Bodek And Rhodes

Bodek and Rhodes, a Philadelphia-based wholesaler of imprintable apparel and accessories, announced one quarter of the company’s catalog of more than 500 styles are items that offer above-the-standard performance. “Along with our new eco-friendly styles, performance apparel is a huge trend,” said Mike Rhodes, president. “A shirt isn’t just a shirt when it also wicks moisture away from your body to keep you cooler and protects you from the sun. And customers across the board are excited about the huge range of performance we’ve added in the past few years,” he concluded. Recently, the company branched into a number areas offering other specific benefits.

Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes, a leading wholesaler of imprintable apparel and accessories, was recently honored with the Best Overall Performance Award from the Premier Promotional Group. The group, which presented the award at a ceremony in May, is a national organization of 40 supplier companies and 52 distributor companies representing territories across the United States. The awards ceremony was the final celebration of the three-day annual meeting in Sarasota, Fla. “It’s such an honor to get an award like this,” said Steve Rosengarten, vice president of sales for Bodek and Rhodes. “Our whole philosophy is to deliver the best of family-business service to our

Bodek and Rhodes, a Philadelphia-based wholesaler of imprintable apparel and accessories, announced one quarter of the company’s catalog of more than 500 styles are items that offer above-the-standard performance. “Along with our new eco-friendly styles, performance apparel is a huge trend,” said Mike Rhodes, president. “A shirt isn’t just a shirt when it also wicks moisture away from your body to keep you cooler and protects you from the sun. And customers across the board are excited about the huge range of performance we’ve added in the past few years,” he concluded. Recently, the company branched into a number areas offering other specific benefits.

Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes announced the launch of a new, mid-year catalog that focuses specifically on the company’s eco-friendly styles as well as mid-year additions. “This mini-catalog really gives our customers the handiest tool to sell green products to their customers,” said company president Mike Rhodest. “We introduced a number of new eco-friendly styles at the beginning of 2008, but we’ve gotten such good feedback about the category that we’ve expanded it mid-year to include even more organic cotton and recycled styles.” The catalog centers only on organic cotton and recycled styles, including the new 2008 UltraClub Organic line of ring-spun organic cotton

In an ongoing effort to educate the imprintable sportswear industry on environmentally friendly choices, Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes launched a Web site dedicated to providing information on organic cotton. The company, a leading wholesaler of imprintable activewear, created its “Organic Apparel Selling Guide” to coincide with the introduction of a host of new organic and eco-friendly styles. “Our goal is to train 5,000 people on what makes organic cotton so special and important. We started with the industry’s first Organic Theater at the trade shows, and the Web site was just the natural extension to reach more people,” said Mary Ellen Pahlka-Hudicka, marketing communications

Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes announced Mary Ellen Pahlka-Hudicka, MAS, was recently honored with the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) Distinguished Service Award, presented at January’s PPAI Expo in Las Vegas. As veteran of the promotional products industry, Pahlka-Hudicka’s career spans more than 25 years including work with the Advertising Specialty Institute and more than 10 years as the director of marketing communications for Bodek and Rhodes. The award was presented by Paul Kiewiet, MAS, CIP and PPAI chairman of the board. Introducing her, Kiewiet said, “[Mary Ellen] has tireless enthusiasm for PPAI and for the industry, and she brings a fun and electrifying excitement

Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes, one of the leading wholesalers of imprintable activewear, announced the introduction of the promotional products industry’s first private-label organic cotton apparel, UltraClub Organic. UltraClub Organic is now available in long- and short-sleeve ring-spun tees and coordinating men’s and ladies’ polo shirts. “This is the first step into organic apparel, a whole new niche that’s only going to explode from here,” said Mike Rhodes, president. “A lot of people are talking about organic food, but not many of them understand organic cotton.” To illustrate the importance of organic cotton, Rhodes described how nearly one-quarter of the world’s pesticides are used on

Philadelphia-based Bodek and Rhodes, one of the leading wholesaler of imprintable activewear, recently reaffirmed its commitment to being a socially responsible company. A number of new and renewed measures to support the environment and workers’ rights, including supporting organic farming and condemning sweat shops. “My father [Art Rhodes] always said, ‘Do the right thing.’ And he meant that not just in our personal lives, but in our business life as well,” said Mike Rhodes, president. For Rhodes, doing the right thing means pushing the sixty-nine-year-old business in an eco-friendly and labor-friendly direction. This year, Bodek and Rhodes announced its policy to partner only with

Philadelphia’s Bodek and Rhodes’ coworkers and company owners recently joined forces to celebrate one account representative’s successful battle with breast cancer. Anna May Burns recently finished her treatment for the disease and received a clean bill of health. “I’m just so fortunate,” said Burns, who ended her therapy for breast cancer this summer. “Everyone here was so supportive. And not just people I work with, it was also the customers. If I wasn’t in the office, customers would ask if it was okay if they called me at home! All the flowers and calls from customers were so sweet.” As coworkers and

VIDEO: Popular polos from Bodek and Rhodes