Industry Stepping Up To Assist In Haiti Relief
The generosity of the promotional products industry has begun to overflow to fill the needs in earthquake-devastated Haiti. Since last Tuesday's disaster hit the country, members have stepped up to offer money and goods to help ease the pain for thousands of Haitians. Among the efforts are: 

• Bill and Patty Turney, principals of Houston, Texas-based distributor Augusta Promotional Products, LLC (UPIC: AUGUSTA), have donated to the U.S. Fund For UNICEF and challenge their fellow members to do the same. Turney says he has given one percent of his personal sales for the month of January. "I don't know if everyone will step up to the plate at just one percent of sales but if we, as an industry do, we can make a difference."

Click here to read more.

Touchstone Merchandise Group Acquires 3C Marketing
Mason, Ohio-based distributor Touchstone Merchandise Group, LLC (UPIC: touchstn) has acquired Atlanta, Georgia-based distributor C3 Marketing (UPIC: C3MAP001). Becky Cross, C3 president, will help lead Touchstone's growth in the Atlanta market. "We are very excited to be part of such a creative and progressive company that is dedicated to seeing us succeed," says Cross.

"We feel with the added capabilities Touchstone will provide, opportunities that previously we needed to shy away from are now a reality. We are looking forward to growing our business with the help of Touchstone, as well as adding some new talent to the Atlanta office."

"We are thrilled to have Becky as a part of our leadership team," says Steve Paradiso, COO of Touchstone. "From our first meeting with Becky, we knew she would be the perfect fit to lead our Atlanta initiative. Her experience, professionalism and desire to build exemplify what Touchstone is all about." 

Bag Makers Begins QCA Certification Process
Union, Illinois-based supplier Bag Makers, Inc. (UPIC: BAGMAKRS) has begun the process of product safety certification with Chicago, Illinois-based Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), an independent, nonprofit accrediting organization.

The certification program focuses on the company's product safety compliance across its entire supply chain and, once completed, will provide a high level of confidence for both distributors and their customers.

Baskets By Design Closes Doors
Maplewood, Minnesota-based supplier Baskets By Design (UPIC: UPIC: BASK0001) reportedly ceased operations in December. The company's phone number and website are no longer operational.

The supplier offered specialty gift baskets including food and spa gifts, and homemade specialty popcorn and confections.

Drum-Line Shortens Production Times
Stuttgart, Arkansas-based supplier Drummond Printing, Inc. (UPIC: DRUMLINE) has revamped its service for 2010 to offer shortened production times, and it has also introduced a new line of products that ship in 48 hours.

Drummond manufactures paper promotional products directly from raw materials at the time each order is placed; all products are custom-built and produced at Drummond's Stuttgart facility.

Quality Logo Products Expands To Meet Growing Demand
Oswego, Illinois-based distributor Quality Logo Products (UPIC: qualityl) is expanding into converted warehouse space adjacent to its current office location, adding an additional 3,300 square feet. Quality Logo Products expects the transition to be complete this month.

"Customer confidence is critical," says QLP co-owner Bret Bonnet.

"By showing that we have the capital to make this move without any third-party funding, we're also reassuring customers that we're not going to drop off the map next week. QLP is definitely here to stay."

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Artmetal President To Coach Special Olympic Team
Evan Krofchick, MAS, president of Toronto, Ontario-based supplier Artmetal Promotional Products (UPIC: ARTMETAL), has been selected as a Team Ontario Swim Coach for the 2010 Canadian National Special Olympic Games in London, Ontario.

This is Krofchick's first time to coach at the national games; he previously coached at the 2008 Special Olympics Ontario Provincial Games. He has volunteered for the North York Eels, a Toronto-based Special Olympic swim team, since 1995.

"The opportunity to coach on a national level is something that I am very proud of," says Krofchick. "Special Olympics allows its athletes to perform at their best, whatever their best might be. It is a charity that is dear to me because one of my cousins has Down syndrome."

Click here to read more.

Catch the latest in promotional products industry news on The Industry Show.

Raining Rose Recognized For Growth
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, supplier Raining Rose, Inc. (UPIC: Raini224) was recently inducted into the Initiative For A Competitive Inner City 100 Hall of Fame after being honored for its outstanding growth as an inner city company for six consecutive years. The company, which manufacturers natural and organic lip balm and body care items, was also named one of Inc. Magazine's Inc. 5,000.

Governor Chet Culver recently stopped by the factory on a stop of his "Move Iowa Forward" tour, promoting the city's recovery and economic development after a devastating flood in June 2008. During the flood, Raining Rose had more than eight feet of water in its manufacturing facility, but has since recovered, is operating at full capacity and has added 15 new employees.

"This just again represents great teamwork and a commitment to help move Cedar Rapids forward and the state forward," Culver said. 

Do Nice Guys Finish First?
We're told to "be nice" as children, and even as adults we may be told to "smile." But does being nice work in the real world? Does it get you ahead in business? Is being nice related to success? Where do we draw the line between being nice and being realistic? If you have any thoughts on this subject, we'd love to hear them. Please e-mail Brittany Glenn at brittanyglenn11@gmail.com for possible inclusion in an upcoming story.

Kick Off A Culinary Promotion
The April issue of PPB is stuffed with kitchen products including cooking utensils, jar openers, food storage containers, measuring cups and spoons, bottle openers, wine openers, wine glasses, serving trays and oven mitts. Get your kitchen items on the menu by sending descriptions and high-resolution images to Audrey Sellers by February 5 for possible inclusion. 

April PPB Has Tees For All
From tanks and long-sleeve to short-sleeve and V-neck, turn to the April issue of PPB for t-shirts of all varieties. We're looking for men's, ladies' and youth tees, so submit yours to Audrey Sellers for consideration. February 5 is the deadline to send apparel descriptions and high-resolution images.

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.

Coordinating Apparel Helps Airport Website Take Flight
The Lambert-St. Louis airport wanted to drive traffic to its new website-FlySTL.com-and create a branding campaign around the site as well as the airport code and city of St. Louis. With no media splash to announce the new website, the campaign's success depended on promotional products, which needed to be seen throughout the airport and airline system.

A Lasting Impression
Americans have spoken: They love promotional products. In an effort to better understand the effectiveness of this medium from the consumer's perspective, PPAI research recently designed and conducted a study fielded through MarketTools Inc. in San Francisco, California.

Outdated Already?
If you've been bidding your time and waiting to see where the whole Twitter thing is going, the work laid out ahead of you is quickly growing. Companies hoping to get a piece of Twitter's miraculous success are working overtime to develop niche versions of the popular social networking site, with the majority of these aimed at businesses. We've rounded up a list of these Twitter lookalikes and broken down their services so you can spend less time researching and more time answering the question, "What are you doing?"