Thank you to those that exhibited at or attended the CPPA Fall Promo Expo on 9/12/24 at Laurel Park! We truly hope that you enjoyed the show and obtained some great information that will be beneficial to your 4th quarter sales. If you would like to provide a testimonial regarding the show or CPPA in general, please email Tiffany with your information.
Please mark your calendars for our next upcoming in person events:
- CPPA Holiday Party and Peake Awards - 12/12/24 at Merriweather Lakehouse in Columbia, MD
- 2025 Winter Expo - 1/30/25 at BWI Airport Marriott in Linthicum Heights, MD
Make sure to pencil us in so that you don't miss these great events. Registration for the above events will be opening soon so please be on the lookout for more details to come.
We appreciate your continued support of CPPA and look forward to seeing you at upcoming CPPA events!
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September 25, 2024 Wild Wednesday Webinar: “2024 Technology State of the Industry: Key Trends & Takeaways for Promo Pros”
Companies of all sizes power the $26B promotional products industry - and it's getting more competitive as new companies get into the business of selling branded merchandise. Do you know how your business stacks up? Join Mykayla Goodwin, VP of Strategy for OrderMyGear (OMG), as she reveals the results of OMG's latest Technology State of the Union Report with data from 1,000+ promotional product distributors, apparel decorators, and team dealers. She'll unpack key insights you can use to benchmark your business and customers, including:
Learning Outcomes:
- Characteristics of companies that sell branded merchandise such as average annual sales, employee count, and decoration habits
- Technology adoption patterns
- Top sales channels and use cases
Read more and register
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This event is currently sold out!
Please contact tiffany@cppa.biz if you would like
to be placed on a waiting list for cancellations.
Come Sail Away with CPPA and your peers
while enjoying an exceptional networking experience!
Over the course of this 2-hour sunset sail aboard a beautiful, wooden 74-foot schooner, you will get the opportunity to network with other members while taking in the breathtaking views of the Chesapeake Bay. All participants will also receive a goody bag with items to enjoy on the sail and take home.
October 18, 2024 - Schooner Woodwind
80 Compromise St, Annapolis, MD 21401
- $100/pp for CPPA members and their guest (limit 2 tickets) which includes 1 drink ticket, light fare, goody bag and sunset sail
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2:30 - 3:45 pm - Meet to check in at Pusser's Caribbean Grille where you will receive your drink ticket, goody bag and enjoy light appetizers
- 4:00 - 6:00 pm - Sunset Sail on the Schooner Woodwind - Soft drinks and bottled water will be provided during the sail; Cash bar will also be available for additional purchases.
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Vantage Apparel Partners with Starline to Offer Hard Goods in its New Webstore Platform
Avenel, NJ – Vantage Apparel, an industry leader in custom logo, branded apparel, recently unveiled its cutting-edge, single-piece webstore platform, set to revolutionize the promotional products industry. The platform boasts a range of advanced features, including Pop-Up Shops, points programs, budget allocations, powerful reporting, and order approvals, all designed to enhance user experience and streamline operations.
Notably, the new platform offers strengthened security, with PCI and SOC2 compliance, ensuring the highest standards of data protection and privacy for users.
Building on this innovative launch, Vantage Apparel is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Starline®, a renowned industry leader in hard goods. This collaboration will significantly expand the product offerings available through Vantage's webstores, providing distributors with instant access to a diverse range of single-piece, on-demand branded products, including, apparel, bags, coolers, Bluetooth speakers, flashlights, home goods and drinkware, including consumer-favorite Stanley®.
Rob Watson, CEO of Vantage Apparel, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: "Our collaboration with Starline® marks a significant milestone for Vantage Apparel. By integrating their high-quality hard goods into our platform, we are not only broadening our product range but also enhancing the value we provide to our distributors and their customers. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to innovation, integration, and excellence in the promotional products industry."
Vantage's collaboration with Starline allows distributors to seamlessly incorporate a curated selection of both apparel and hard goods into their webstore, providing real-time inventory and enhanced ordering capabilities for all products. “Each product in Starline's on-demand lineup offers the same single-piece, decorated option that our customers have grown to love and expect from Vantage," says Chris Alfano, Chief Digital Officer of Vantage Apparel.
Starline has been a long-time, award-winning industry leader in upscale retail-quality gifts in both the United States and Canada for over 50 years. “Vantage is known industry wide for their creative and innovative decoration capabilities, combined with first class apparel,” says Brian Porter, Chief Revenue Officer of Starline®. “This works so well with our award-winning digital Tru Color decorating and best in class product quality, that the synergy was a natural fit. We’re beyond thrilled to expand our “On Demand” capabilities and combine those in a one stop solution for both apparel and hard goods.”
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Charles River Apparel Promotes Jason Lipsett To President
Sharon, MA – Charles River Apparel recently announced that Jason Lipsett has been promoted to president of the company, effective September 12, 2024.
His appointment marks three generations of Lipsetts at the helm of the New England-based firm, which his grandfather, Walter Lipsett, founded in 1983. Barry Lipsett, Jason's father, will continue to serve as CEO, partnering with his son to lead the company going forward.
“I feel a great responsibility stepping into this role and am deeply mindful of what it means for our employees, our customers and our community,” says Jason. “I’m committed to creating a work environment built around respect, teamwork and a growth mindset. Our customers know they can trust Charles River Apparel for quality and reliability, and it’s my goal to create even stronger partnerships that yield mutual success.”
“Jason’s leadership and dedication have been pivotal in driving our recent successes,” Barry says. “He has an innate understanding of our business, our crew and our customers. His promotion to president isn’t just a reflection of his accomplishments, but a testament to his vision for the future of Charles River Apparel.”
As part of that vision, Adam Heaslewood has joined the company as chief revenue officer, overseeing sales and marketing. Reporting directly to Jason, he’ll begin his new role on the same day that his new boss takes over.
“What really stood out to me about Adam is his impressive track record and how closely his values align with those of Charles River Apparel,” Jason says. “Adam is deeply team-focused, driven and has a vision that I believe will be key in shaping the future of our company, creating opportunities for both our employees and our customers.”
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Hicksville, NY – Nassau Candy, the parent company of NC Custom, and its founders, the Stier Family, were proud to be honored at the 18th Annual Mildred & Samuel Levine Memorial Golf Classic. With their efforts, the event raised a record $1.5 million in support of Sunrise Day Camp Long Island for children with cancer and their siblings.
For more information about the Sunrise Association & ways to donate, visit:
www.sunrisedaycamp-longisland.org
In conjunction with the success of the Golf Classic, NC Custom’s commitment to excellence was further recognized as the company secured the 22nd spot in the Counselor Awards, ranking among the top 40 Suppliers in the industry.
NC Custom works towards offering product voids identified as marketplace needs. Their donations and continued partnerships with distributor partners and top organizations is part of their strategy in establishing and continuing to have a significant presence in the industry. Delivering world class service, with a focus on caring, customer's wins are thier wins, and losses are their losses.
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ASB Announces Maxx Rochette as Vice President of Canadian Solutions for Business
Glenwood, MN – American Solutions for Business recently announced the appointment of Maxx Rochette as Vice President of the newly established Canadian Solutions for Business (CSB).
In this role, Rochette will oversee strategic initiatives and foster a collaborative environment as CSB evolves within the Canadian market. Maxx brings 12 years of experience in the promotional products industry, beginning his career in sales and working his way up to senior leadership within his previous distributor.
"I’m excited about the opportunity with CSB because it provides a platform to leverage my experience in customer relationship management while contributing to a company known for its commitment to client satisfaction," shares Rochette. "I’m particularly drawn to the chance to work on initiatives to enhance customer experiences and streamline processes, as I have a strong passion for developing strategies that drive customer loyalty and business growth. I’m also eager to work with a team that values collaboration and innovation, which I believe will allow me to apply my skills effectively and continue learning and growing."
Rochette will work closely with ASB’s Founder and CEO, Larry Zavadil, as well as VP of Vendor Relations, Marketing & Events, Dana Zezzo to develop the company’s strategic vision.
“We’re excited for this new chapter ahead,” says Zezzo. “Appointing Maxx in this role is a major milestone in expanding reach within Canada. This will allow new and existing sales associates to best serve customers wanting to do business within Canada.”
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2024 Greatest Companies to Work For | | |
Promotional Products Industry's Greatest Companies To Work For In 2024
The Great Resignation is over, but that doesn’t mean promotional products companies are resting on their laurels.
To recruit and retain top talent, companies are offering their employees more than ever before, including unprecedented flexibility, higher pay, personal growth opportunities and a welcoming company culture.
The companies that have best met workers’ needs made PPAI’s 2024 Greatest Companies To Work For list.
This year, a record 106 companies earned the honors, a jaw-dropping jump from 67 in 2023.
View This Year's List
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How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile in 6 Easy Steps
Jason Foodman * Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor * CEO/CRO/COO of Global Operations Leadership
LinkedIn offers a vast array of configuration options, most don't take advantage of all of them, overlook many and fail to optimize the sections they do use. This article covers a number of high-visibility key areas along with suggestions of how to get the most out of them.
With more than 1 billion users in 200 countries worldwide, LinkedIn is currently the largest professional networking platform. So, whether for professional networking or job search purposes, it's more important than ever to customize and optimize your LinkedIn profile. Similar to advertising, visitors to your profile page will likely spend just a few precious seconds to form an opinion, so it's imperative that everything is clear, concise and on-message. Fortunately, LinkedIn has a robust feature set that enables a lot of customization. Unfortunately, many on the platform overlook key parts of their profile, in some cases not including them at all and often not optimizing what's there.
As you craft your LinkedIn profile, the fundamental objective to keep in mind is that you want to clearly articulate four things in a concise and quick-to-digest manner: who you are, what you are doing professionally, what you have done and what you are looking for — especially for those who are job hunting. You should remove anything that does not contribute to any of these points.
Read More
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PPAI Pyramid Award Submissions | | |
Submissions for the PPAI Pyramid Awards are officially open.
A badge of honor for PPAI member companies, the PPAI Pyramid Award has stood the test of time and continues to advance the awareness and prestige of the industry’s talented companies and individuals. First introduced in 1958, the PPAI Pyramid Award recognizes promotional products businesses and helps shine the spotlight on the collaborative business model unique to our industry.
To be eligible for the 2025 PPAI Pyramid Competition, all campaigns must have been developed and conducted between April 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024. Interested applicants have until September 27th to submit.
Click Here to access competition information,
category descriptions and entry forms
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