PM Podcast

Emily Jaworski and Dominique Volker of Whitestone Branding joined the show to tell us how they're handling price increases while keeping customers happy, what they're expecting for the rest of the year, how they're dealing with inventory issues, and more. Plus, Sean and Brendan talk Twitter merch now that Elon Musk bought the company...

Is the word "distributor" outdated? Does it need to be updated to better reflect the changing nature of the job and the capabilities of modern distributor companies? Is it necessary to make a change? Is it even possible? Sandra Kelley of Prestige Promotions joined the show to discuss the topic, originally proposed by PPAI President Dale Denham in a recent article...

It hasn't captured national attention the same way as inflation or shipping delays, but the ongoing paper shortage has been called an "existential crisis" by some in the print industry. What's happening and what does it mean for distributors? Jim Kersten, CEO of Diversified Labeling Solutions, joined the show to fill us in and talk opportunities in the fast-growing labels market...

Imprint Engine's Caleb Gilbertson and Zach Sussman joined the show to share some lessons from their fast-growing company's success and discuss how the recent boom in HR-related spending is creating huge opportunities for promo businesses. They also talked online stores, their end-to-end business model and much more...

Wingstop recently completed a full overhaul of its employee uniforms, replacing the old ones with new ones made using 2 million recycled plastic water bottles. Wingstop's Marisa Carona, The LogoLink Group's Brad Blankenship and HTT Apparel's Bill Patterson gave us an inside look at how it all came together...

"We're here to become a lifestyle brand. Our goal is to be a household name. So these types of initiatives really just break through and surprise and delight our customers." That's Katie Nahoum, SVP of marketing for Whisps, the consumer cheese snack brand, and she's talking about her company's latest promotional merchandise effort: personalized, edible sculptures made from 100% cheese...

Forward Madison FC is a professional soccer team based in Wisconsin. The team's logo crest is a pink flamingo. It once sold branded potatoes as merch. Forward Madison's Conor Caloia and Chase Eagan stopped by to tell us about that, as well as their (excellent) QR code merchandise, their marketing philosophy and more...

BAMKO is making a big move in the uniforms space. Jake Himelstein, the company's president, joined the show to announce the move and explain how it positions BAMKO to meet the evolving needs of modern promo customers. He also talked supply chain, huge opportunities in the recognition market and much more. Plus, Sean and Brendan dive deep into Pabst Blue Ribbon's fun (and maybe invasive?) merchandise campaign...

Jo Gilley, CEO of Overture Promotions, joined the show to tell us how Overture grew sales from $81.6 million to $126.9 million in the middle of the pandemic (and from $60.6 million the year before) en route to a No. 14 overall finish on the 2021 Top Distributors list. And Print+Promo editor Elise Carr joins Sean and Brendan to discuss the big takeaways, surprises and success stories from the list...

Fluid Branding wants to plant one million trees. The distributor recently launched its "A Tree With Every Order" program, an initiative that reimagines the way promo businesses can work toward a more sustainable and socially responsible industry. Fluid's Miles Lovegrove and Kyle Scott joined the show to tell us how it works, why it matters and why it's smart business...