June 21st
11:00am
Mason Linn Raining Rose, Inc.
11:45am
Ben Prasad SanMar
12:30pm
Debra Amato
Peerless Umbrella
1:15pm
Jason Emery Toddy Gear
Register to attend!
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Questions??
Jen Mendoza
Executive Director
:: 630-983-7722
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Thank you Members for Participating in Promotional Products Work! Week 2017
In honor of Promotional Products Work! Week, PPAChicago had a full week of activities for it's members; factory tours, education seminars, a member appreciation luncheon, L.E.A.D and a charity drive.
Day #1 kicked off PPW! Week with
factory tours at both Toddy Gear and alphabroder, both warehouses located in Bolingbrook. Read Samantha and Alyson's (Halo) recap of their visit
here.
Day #2 PPAChicago held an
education seminar with Seth Barnett, PPAI's Diversity Development Manager. Two topics were discussed;
A New Workforce: Attract, Engage & Retain Young Staff and
Managing the Millennial Market, both offering 1 CAS credit.
Day #3 PPAChicago held it's Member Appreciation Luncheon at La Barra Restorante in Oak Brook. Attendees enjoyed conversation and their Italian cuisine. Also the day L.E.A.D. started, photos of PPAChicago Treasurer Bob Notter were passed around the table, as he was in D.C. fighting for our industry on our behalf.
Day # 3-5 PPAChicago Treasurer Bob Notter (alphabroder) and Dawn Olds (Halo) represented PPAChicago in D.C. during L.E.A.D. They had a total of nine meetings that all went successfully.
They were tasked with three main points to discuss with our Congressional leaders.
· We do NOT support the Border Adjustment Tax (BAT). It was a proposal that would put an additional 20% tax on items being imported to the United States. EVERYTHING! Not just in our industry. Needless to say, the increases would be passed on to the consumer - Imagine many of the things we buy having a price increase of 20%? As we were there, Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan backed off the BAT and it was taken off of President Trumps plan that he released on Wednesday night. While it may be off the table for now, Dawn and I strongly urged our representatives to keep an eye out and make sure it does not surface again.
· Independent contractors need to be protected. Most of our industry (97%) is made up of small businesses. Many of these are independent contractors that truly are independent. Companies sometimes take advantage of this as a payroll in order to get out of paying taxes. The government may need to tighten up its verbiage (Section 530) with current tax laws but we urged them to protect true independent contractors as they are a huge part of our industry.
· Advertising expenses can be deducted in the fiscal year they were spent. It is being proposed that only 50% of the advertising expenses can be deducted in the same year and the other 50% over the next 5 years. No current legislation has this proposal however it has been in many plans in the past. We urged Congress to protect this deduction standard.
They feel everyone they met with was against the BAT tax. It would hurt their constituents too hard. Let's hope this doesn't happen. In total, both Bob and Dawn represented 1,521 companies with 36,500 industry jobs in Illinois.
Day # 4 of Promotional Product's Work! Week was devoted to collecting all unused promotional items. Members were able to drop off any unwanted times to the PPAChicago office. In total, 27 boxes of unused goods were collected for Riverside Foundation to utilize and benefit from.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS:
*Gemline
*Logomark
*Summit Group
 
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Registration opens May 8th
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Come Cheer on Your World Series Champions at Our Spring Event!
 Tuesday, May 23rd at 7:05pm
3643 N. Sheffield
Admission: $60 per person
(Includes ticket to game, food and drinks)
Sponsorships are Available!
You must be a PPAChicago Member in order to attend.
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RMRPPA, SAAC, PPACHICAGO, AND PPAW REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
JOIN REDESIGNED
SAGE AFFILIATE PROGRAM TO EXTEND SAGE BENEFITS TO MEMBERS
Addison, Texas (April 25, 2017) - SAGE is pleased to announce that major regional promotional products associations have joined the redesigned SAGE Affiliate Program, including the Rocky Mountain Region Promotional Products Association (RMRPPA), the Specialty Advertising Association of California (SAAC), the Promotional Professionals Association of Chicago (PPAChicago), and the Promotional Products Association of Wisconsin (PPAW).
The SAGE Affiliate Program is a unique, customized program designed to give regional associations in the promotional products industry and their members special benefits from SAGE through access to business management products and services for members and the association.
"We are continually evaluating our affiliate program and searching for the best opportunities to support regional associations, which play such a vital role in our industry," said Jarod Thorndike, Director of Strategic Relations at SAGE. "We are pleased to find new ways to offer even more benefits and services to our affiliate associations and their members."
