Pantone announced its Color of the Year for 2020, and is doing things a little differently this year. Before we get too deep into that, we can reveal that the official hue is Pantone...
Brendan Menapace
The beer business is one of the most noticeably growing industries in the U.S. right now. Just about every town has or is getting at least one micro-brewery, and some restaurants are even rebranding themselves as restaurants/breweries. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that...
Customer service can be a tricky game, especially since a distributor has a duty to be multiple things to multiple people. On some days, your goal is to make the...
Doesn’t it feel like a moment ago we were all yelling, “Happy new year!” and then we blinked and it was November? Time is wild, man. Anyway, whether you realize it or not, the holiday season is here. And, for distributors who have tried their best to deny the changing of the season, there's still time to get in on the holiday and seasonal promotions selling game...
Following the news of Iowa Senator Jodi Ernst's SWAG Act, a proposed bill that would prohibit government entities from using taxpayer dollars for advertising (including buying promotional products), PPAI sent out a statement to the industry...
Genumark, Toronto, announced that it has acquired Rightsleeve to strengthen its position in the Canadian branded merchandise market. "Although both companies are based in Toronto, there is virtually no overlap in client accounts," said Mark Freed, president and CEO of...
It seems like just yesterday we were scraping New Year’s Eve confetti off our shoes and checking the weather for snowstorms. But, thanks to time’s ability to fly, 2019 is almost over. And many distributors are deep in the throes of planning for their fourth quarter sales...
Staples Inc., Framingham, Mass., announced that it has named Matt Eckhouse head of Staples Promotional Products and Print as vice president and general manager. Eckhouse, who has been with the company since 2013, takes over for Rich Witaszak, who is no longer with the company. Eckhouse, a graduate of Harvard University with an MBA from…
If you came up to me and asked, “Brendan, I’m a print and promotional product distributor, and I’m looking to know more about the folders and brochures category of the industry. Can you give me some information about the benefits, applications and new developments in that sector?” I would look at you and...
It was a volatile weekend for the U.S. and China's economic relationship. On Friday, following China's announcement that it will retaliate with tariffs on about $75 billion in U.S. goods, President Trump said that the U.S. would impose an additional 5 percent on Chinese imports...
Every year, we look forward to combing through the Inc. 5000 list to see which of our friends in the promotional products industry made it among the esteemed ranks. This year, more than 60 companies related to promotional products made the list...
It's been a few weeks without news regarding the ongoing trade talks between the U.S. and China. In a series of tweets yesterday, however, President Donald Trump reported that U.S. trade representatives returned from China talks with disappointing results, and that he would add a "small additional tariff of 10 percent" on $300 billion in Chinese imports, effective Sept. 1...
The Tokyo Olympics in 2020 are noteworthy for their addition of sports like skateboarding, but that’…
If you're not aware by now, there's a meme that's spread across the world about storming Area 51 to finally free the aliens that the U.S. government has supposedly been hiding from us for decades. It's a plan that's destined to fail, and if anyone tries...
Gennex Media LLC (aka Brandnex.com and PMGOA) pleaded guilty to price fixing in the promotional products industry. The company's president, Akil Kurji, was sentenced to eight months in custody, a $20,000 fine and three years of supervised...
