Distributor News

In 1994, Gary M. Brown began working in the promotional products industry as a supplier. He liked it well enough, but the landscape was changing, and he knew it; that same year, Time magazine ran a cover story on a hot, new, up-and-coming technology—a little thing called the Internet. Brown was inspired.

If you need a reason to get into the paper sales business, try this one: It's everywhere. It's the lifeblood of the print industry, a necessity for virtually every project. Everybody needs it, from marketers running cross-media campaigns to corporate offices looking for stationery.

Success is relative. Playing the riff in "Smoke on the Water?" No problem for a touring musician, big deal for a rookie guitarist. Running a 10-minute mile? Business as usual for a seasoned track star, lifetime achievement for a Print+Promo editor.

Cathedral Corporation, Rome, N.Y., a provider of financial, marketing and fundraising communications for credit unions and banks, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations and churches, has acquired AXIS Data Solutions.

Bars have a lot going on. Throngs of rowdy people. Noisy cover-bands mangling "Born to Run." Walls plastered in neon signs, Christmas lights and, for some reason, photos of Burt Reynolds. For a beverage brand, this can be a nightmare—with so many things competing for bar patrons' attention, and so many other beverage brands jockeying for space amid the chaos, it can be tough to stand out.

IDEAlliance, Alexandria, Va., the certifier of systems, skills, materials and facilities in media production, has announced the addition of wide-format inkjet printing systems to its programs of system validation and certification.

Mohawk, Cohoes, N.Y., the manufacturer of fine papers, envelopes and specialty substrates for commercial and digital printing, announced it has extended the lease on its converting center and warehouse facility in Ashtabula, Ohio, through December 2022.

INX Digital, San Leandro, Calif., announced that James Coulston has joined the company as regional sales manager for the Triangle brand. A printing industry veteran with more than 18 years of experience, he will be responsible for sales in the central U.S.

The F.P. Horak Company, Bay City, Mich., announced that it has merged with TBF Graphics. The merger, to be finalized Sept. 1, 2014, gives customers increased access to expanded technology and resources.

Kwikee, a Division of MultiAd, based in Peoria, Ill., has a new website that offers an improved user experience. New features of the site include customized user settings, robust search options, GS1-related enhancements, notifications for updated products, list uploads for bulk searches and more.