside the promotional products market will be a great asset to Gemline and its customers."

"Gemline is a leader in the industry and has a solid reputation for delivering quality products and exceptional service. I am thrilled to be joining the team," says Stoltz.

Bodek And Rhodes Names Bloomquist Regional Manager
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based supplier Bodek and Rhodes (UPIC: ULTRA CLB) has hired Kevin Bloomquist as western regional manager.� Bloomquist has several years� experience in the promotional products industry. As regional manager, he retains a personal base of customers in Arizona, Colorado and Utah.

BIC Graphic Celebrates Green Achievements
Clearwater, Florida-based supplier BIC Graphic USA (UPIC: bic) hosted a "Green Day" event for employees in December, welcoming local businesses that promote energy conservation and the benefits of using eco-friendly products. During the event, BIC set up drop-offs for cell phones and hazardous materials, and employees also brought items for donation to Goodwill and phone books for recycling.

In 2009, BIC Graphic USA helped reduce its footprint on the planet by recycling more 550 tons of mixed paper, 130 tons of cardboard, and 12 tons of metal. Water conservation resulted in a savings of more than 41,000 gallons of water, made possible by the reuse of HVAC condensation in cooling towers.

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Proforma Climbs Franchise 500 List
Cleveland, Ohio-based distributor Proforma (UPIC: PROFORMA) found itself climbing several spots on Entrepreneur magazine's annual Franchise 500 list this year, from No. 101 in 2009 to No. 72 in 2010.

"As we continue to grow in sales and number of owners, we are rapidly climbing the Franchise 500 rankings," says Greg Muzzillo, Proforma founder. "Any time we are recognized in the franchising industry for our growth and success, it is a great honor for me and for the entire Proforma family."

The ranking is based on financial and statistical data from July 2008 through July 2009 evaluating the criteria of financial strength and stability, growth rate and size of the system. The Franchise 500 is a comprehensive ranking of franchises based on objective, quantifiable data. Other factors are taken into consideration including years in business, startup costs, percentage of terminations and financing options.

Calendars' Longevity Makes News In Minnesota
Though budgets were tighter this past year, clients still asked for those ubiquitous free calendars from the companies they do business with most--and they got them, too. �Longtime members St. Paul, Minnesota-based distributor Brown &Bigelow (UPIC: BB1896), and Indianapolis, Indiana-based Norwood Promotional Products (UPIC: NORWOOD) are mentioned in this recent article from the Pioneer Press.

"There's several other Minnesota companies in the calendar business, too, so we're kind of a hotbed," says Sig Birkeland, Brown & Bigelow's executive vice president, in the story.

Darel Cook, PPAI director of expositions, makes an appearance on The Industry Show this week to talk about brand.

A distributor asks: "I'm looking for ways to increase the professionalism of my distributor company and am thinking about looking into the Certified Advertising Specialist (CAS) certification. Does certification make any difference to my clients? Is it reasonable to expect that I might land more projects because of it? And, is it worth it?"

What's your answer? E-mail answers along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by January 22 for possible inclusion in the March issue of PPB magazine.

Answers to this month�s question are in. Click here to read advice on how to deal with a competitor who is calling on your clients.

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Natural Born Leaders
PPAI�s Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to select PPAI members who consistently contribute their skills and expertise toward the betterment of the Association through either volunteer service or leadership. This year, the award goes to two men, Christopher Duffy, MAS, and Mike Burns, CAS, each with strong reputations as professionals, leaders and visionaries.

Suitable Companions
Tradeshows. Uniforms. Golf events. Coordinating apparel is a good fit in more ways than you might think. If you�re already selling men�s or ladies� apparel to your clients, why not offer up the companion style?

Incentives Power Booster
Companies� budgets have shrunk in the past year and will likely increase only moderately in 2010. Your clients are still placing orders, but perhaps for fewer items, or lower-priced products. There�s a way, however, to regain this lost business and even increase your sales during these tough economic times--with the use of incentive programs.

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