TSC Apparel, Cincinnati, announced the appointment of Dave Klotter as its new CEO. Klotter comes to TSC Apparel from Marianna Industries, where he served as CEO and board member. Before that, he was a senior executive with KIK Custom Products, as well as various executive and sales leadership positions throughout his 25-year career. "I am…
Brendan Menapace
Custom Ink, one of the primary competitors to traditional promotional products businesses, has taken another step in its expansion plans and opened seven more brick-and-mortar locations in its native Virginia. Six of the stores are located within Michaels' stores. One of the locations is a standalone store, with another planned standalone store opening in Alexandria,…
The U.S. Air Force has started 3-D printing coffee mug handles because otherwise it would cost $1,210 to replace a single one if it breaks. That's not a typo or a misplaced comma. It really costs $1,210 to replace the coffee mugs' handles. Granted, these are not the coffee mugs you're using at home or…
Wearable technology is becoming more prevalent in much more than just the health and wellness sector. It's being used by entertainment companies and sports teams to create coordinated design elements in stadiums and during concerts. It's being used in apparel to let you know when your Uber driver is coming. It's being used to pay…
If you ask anyone older than 35, millennials are entitled, selfie-taking, lazy leeches whose fragile egos and penchant for avocado toast prevents them from purchasing houses and contributing to the world. If you ask any millennial, they will tell you that standpoint is hyperbolic, to say the least. Millennials are the Yankees. Everyone who isn't…
With the increased sanctions of $200 billion most recently, economists said that consumers don't have to worry just yet. This fall, however, should things continue on this current track, that could change.
The list of new tariffs includes a good amount of products that directly relate to the promotional products space, such as headwear, cotton and sport bags, and items tangentially related to the industry, like fruit, leather goods and machinery.
The fight against single-use plastics is gaining momentum, as more and more countries, cities and businesses are phasing them out in favor of more eco-friendly options. The latest news comes from Starbucks, which announced that it plans to phase out plastic straws at all of its locations by 2020. Rather than go the route of…
Staples announced that it acquired HiTouch Business Services, which, among other services, sells office supplies and promotional products to companies in the U.S. HiTouch will now be part of the Staples Business Advantage delivery program and will operate its e-commerce platform independently of Staples, but will maintain a status as a Staples-affiliated distributor...
Fortnite has become an overnight success in the video game community thanks to its multiplayer gameplay and its free-to-play status. So, it's no surprise that its popularity has led fans to go nuts about promotional items at the E3 conference. According to Polygon, Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, gave out exclusive bags during an…
The loss of LeBron James to Los Angeles has surely been hard on Cleveland. There, he was much more than an athlete. And in a city where basketball is the only real hope of a championship (or even a few wins in the case of the Browns), having someone like LeBron as the talisman is…
The newest rounds of retaliatory tariffs from Canada announced yesterday point directly at a few items with direct ties to the promotional industry, like ballpoint pens.
An item from Shakira's "El Dorado World Tour" merchandise is receiving some heat for what critics say is a striking resemblance to the Black Sun image used by Nazi Germany and modern far-right extremist groups. As a result, concert producer Live Nation has stopped the sale of the necklace two weeks into the tour (coincidentally,…
In what is possibly the largest and most severe plastic ban, Mumbai has issued a ban on single-use plastic bags, cups and bottles. While the size of Mumbai (population: 12.4 million) is enough to make this big news, it's the way that officials are carrying out the ban that stands out the most...
Amazon's presence on the periphery of the promotional products industry has been known for a while, and it's grouped in with the likes of CafePress, Redbubble and Custom Ink (among others) who are adopting the direct-to-consumer model of custom products sales. To say that Amazon is now a competitor is old news. However, the extent…
