Mark your calendar for our 2025 Fall Promo Expo!

Details coming soon!

Thank You for Joining Us at CPPA’s Night at the Ballpark!

What an incredible evening at Camden Yards! Thank you to everyone who joined us for CPPA’s Night at the Ballpark — it was a night full of great food, big laughs, and premium networking with the best in the business.

A very special thank you goes out to our amazing event sponsors. Your support helped make this memorable experience possible, and we are truly grateful for your continued partnership.

From the incredible food and drinks to the exciting game and unbeatable company, we truly had a blast at the ballpark. It was a perfect evening of networking, fun, and celebrating our amazing community of promo professionals. We’re already looking forward to the next one!

Vantage Apparel Promotes Marci Newsom and Jeff Kranz to National Account Manager Roles

Avenel, NJ - Vantage Apparel proudly announces the promotion of Marci Newsom and Jeff Kranz to the position of National Account Manager.

With a combined 35 years of dedication to Vantage, Marci and Jeff bring deep industry expertise and proven leadership to their new roles. Marci Newsom has been with Vantage for 23 years and has most recently served as Regional Sales Manager for the Western Region. Jeff Kranz, who has been with the company for 12 years, most recently managed the Central Region in the same capacity.

In their new roles as National Account Managers, Marci and Jeff will be instrumental in deepening Vantage's relationships with key strategic national accounts. They will serve as the primary points of contact for their assigned customers, ensuring exceptional service, responsiveness, and strategic alignment with each client's business objectives. By understanding the unique needs and expectations of national partners, they will develop and execute customized growth plans that drive mutual success and expand Vantage’s presence across multiple business units and locations.

Marci Newsom will oversee national accounts including BAMKO, BDA, Boundless Network, Nadel, and Peernet. Jeff Kranz will lead national account relationships with Geiger, HALO, Proforma, and Staples.

“Marci and Jeff have consistently demonstrated a passion for customer success and a commitment to excellence,” said Sean Macilvain, Vice President of Business Development at Vantage Apparel. “Their promotions reflect not only their individual accomplishments but also Vantage’s continued investment in building strong, strategic partnerships with our national accounts.”

Goldstar Launches One Purchase Order Global Solution

San Diego, CA - Goldstar has come to market with SimplyGlobal, a new solution that enables distributors to place and manage orders across multiple geographic regions with just one PO.

Through SimplyGlobal, Goldstar now supports coordinated ordering across North America, Europe and Oceania. The service helps ensure consistent decoration, sizing and production standards while making it easier for distributors to scale globally through local production partners and streamlined logistics, Goldstar said.

The move comes as a growing number of distributors conduct business across national and continental borders to meet the needs of globally operating end-clients.

“SimplyGlobal is about empowering our partners to grow,” said Heather Smartt, global head of Goldstar and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of the promotional products industry’s most influential people. “By bringing everything together under one PO and one process, we’re making it easier than ever to do business globally, with confidence, consistency and simplicity.”

As part of the service, Goldstar is charging a flat €/$/£50 fee. “It helps cover the coordination across regions, while maintaining pricing that’s straightforward and easy to understand,” the company said, adding that it continues to offer all-inclusive pricing in most markets, covering setup, decoration and delivery.

S&S Activewear Becomes Exclusive Provider of Hanesbrands in Promo

Bolingbrook, IL - S&S Activewear recently announced that it will become the exclusive provider of Hanesbrands in the promotional products/screen-printing channel.

“We’re incredibly proud to deepen our relationship with Hanes, a brand that represents both heritage and reliability,” said Frank Myers, CEO of S&S Activewear and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people. “We’re in a better position than ever to bring more of Hanes’s trusted styles to more customers, more efficiently, while continuing to raise the bar on service.”

As part of the partnership, S&S Activewear will carry the full range of Hanes styles, including the durable and trending Beefy-T. S&S will offer what executives said is deeper inventory positions and enhanced availability across its national distribution network. Customers can also expect faster shipping and delivery windows for Hanes styles, as well as what the companies described as seamless ordering through the S&S website and service platform.

“This is more than an agreement – it’s an evolution of one of the industry’s most enduring relationships,” said Mike Faircloth, Hanesbrands’ president of global operations. “Hanes has been a foundational brand in print wear for decades. With S&S as our exclusive distributor, we’re doubling down on that legacy while positioning ourselves to lead in the next chapter of the market.”

Hanesbrands products won’t be immediately disappearing from the shelves of other suppliers. The partnership with S&S becomes fully operational on Dec. 31, 2025. “Customers may continue to purchase Hanes products from other distributors through the transition period,” the firms said in a statement.

S&S Activewear has made big moves in promo in the last 10 months. The firm recently integrated alphabroder, which it acquired last year. S&S also relaunched Prime Line as a standalone hard goods division. S&S has drawn attention for its use of advanced mobile robotics and automation in its distribution centers.



