Promo Products

Gemline Partners With Newell Custom Writing Instruments, Will Offer Paper Mate and Sharpie Brands in Promo
January 6, 2021 at 2:13 pm

Gemline, Lawrence, Mass., announced today a strategic long-term partnership with Atlanta-based Newell Custom Writing Instruments. Gemline will be the first supplier partner to offer the Paper Mate and Sharpie brands to the promotional products industry in the U.S. The partnership increases Newell’s reach in the industry, expands Gemline’s presence in the sizable writing instrument product…

Cotton Prices Hit Two-Year High After Bad Weather, Chinese Import Bans
January 6, 2021 at 11:33 am

Cotton prices have hit a two-year high after dry weather affected crops and concerns grow over products sourced from forced labor in China. According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Agriculture expects the smallest domestic cotton yield in five years. One farmer in Texas told WSJ that drought has reduced his cotton harvest by about a third this year...

Our 5 Favorite Promotional Products of the Week: Tote Bags, Cozy Hats and More
January 6, 2021 at 10:50 am

We’re back after a nice long break! It feels good to get back in the swing of things. And it feels even better to dive through our saved folders of promotional products we see on social media and think “I have to remember to use that for the Fave 5.” With that time off, we saw plenty of good ones...

2020 Year-End COVID Relief Legislation: Paycheck Protection Program Summary
January 5, 2021 at 10:15 am

The Paycheck Protection Program has been extended through March 31, 2021. This is good news for businesses that were able to continue operations last year in large part due to securing initial PPP loans. Now, a second draw, as well as new initial loans, are available for continued support during the first quarter of 2021. However, there are several key changes that accompany PPP 2.0...

Raining Rose Inc.'s Jon Hicks Named PPAChicago Volunteer of the Year
January 5, 2021 at 9:54 am

Jon Hicks, midwest sales executive for Raining Rose Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was named the 2020 Volunteer of the Year by the Promotional Professionals Association of Chicago (PPAChicago). PPAChicago is a not-for-profit trade association made up of promotional product industry…

KFC Made a Fully Functional Video Game Console That Also Heats Up Chicken
January 4, 2021 at 11:50 am

The holiday shopping frenzy might’ve been dominated by the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but one gaming platform raised the most eyebrows (and smelled the best). We’re talking about the KFConsole, a fully functional branded video game console made by KFC that also keeps chicken warm...

ERB Industries Announces Acquisition by Delta Plus Group
December 23, 2020 at 1:16 pm

ERB Industries Inc., doing business as ERB Safety and Fame Fabrics, a manufacturer of personal protective equipment and commercial apparel, announced that the company has been acquired by Delta Plus Group, headquartered in Apt, France. Delta Plus Group is a premier global manufacturer of head-to-toe safety equipment for workers in construction and general industry. For…

Do You Deserve to Be a Millionaire?
December 23, 2020 at 1:02 pm

Do you deserve to be a millionaire? Why? If you said you deserve to be a millionaire because you work hard, long hours, you are wrong. Lots of people work long, hard hours and earn minimum wage. If you said you deserve to be a millionaire because you have been in this business 25 years…

2020 Wrap-Up: 10 of Our Biggest Apparel Stories of the Year
December 23, 2020 at 10:44 am

It’s been an interesting few months for apparel. Workwear suddenly became a lot more casual, as “Zoom shirts” became a thing. A good pair of sweatpants were suddenly more valuable than gold, and we even saw the dawn of “Sicker.” In addition to pandemic-specific stories from this year, fashion continues to move forward at its…