QCA Gains Momentum
Overland Park, Kansas-based Design Resources; Lenexa, Kansas-based Gill Studios and Fairfield, New Jersey-based Points of Light have applied to participate in the accreditation program developed by the Quality Certification Alliance (QCA), the promotional product industry’s only independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping companies provide safe products.
Paul Lage, Gill Studios CEO commented, “Product safety is critically important to the industry because when one company has an issue, it reflects poorly on us all. We cannot afford to have end-buyers questioning the use of promotional products if there is a perception of risk, and QCA provides the needed framework for compliance and communication.”
Brent Stone, QCA executive director–operations, said, “We are particularly pleased that these companies are becoming part of QCA, as they represent new category offerings for end-buyers. These new applicants bring the total number of QCA-accredited companies plus new applicants to 28 companies. We are now actively working with the QCA Distributor Advocacy Group to not only more effectively communicate the safe product and compliance message to corporate America but also educate suppliers, distributors and buyers on the state and federal requirements as well as ways they can apply compliance within their business strategies.”
LeeAnn Schumacher, director of strategic sourcing and merchandising, for Itasca, Illinois-based Summit Marketing Group and member of the QCA Distributor Advocacy Group, believes the QCA Accreditation Program is what the industry needs to secure sources of supply that are unsurpassed in their quality of products and services.
Schumacher noted, “At Summit, we recognize that our success is based on the quality of our relationships with our customers, employees, suppliers and communities. As such, we strive to be a socially responsible company and know that the trust our customers have in us is not to be taken lightly.” She added, “We work hard to see that the goods we sell are made in compliance with applicable laws, and we seek supplier partners who share our commitment to quality products and business principles. As part of our Key Supplier Program in 2011, Summit will encourage suppliers to consider QCA as a compliance solution if they are not already accredited within the marketplace.”
In other news, Miami-based Bullet, a member of Polyconcept North America, the second largest hard goods supplier within the promotional products industry, announced its achievement of accreditation through the QCA based on successful completion of a third-party audit of its compliance programs and practices.
For more information, visit www.qcalliance.org.