Please join CPPA for a fun evening out with industry friends

as we mingle, network and celebrate the Holiday season as well

as honor our Peake Awards Recipients!

Date:

December, 12, 2024

Time:

6:00 to 9:00 pm

Location:

Merriweather Lake House

10209 Wincopin Cir

Columbia, MD 21404

Cost:

Members & Guests: $50 pp which includes a delicious buffet meal

and one complimentary drink ticket

Cash bar available

Dress Code:

Cocktail Attire

Sponsorship opportunities available:

Bar Sponsor: $500 - 1 available

Spots are limited and on a first come, first served basis

Details are on the registration form

Product sponsorship opportunities available:

Please contact Tiffany if you would like to donate door prizes,

party giveaways, decorations, etc. The more the merrier!

In the spirit of the holiday season, CPPA will be collecting donations at the party

for Toys for Tots which delivers hope to children during the holiday season and beyond.

Please consider bringing a new unwrapped toy to spread love and cheer this holiday season!

We hope you will join us for an evening of fun as we toast to

a successful 2024 and a prosperous 2025!

Reserve your tickets today!

CPPA's 2025 Winter Expo is part of The Power of District 1 Tour

January 27 - 30, 2025

SAGE honors top industry suppliers and decorators with A+ and A Rating Awards based on distributor ratings in SAGE Total Access



Plano, TX – SAGE is proud to once again recognize outstanding suppliers and decorators with its prestigious A+ and A rating awards, based on distributor ratings collected through SAGE Total Access.

This year, 942 companies earned the highly sought-after A+ rating, an increase of 5.25% from the prior year, while 180 companies were awarded an impressive A rating. Together, these top performing businesses represent 46% of all active Advantage and Decorator Members in the SAGE database. As part of SAGE’s partnership with PPAI, suppliers with A+ and A ratings are also eligible for the annual PPAI Supplier Star Awards.

“We are thrilled to acknowledge and celebrate our supplier and decorator partners who

consistently exceed expectations, delivering exceptional service and upholding the highest

standards of quality and integrity in our industry,” said Dana Porter, MAS, SAGE’s Vice President of Information Services.

Recognized for its comprehensive and reliable supplier reviews, the SAGE rating system gives distributors the tools to make well-informed decisions by providing access to valuable data. Distributors can view a supplier or decorator’s real-time ratings and comments through SAGE Online and SAGE Web, along with a detailed summary of any awards and industry accolades.

Distributors can submit ratings through SAGE Total Access or via a “Rate Us” link provided by suppliers and decorators, scoring factors such as customer service, delivery, and problem resolution, along with leaving detailed feedback. Each company can only be rated once by a distributor, but ratings can be updated at any time to reflect ongoing experiences, ensuring accuracy.

Award-winning companies will receive marketing materials to promote their A+ or A-rated

status, including logos for use in catalogs, websites, and email signatures. 

 Click here to view the complete lists

Hit Promo To Build 800,000-Square-Foot Facility in Ohio



Largo, FL – Hit Promotional Products is at the starting line of a planned expansion project that will double its distribution center footprint at a strategic location in the Midwest. The move will double the Counselor Top 40 supplier’s footprint in the Buckeye State and generate 100 new jobs while helping the firm to better serve customers, executives said.

The firm plans to build a 800,000-square-foot facility in Fairfield, OH, part of the greater Cincinnati region. Hit already leases a 400,000-square-foot space in the area but will own the new state-of-the-art location.

“We aim to diversify our footprint into a larger facility in the center of the country,” said Hit CEO CJ Schmidt. “We also want to own our building. The new facility will help Hit best serve customers as we see the need to expand in the future” Schmidt added. The CEO cautioned that it’s early days on the building project and that Hit will continue operating from its leased facility for the time being. “We’re a long way out” from the new building opening.

Read more here

DID YOU KNOW?....

CPPA members can automatically see Free Setup coupons

and more than 100+ supplier websites with PromoHunt?

That's right -- just install the free PromoHunt browser extension, and then CPPA coupons, Supplier phone numbers, and other helpful details will appear automatically at the bottom of supplier website pages.

Sign Up For Free

PPAI Announces 2025 Icon Award Recipients

PPAI has announced the recipients of its 2025 Icon Awards, which celebrate the accomplishments of those who have gone above and beyond in service to the promotional products industry, the Association and their communities. The Icon Award winners include two PPAI Hall of Fame inductees, two Distinguished Service Award recipients and one H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award recipient.

This year’s honors are being bestowed on:

• PPAI Hall of Fame: Jonathan Isaacson, MAS
• PPAI Hall of Fame: Mark Jenkins, MAS+
• PPAI Distinguished Service Award: Danny Sirmon, MAS
• PPAI Distinguished Service Award: D’Anna Zimmer, CAS
• H. Ted Olson Humanitarian Award: Joy Smith, MAS

Read More Here

Hybrid Workers Were Put to the Test Against Fully In-Office Employees - Here's Who Came Out On Top

Sherin Shibu * Entrepreneur Staff * News Reporter at Entrepreneur.com

Productivity barely changed whether employees were in the office or not. However, hybrid workers reported better job satisfaction than in-office workers.

When Amazon CEO Andy Jassy mandated that workers return to the office full-time in January, he said working in the office five days a week would strengthen the company's culture and better connect teams.

And while Amazon's internal research showed that it was easier to strengthen work culture while in person, a new study published in the scientific journal Nature found that hybrid work may actually have a slight advantage over in-person work — and drive positive, measurable outcomes.

Data from the six-month experiment revealed "no differences in productivity, performance review grade, or promotion" between the two groups, the study's authors wrote in an article last week for the Harvard Business Review. Instead, a hybrid schedule led to measurable improvements in quit rates and job satisfaction.

"We found that hybrid working improved job satisfaction and reduced quit rates by one-third," they elaborated in their research paper, published in June. "The reduction in quit rates was significant for non-managers, female employees, and those with long commutes."

Read More

Band Together Charity Raises $1.1 Million For Hurricane Relief

Band Together, a volunteer-driven nonprofit co-founded by Danny Rosin, CAS, president and co-owner of North Carolina-based distributor Brand Fuel, recently raised $1.1 million for hurricane relief efforts with a concert and telethon.

All proceeds from the “Music for the Mountains” concert – headlined by Old Crow Medicine Show – will directly benefit the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, providing critical resources to communities struggling to rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.

“Community issues deserve community responses and when Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, Band Together and its partners responded,” says Rosin. “Thanks to bands that played for free and amazing supplier partners, $1.1 million was raised through a concert and telethon in just three and a half weeks! I’m proud to be a part of the work and to be a North Carolinian. Where there is merch and music, there is unity.”

Band Together, which has been using live music as a platform for social change since 2001, partnered with Lincoln Theatre, WRAL and Red Hat Amphitheater to organize the event.