Marketing and Sales

HPG Brands, Braintree, Mass., announced the addition of Nick Lateur as director of national accounts for the supplier’s Specialty Channel, which currently includes Batch & Bodega and HandStands PROMO. “HPG is an innovative and progressive group that continually pushes the limits of advertising specialties,” Lateur said. “HandStands and Batch…

Here at PM, our job is to inform first and foremost. But, when your job is to report on something that relies so heavily on creativity, you get the chance to have a little bit of fun with it, too. So, let’s revisit some of those out-there stories, shall we? Here are our 10 favorites from this year...

Rymax, Pine Brook, N.J., announced the appointment of Alysa McKenna to the position of senior director of marketing and communications. McKenna returns to Rymax, having previously served as the company’s marketing and public relations manager from 2017 to 2019. In addition to her prior tenure at Rymax, McKenna brings…

This year, we've gone deep on a variety of topics related to the promotional products industry. Some of them have been heavy, some have been more optimistic, and some have been attempts at the predicting the future based on what we know about the present. Here are all the PM Longform stories we ran in 2020...

AIM Smarter LLC (AIM), Philadelphia, announced the formation of the AIM Diversity Council and its commitment to embrace and drive programs that promote the mission of the council within the organization, the promotional products industry and the AIM community. The newly formed council consists of distributors and suppliers...

Gemline, Lawrence, Mass., announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire the RuMe brand and related intellectual property. RuMe, short for ReUseMe, originated in the retail marketplace, where the brand first appeared in gift shops and boutiques, and then quickly expanded into leading retailers such as The Container Store, Whole Foods and Target.…

As a salesperson or distributor owner, you have a choice. Do you make a run at filling out the RFP when it could take weeks to complete, but at least have a chance at new business? Or do you walk away from the RFP in the hope that you will continue to obtain maverick spend from your core buyers?...

Qpromo, Buffalo Grove, Ill., has announced the addition of Matt Staff as the company’s new director of sales. Staff is an industry veteran who brings more than 14 years of accomplished sales experience as both a supplier and distributor. He most recently served as national sales manager and previously…

Charles River Apparel, Sharon, Mass., has hired Wayne Best as the company’s chief marketing officer. Best will be a key member of the company’s senior leadership team, and will report directly to CEO and owner Barry Lipsett. This addition comes as the company looks to increase its focus on the evolving needs of its customers…

While respondent data from late October indicates that industry activity is still declining, it is doing so at a much less drastic rate when compared to the first two reports. Nearly an equal amount of companies are now saying that sales are trending upward (39.1 percent) and downward (40.9 percent), which is an improvement...