Writing Instruments

Two leading suppliers assisted a food bank close to one of their Midwest sites. The town expressed its gratitude last month, the company announced today.

Crown Products, Mobile, Ala., a supplier of writing instruments, business accessories, drinkware and more, announced that Kathleen Donlin is the new regional sales manager for the upper midwest territory, which covers Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Norwood & BIC Graphic recently announced that it was named 2013 Promotional Products Supplier of the Year by Universal Unilink Purchasing Association. The award recipients were selected by UPA Member nomination, for the supplier's dedication to increasing value to UPA Membership and supporting UPA organization. The UPA Preferred Suppliers epitomize outstanding service levels and dedication to the UPA Membership.

Today, the physical act of writing can be as simple as poking away at a keyboard. But those who still value the relationship between the utensil and a piece of paper will be relieved to know that the old-fashioned style is not dead. Faber-Castell, the oldest pencil manufacturer on earth, recently came out with a variety of luxurious pen products.

Disclaimer: If the thought of paying more than $5 for a pen or pencil frightens you, brace yourself.

The company's claim to fame is its production of the world's most expensive pencil.

The Ready for Hillary super PAC convened in New York City yesterday to plot her 2016 victory. About 170 donors and a dozen political operatives were in and out of meetings at the Parker Meridien Hotel all day, "coming up with plans on how to engage emerging constituencies that will be incredibly important if there's a primary and in a general—whether that's women, African-Americans, Latinos, LGBT," former Obama campaign organizer Mitch Stewart told The New York Times. Oh, and they'll be snapping up Hillary swag like this iPhone case

Jennifer Mason has been named strategic account manager at Sweda Company LLC, City of Industry, Calif. She will oversee Geiger, Foxboro, Mass., and iPromoteU, Wayland, Mass., nationally, in addition to representing the New England region. She previously has worked as an account manager, director of import/outside sales and national sales manager in the promotional products industry.

The Apollo Technical Pen and Drafting Scale Kickstarter campaign beat its $30,000 funding goal in less than two days. Machined out of aerospace-grade titanium and marine-grade stainless steel, the Apollo Pen features a hexagonal body with a knurled grip. It can accept 50-plus precision point refills and has a modular design that allows you to convert it into a mechanical pencil or a capacitive stylus. The Apollo pen is cool, but the optional Tri-Scale is takes things to another level. The scale is a six-sided ruler with a three-pen carrying system built into it.

We may be constantly staring into our phones and laptops, but Livescribe CEO Gilles Bouchard says pen and paper are more popular than ever—and he has data to back it up. We want to write and draw the way we always have, he says, but we also want all the sharing, instant access, and searchability that come with our many apps and websites. So Bouchard and Livescribe set out to build a device to bridge that gap, and today it's announcing the result—the new Livescribe 3.

BIC Group, parent company to BIC Advertising & Promotional Products (BIC APP), reported its 2013 third quarter and nine month results this week. The group as a whole reported sales of approximately $1,942.9 million (1,407.9 million euros) for the nine-month period, up 2.6 percent on a comparative basis from same period in 2012. Net sales for the quarter were up 3.5 percent on a comparative basis at $649.15 million (470.4 million euros).

Norwood & BIC Graphic continued its support of the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life with a Silver Sponsorship of the August 2013 event. This year, the American Cancer Society celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the Mississippi Shuffle Relay for Life, hosted to honor those who have lost their fight against cancer. During the Relay for Life Event, participants walk all night to symbolize "Cancer Never Sleeps" and show solidarity with cancer patients. Luminaries line the walking path in Baypoint Park in Red Wing, Minnesota.