Cary Shevin

Promo Marketing, a sister publication of Print Professional, has compiled a new Top 50 Suppliers ranking. Despite stricter regulations on the safety and sales of promotional products, 2010 and the first half of 2011 have shown a sales resurgence in the industry. The returning fiscal strength of the industry is evident from the list, which is based on revenue numbers from 2010. Overall, the top 50 suppliers raked in more than $500 million more than they did in 2009. These companies have increased their margins, upped the interest in their products and committed themselves to making it through the financial crises stronger than before, and they are being rewarded for it.

The real ESTATE market bubble might be losing some air, but, despite cynical expectations, the bubble is not going to burst. In a recent Reuters newswire, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stated, “It looks to be a very orderly and moderate kind of cooling at this point.” This is good news for distributors of promotional products in this market. Although it is cooling, the real estate niche still has a balmy temperature guage in the upper double digits. Cary Shevin, president of Dard Products, Evanston, Ill., agreed, stating the real estate market is not only huge, but continuous. “And, the prospects are plenty,”