SAGE offers members a choice of Business Suite Packages, special product bundles providing product research solutions on all major platforms, online product searching for clients, a custom website, virtual showrooms, and SAGE Total Access subscriptions. The Total Access subscription consists of SAGE Online, the promotional product industry's most popular product research and business management solution; SAGE Web, the browser-based platform to access SAGE products from any device with web access; and SAGE Mobile, the full-featured mobile
application for iOS and Android devices.
Members can select a Business Suite Package of 2, 10, or 25 user licenses depending on the number of users they need. As SAGE Affiliates, members of RMRPPA, SAAC, PPAChicago, and PPAW are eligible to receive special pricing on the Business Suite Packages as well as savings on their first SAGE Total Access subscription license.
In addition, all members subscribing to SAGE Total Access will receive a full membership to Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), the world's largest not-for-profit association for the $20 billion promotional products industry. This is part of the Power of Two program, in which SAGE and PPAI have entered into a strategic alliance to provide the industry with the combined benefits of a PPAI membership and SAGE products and services.
Lindsey Whitney, President of RMRPPA, remarked, "We are always looking for ways to serve and enrich RMRPPA members, so we're excited to join the redesigned SAGE Affiliate Program and provide the best resources to help them expand their business achievements."
As part of the relationship, RMRPPA, SAAC, PPAChicago, and PPAW corporate offices will also utilize SAGE products and services to help manage the association.
Jarod Thorndike continued, "We couldn't be more excited to partner with our regional associations and provide their members with access to leading-edge business management solutions for every aspect of their operations. SAGE is a huge supporter of regional associations, and the SAGE Affiliate Program is one way we can show it."
"We are committed to providing all possible advantages to the promotional product professionals that we have the privilege to represent in our region," noted Matt Gallegos, President of PPAChicago. "The SAGE Affiliate Program is an important benefit we can offer to help our members grow and prosper."
PPAW Executive Director Elizabeth Boothby commented, "Our mission is to serve the needs of PPAW members in a competitive industry. We are pleased to join the SAGE Affiliate Program and offer our members high-quality solutions that will contribute to the success of their businesses."
RMRPPA, SAAC, PPAChicago, and PPAW members who are SAGE subscribers may contact SAGE to learn more about custom offerings, effective as of the next renewal. New association members who add SAGE services can be informed of their options by noting their specific association membership on their application.
To learn more about the SAGE Affiliate Program, visit go.sageworld.com/affiliate.
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Hub Pen Hires Account Manager
Bjanka Andov
Braintree, MA, April, 2017 - Hub Pen Company and Beacon Promotions are proud to announce the addition of account manager Bjanka Andov to their inside sales team. Bjanka came to Hub Pen with almost ten years of account management experience in the telecommunications market. A Bosnian native and former resident of Germany, she moved to the US with her family nineteen years ago. Her father Pavle came to work with Hub Pen, running the warehouse until his retirement in 2012.
"I have seen the company grow and prosper over many years. It is amazing to see that so many people have been with Hub for such a long time," Bjanka remarked. "You really feel as part of the team from day one. I have learned so much since I came here, and I feel grateful to have so many great co-workers to learn from."
Bjanka has two small children who keep her busy while not at Hub, a four year old girl and one year old boy. "Work does not stop when I get home, but when I do catch some time to myself, I enjoy a Barre or Zumba workout. I also love cooking and listening to music."
"Bjanka is a terrific addition to the Hub Pen/Beacon Promotions Team," said National Sales Manager, Andy Arruda. "We have a tremendous sales team and she fits right in with her enthusiasm, intelligence and pleasant personality. We are lucky to have her!"
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NEET FEET LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
- April 7, 2017 - The Pro Towels family is excited to announce that Neet Feet has launched a brand new responsive website. This newly designed website offers the best user-friendly experience to the full Neet Feet product line, as well as newly-enhanced key features added to the site.
The site, available to view at the original www.neetfeet.com, has been built on an entirely new platform with a refreshed visual design and intuitive browsing experience. This new platform will allow us to continue to grow the website as our business grows. More features will continue to be added over time to better serve our customer's needs. "The goal of our new website is to provide our customers an easier way to get the information they are seeking and to allow them to do so on any device they prefer." states Senior Director of Marketing, Jennifer Gambrell.
Along with the refreshed design, enhanced key features added include product style guides, size templates, a specials tab and the ability to view and download a Neet Feet only catalog. In addition, customers can now benefit from having quick access to online content that's easier to navigate and share with others via email or social networks. The fresh look of the Neet Feet website will allow customers a smoother and more efficient experience. We hope everyone likes the upgrade, and if you have any feedback, please let us know!
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