Peerless Umbrella

This year, as every year has been before it, is the "year of the umbrella," bringing new ways to decorate, build and sell promotional umbrellas.

ETS Express Inc., Oxnard, Calif., has named a number of new appointments, including two regional sales managers and a stragetic account manager. Cristina Ysselstein, Jeff Hinds and Derek Hansen have all joined the drinkware company.

Several of the businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy were able to reopen today, but many remain closed or are operating at reduced capacity. Below is a list noting which companies have opened and which have remained closed as of 3:00 p.m. EST today. Notes on each company’s status have been provided where available.

Though many businesses affected by Hurricane Sandy were able to reopen today, there are some that still remain closed. Below is yesterday's list of closed businesses, amended to note which have opened and which have remained closed as of 3:15 p.m. EST today. Messages from the closed companies have been posted when available.

 Keep your clients dry and happy this season by investing in promotional rain gear.

Sneakers designed by teenagers help raise money for school arts programs.

Few things in life sell themselves. Ice cream, holiday cards for mom and maybe movies about mopey adolescent vampires. But in general, to sell a product you need a sales pitch. You need an angle. You need an idea.

Say you want to sell umbrellas. Great products, considering they keep you dry, can be imprinted beautifully in dozens of different ways and generally have a high perceived value. You can't take that information alone to a client however, and expect a sale. "Hey, check out this umbrella! It's neat and, uh, umbrellas! They stop rain!" isn't exactly going to have product flying off the shelves.

Journalbooks/Timeplanner Calendars, Charlotte, N.C., has announced the promotion of Jamie Raynor to national sales manager, effective immediately. Raynor has worked at Journalbooks for more than eight years and most recently served as creative sales director. She will continue to lead the creative team, and in her new role, will work directly with Tim O’Boyle, vice president of sales, to develop the company’s inside and outside sales teams, in addition to managing national accounts. “Jamie brings 20 years of advertising, printing and promotional product experience to our clients,” said O’Boyle. “Her ability to create marketing solutions with our products is unparalleled in the industry,

LOYALTY HOLDS POWERFUL sway over many people’s actions. It is difficult to settle for good when the best is just a little further. Loyalty will see the extra mile traveled, the extra call made and the extra cost paid. Often, it is a result of superior quality or superior service, while other times familiarity can be held accountable, and yet other people will have a simple affection toward a brand. This is the dream of any corporation: To be known of not as a source, but as the definitive source for a commodity. Promotional Marketing’s 2007 Supplier Excellence Awards recognize the best in more

AT THE TIME of this writing, a storm front reaching from Canada to Mexico was crossing the United States, pelting the Southern states with liquid precipitation and flurrying Northern states with flakes. Simultaneously, the beaches of southern Florida were enjoying the caress of bright, unadulterated sunshine. When gravity displays its dominance over tropospheric water, distributors and suppliers are reminded of the beauty and utility of promotional umbrellas. On the beaches, too, joy is felt upon seeing larger-than-life logos protecting users from harsh UV rays. Jason Nanus, vice president of business development at AAA Umbrella, Paramus, N.J., admits he feels a certain sense of accomplishment when