Awards

Here in Philadelphia, things are really starting to heat up (and it’s only March). Even though the Republican nomination is sewn up, the Democratic primary is coming to town in full force. Bus stops preach the message of hope and campaign ads talk passionately about change. It’s a different feel for a state normally an afterthought in the doldrums of late primary season. It seems that every cubicle, street corner and marketplace is buzzing with the same question, “Who will win—Barack or Hillary?
The youth vote is cited for Obama. The blue-collar vote is assured for Clinton (or so the news outlets keep saying

As part of an exciting sweepstakes event at this year’s PPAI Expo, Chicago-based R.S. Owens awarded a pair of tickets and an expenses-paid package to Brooke Ness of S&S Promotional Group, Fargo, N.D. Ness was the winner of a drawing that was held at the end of the Expo’s second day. She received a pair of tickets to the 2008 Primetime Emmy’s, round-trip airfare, two-night hotel accommodations, dinner for two and a limousine ride to the awards ceremony, which will take place in September at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Ness’s card was drawn from more than 500 registrants, and she will

Vantage Apparel, Avenel, N.J., a leading manufacturer and decorator of logoed apparel, was honored with two Gold Awards at the 52nd annual Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Suppliers Achievement Awards competition. The company also received a first-place finish in the 2008 Advertising Specialty Institute’s (ASI) Distributor Choice Awards for decorated apparel. The Gold Embroidery award was won with a 140,000-stitch, multi-media logo, the Shell Game. The logo conveyed the picturesque scenery of the event location through a variety of embroidery techniques. Appliqué, 3-D puff, metallic threads, creative color choices and impeccable registration all contributed to the award-winning design. The Gold Web award was

Crystal D, St. Paul, Minn., was selected as a gold winner in two categories and a silver winner in one category at the 2008 Promotional Products Association International Awards ceremony during January’s PPAI Expo, held in Las Vegas. Crystal D won gold in the “Etching-Engraving” and “Two or More Distinct Processes to Produce a Specific Visual Effect” categories. Crystal D submitted the crystal Columbus Award, which was both front- and reverse-etched to create a unique visual effect, for the “Etching-Engraving” category. For the category, “Two or More Distinct Processes to Produce a Specific Visual Effect,” the crystal NASCAR Car was submitted.

I just had a nice conversation with Leo Kennedy from Awards With Character. I’m doing a product showcase for the magazine on sports teams and was looking for products a little more off-the-beaten-path than cups, seat cushions and caps (not that there is anything wrong with any of those items).
Leo’s company provides trophies and other products as incentives to schools for both sports teams and academic programs. The difference is, his trophies aren’t brassy figures or silver cups, they are small (adorable, some would say) bear figurines talking part in various sports. Girl soccer bear. Boy baseball bear. Hockey bear (there is a

David Graham, national sales director for Chicago-based awards and gift manufacturer R.S. Owens, announced the hiring of Mitch Shreder as regional sales manager for the Eastern United States. Shreder’s strong background in distributor sales and marketing will complement and strengthen R.S. Owens’ current team of regional sales managers. “This is an integral position for R.S. Owens to fill with a professional of Mitch’s skill and background,” said Graham. “Mitch brings over eighteen years of experience to Owens in a territory that will truly benefit from his knowledge of the promotional products industry. His years as a regional sales manager in the wearables industry

The Promotional Specialists (TPS) of Ontario, Canada, proudly accepted the award for Distributor of the Year 2007, Central Region at the Promotional Products Professionals of Canada annual expo trade show and awards ceremony in Toronto yesterday. TPS also received two other prestigious Image Awards for outstanding creativity, strategy, execution and results in the categories of: Best Catalogue Program: Silver – For the Royal LePage “Red Market” Best Self Promotion: Silver – for “Promotions That Pop” “We are honoured and humbled to be recognized by our peers. Each of these awards is a testament to the quality of our people, the relationships we

Bridgeport, Connecticut-based Prime Line proudly announced it has been selected as a winner of the 2008 PPAI Web Award for the category of Functionality/Usability. The award recognized PPAI distributor and supplier members in five categories for creative and effective promotional products Web sites. “We are very pleased to be recognized for the improvements we’ve made on our Web site recently,” said Jeff Lederer, executive vice president. “Some new features we’ve added include live inventory check, instant order-status look up and shipment tracking, as well as fast-and-easy product searches,” he added. Prime Line will be honored at The PPAI Expo 2008 awards presentation

On Monday, January 14 and Tuesday, January 15 at the Las Vegas Expo 2008, the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) will bring together some of the nation’s foremost sales and marketing experts to help owners take their business to the next level. Ten different paid workshops will be offered this year. Each of these workshops is designed to allow time for an in-depth analysis of the subject matter. Topics will include guerrilla marketing, financial planning, effective referral generation, and niche marketing solutions and strategies for Web site success. In addition, luncheon sessions will allow distributors to take part in the following: Developing a

Gidget Tracy and Holly Ambrose, owners of Proforma businesses, were named finalists in the 2007 Stevie Awards for Women in Business. Nicknamed “Stevies” for the Greek word for “crowned,” winners will be announced during a gala event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, on Monday, Nov. 12. The Stevie Awards for Women in Business recognize the accomplishments of women executives and business owners on an international stage. The awards are produced by the creators of the prestigious American Business Awards, and were hailed as “the business world’s own Oscars” by the New York Post in April, 2005. This year, more than 800