Distributor News

Bridgeport, Connecticut-based Prime Line's president and CEO Rick Brenner teamed with Arnold & Porter attorney Jennifer Karmonick to present a seminar on product safety and the impact of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) on our industry at PROMOTIONS EAST two weeks ago in Atlantic City, NJ. The purpose of the seminar was to educate suppliers and distributors about how they can protect themselves and their customers through a better understanding of state and federal product safety legislation.

As part of its second annual Case Study Challenge, which kicked off on June 21, City of Industry, California-based Sweda Company has officially begun the search for the most innovative distributor project story--and if it's yours, it could be worth up to $5,000 cash plus an added bonus of a $2,500 credit memo for applicable distributor employers.

NEW YORK, Jun 22, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Atrinsic, Inc., a leading digital advertising and entertainment network, today announced that its interactive marketing division, Atrinsic Interactive, has been selected as the exclusive affiliate network marketing provider for Amsterdam Printing, a division of Holland USA and a leading provider of innovative promotional products for businesses. The agreement, which includes the Atrinsic Affiliate Network and integration of Atrinsic Interactive's brand protection services, extends the company's existing relationship with Amsterdam Printing to include the full suite of performance marketing services offered by Atrinsic Interactive, including search engine marketing and display media. Atrinsic Interactive is one of the top 10 search marketing agencies for 2010, as ranked by Advertising Age.

(Reuters) - The House of Representatives on Thursday approved a small business lending program sought by President Barack Obama to boost economic growth and encourage job creation.

The House voted 241-182, mostly along party lines, for a bill which would authorize a $30 billion fund the Treasury Department would use to provide capital to small community banks, allowing increased lending to small businesses.

"America's small business owners are the backbone of our economy," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "With this legislation, we are helping to ensure they have what they need to be the engine of our recovery."

Some local health and consumer groups are presenting two lawmakers with a "Children's Health Advocate of the Year" award for their work in passing a ban on bisphenol-A, or BPA, from baby bottles and sippy cups.

Maryland PIRG, Maryland Nurses Association, Black Nurses Association and MomsRising.org plan to present the award today at 11 a.m. on Lawyers' Mall in Annapolis to Sen. Brian Frosh, a Montgomery County Democrat, and Del. James Hubbard, a Prince George's Democrat, for their efforts.

They helped the state become the fourth state to restrict the use of the chemical BPA.

The chemical has been linked to several problems with miscarriage, early puberty, birth defects and cancer. The federal government is currently studying the issue but has not acted, prompting several states to take action.

The bills are HB 33 and SB 213, signed by Gov. O’Malley on April 13.

On May 24, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to effectuate the establishment of a statutorily mandated, publicly available, searchable online database containing consumer product safety information. The database is required by Section 212 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which created a new §6A of the Consumer Product Safety Act entitled "Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database."

The proposed rule would establish requirements pertaining to the information to be included in the database and also would establish provisions regarding submitting reports of harm; providing notice of reports of harm to manufacturers; publishing reports of harm and manufacturer comments in the database; and dealing with confidential and materially inaccurate information.

The database, which can be accessed already at SaferProducts.gov, is potentially a worthwhile tool, providing both consumers and manufacturers with information that might be valuable. But it also portends significant product liability concerns for companies, including for those that are falsely accused.

Last month, I discussed how to successfully bring your SEO copywriting in-house. However, what about businesses sitting on the other side of the in-house versus outsourcing fence? Yes, outsourcing means "relinquishing control" of your copywriting.

Crestline Custom Promotional Products, a direct marketing promotional products company that trades on its easy, customer-friendly ordering process, recently unveiled a new Live Chat feature on its website.

The new feature enables customers to communicate in real time with a Crestline customer service associate, so they can ask questions about products at the same time they browse the site for promotional products giveaways.

Dayton, Ohio-based distributor Shumsky Enterprises continues to grow as it seats Gary Ball as president of all business units. "Gary's passion is in developing efficient, profitable companies through team development, mentoring and coaching, allowing me to focus on my passions--new business development and new product ideation," said Michael Emoff, CEO and owner of Shumsky Enterprises.

Cleveland-based Proforma, a leading North American provider of graphic communications solutions, welcomed 11 new owners to its network.

The following new owners joined the Proforma network: