California Manufacturing Company

Article titles and content sometimes come to me in the strangest ways. This one came to me as I was enjoying the cool weather outside the Long Beach Convention Center, as the 2013 SAAC Show was about to begin.

The Specialty Advertising Association of California recently released a video promoting its 2013 SAAC Show. The video highlights exhibitor numbers, education sessions, and the number of parties and networking opportunities at

The Specialty Advertising Association of California recently announced a major addition to its prize drawings for those who attend its education events at the 2013 SAAC Show. An additional $5,000 in rewards will be given away, in the form of

The California State Senate voted against a proposal for a statewide ban on disposable plastic bags. Senate Bill 405 fell three votes short of making California the second state after Hawaii to ban single-use bags from retailers and grocery stores. The final vote was 18-17, with four abstentions.

Vantage Apparel, a leading manufacturer and decorator of logo apparel based in Avenel, N.J., won two gold embroidery awards in the 2013 Suppliers Achievement Award Competition sponsored by Promotional Products Association International.

To assist and support the company's aggressive growth plans, HPC Global, located in Hanover, Pa., has added eight multi-line representative groups throughout the U.S.

There are more to pins than Pinterest. Make sure your customers are in the know about the latest styles in lapel pins.

West Hollywood, Calif., has banned single-use plastic carryout bags, bringing the number of plastic bag bans in the U.S. to 81. The ban will go into effect in late February 2013 for retail stores with 10,000 or more square feet, and six months after that for all other retailers.

In addition to the 81 plastic bag bans nationwide, three other U.S. communities—Montgomery County, Md.; Aspen, Colo., and Washington, D.C.—have taxes on plastic carryout bags.

Separately, a plastic bag recycling bill in Illinois has yet to be signed by Gov. Pat Quinn with the Aug. 28 deadline for his decision fast approaching.

Forty-five years ago, in June of 1967, Dick and Kay Schmidt founded National Premium. What began as a part-time business of selling promotional products from a small room in the Schmidt house has turned into a multi-million dollar company with a strong global presence.

Last week, Hawaii became the first state to ban the use of plastic bags by retailers. Honolulu County became the fourth and final county in the state to issue a ban on the disposable bags when Mayor Peter Carlisle signed the measure on Thursday, May 17.