“As we continue to grow, our focus remains on supporting the industry’s most trusted brands,” said Myers. “We believe strong partnerships with manufacturers like Hanes are what drive value and progress for the industry and our customers.”

AAA Innovations Integrates Into Showdown Displays



Brooklyn Center, MN – AAA Innovations recently retired its name and is going to market under the brand of Showdown Displays. The change was effective June 1.

Sign-Zone, Showdown Displays’ parent firm, acquired AAA Innovations in April 2024. Since then, company leaders have been working to integrate AAA Innovations and Showdown Displays, an effort that has included incorporating AAA’s full line into Showdown Displays’ offerings.

Going forward, AAA Innovations’ products will be available on Showdown Displays website and through industry sourcing platforms, like ASI’s ESP and ESP+. The AAA website will automatically redirect users to the Showdown site.

“This transition marks an exciting new chapter for both brands,” said Kevin Walsh, president of Showdown Displays and a member of Counselor’s Power 50 list of promo’s most influential people. “AAA Innovations has built an incredible reputation, and by welcoming their product line into our portfolio, we’re empowering resellers with more innovative tools, faster service and a one-stop destination for all event and display needs.”

Walsh told ASI Media that the AAA Innovations team will remain in place and operate out of its facility in Orangeburg, NY. “Ultimately, our goal is to be able to facilitate shipments of traditional Showdown products from the New York location and traditional AAA products from our Minnesota location,” said Walsh. “But first, we’re focusing on the brand consolidation and alignment onto a single system.”

AAA Innovations did about $40 million in sales in its final year as an independent company – 2023. The firm specializes in umbrellas, coolers and outdoor recreational products. “We truly are excited for these brands to come together, mostly because it will be an improved experience for our distributor customers,” said Power 50 member John Bruellman, CEO of Sign-Zone.

Showdown Displays asserted that distributors who worked with AAA Innovations can expect a seamless transition. “Customers can continue working with their existing sales representatives,” the firm said in a statement. “All login credentials, order history and customer care support will transition smoothly.”

In addition to AAA’s legacy products, distributors now have access to Showdown’s catalog of visual displays, signage, banners and outdoor event solutions.

“As one brand, we now offer the broadest selection of portable displays and lifestyle products – all designed to help you win more business,” Showdown Displays said in a statement. “With this merger, we’re doubling down on what matters most: more innovative products to meet your customers’ needs, the same legendary service and our trade-only commitment.”

The 2025 PPAI Greatest Companies To Work For Competition Is Open Until June 23rd

• Qualified members have until Monday, June 23 at 11:59 p.m. (CT) to nominate a company to be considered for the 2025 PPAI Greatest Companies To Work For competition.
• All PPAI member companies in the U.S., Canada and Mexico who meet the requirements may be nominated, including those who have been honored in the past. Only one nomination per company is needed to enter the competition.
• When filling out the nomination form, please be prepared to include the following: company logo (.png), a high-resolution team photo, and a complete roster of full-time employees, including their email addresses.

Employees will receive a link to a survey to rate their company in five areas: benefits, resources, culture, leadership and direction. The survey is available in English, French and Spanish.

The scoring from those survey results will determine this year's list of the Greatest Companies To Work For. The selected companies will receive assets to publicize the honor and be featured via PPAI Media online and in the September issue of PPAI Magazine.

Nominate Your Company

You'll need your Company PPAI ID when nominating

Don't Wait For Customers to Fine You - Here's How to Go to Them Instead

Jordan Glazier * Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor * Founder & CEO of Wildfire Systems

In today's hyper-connected world, passive customer engagement is no longer enough — businesses must proactively deliver timely, relevant value within customers' existing digital journeys to truly stand out.

For years, online businesses, especially smaller ones, have followed a somewhat passive model of customer engagement. The site is live, and the digital storefront is effectively "open." The expectation is that customers will visit when their need arises, reacting to the demand created by external marketing.



This "wait and see" approach, while foundational, is becoming insufficient in a hyper-connected world where consumers are bombarded with messaging at every turn. Instead, the new model of customer engagement demands a shift from being reactive to actively meeting customers where they are, when they need it. This evolution, powered by new technologies, can be a game-changer, even for small startups lacking armies of development resources.



Read More

Reach Out Now To Meet With Members of Congress During Their August Recess

Senators and representatives traditionally spend August back home meeting with constituents, and it’s a great opportunity to advocate for the promo industry in your own backyard.

Each year, PPAI hosts its Legislative Education and Action Day event in Washington. This is an important chance for members to take the promotional products industry’s concerns to the halls of Congress and build relationships with legislators and key staffers on Capitol Hill.

But advocacy is not a once-a-year effort. It’s critical that we stay in touch and continue those conversations.

The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970 requires Congress to adjourn no later than July 31 of each year unless there is a declared war or other emergency. Members of Congress traditionally spend this August recess back home meeting with constituents, and it’s a great time to advocate for the promo industry in your own backyard.

Click Here to Read More About Ways to Reach Out and Focus Items