PowerStick, the industry’s leading designer and manufacturer of personal technology products, announces that Alex Symms, MAS, MASI, will be joining the company as national account manager.

Symms comes to PowerStick with 19 years of industry experience in sales and marketing. He has spent the past seven years at Chameleon Like, where he was most recently national account manager/digital marketing manager. His career also includes a year at supplier Admints & Zagabor as southwest regional manager and 10 years at KTI Networks/KTI Promo where he was southeast regional sales manager.

In his newly designed role at PowerStick, Symms will be responsible for the ongoing growth of the supplier throughout North America, says CEO Nigel Harris, adding, “Alex is a tremendous and well-respected resource with the skillsets I really wanted on our team. His nearly 20 years of experience will greatly benefit this company and help us continue our leadership role in the areas of tech and custom packaging.”

Symms says, “I'm thrilled for the opportunity to join Nigel and the incredible team at PowerStick. I've always been fascinated with the creative innovation that PowerStick releases and also the ability to stay ahead of the trends. Nigel has built a team of highly-talented and forward-thinking industry leaders, and I am just so excited that I will be surrounded with such great talent and inspirational leadership. Ultimately, I'm looking forward to my future at PowerStick as we continue to drive innovation and industry-leading service.”

Symms will be based in Houston, Texas.

Inflation and other challenges are putting pressure on shipping companies and their contractors. Patton Logistics, one FedEx Ground’s largest contractors – servicing 225 routes in 10 primarily Midwest states – has warned that the company could stop deliveries if FedEx doesn’t amend its contracts to account for increasing costs. And Patton Logistics isn’t the only company feeling the pain.

FedEx has identified contract renegotiation as the appropriate remedy to the challenges its contractors are facing, and says that over the past three months, 1,600 contractor agreements – representing approximately 25% of its service providers – have been negotiated. Additionally, in a response to contractors’ concerns, this month the company cut back on Sunday residential deliveries in some markets.

Negotiations continue, in some cases, however. Spencer Patton, founder and president of Patton Logistics is calling on FedEx to revise its contracts to account for higher fuel, vehicles and labor costs. Speaking earlier this month at the Route Consultant Contractor Expo in Las Vegas, Patton said that his company would stop servicing its delivery routes on November 25 – Black Friday – if FedEx does not offer improved contract terms.

Promo Perspective

Patton Logistics’ challenges highlight concerns that e-commerce/B2C has made the individual service provider/contractor business model that FedEx utilizes less profitable. Regardless how the company’s issues with FedEx play out, it will likely have an impact on businesses in the promotional products market.

“For industry companies in the 10 states serviced by Patton Logistics, if Patton does stop deliveries and FedEx finds alternative contractors, that would cost more,” says Maurice Norris, PPAI public affairs manager.

PPAI members receive savings from FedEx, an Affinity Partner to the Association, on shipping costs - with discounts as high as 78% off freight and 50% off Express service.  The Association will continue to monitor this ongoing issue and report updates on the story as they become available.

An Ultimatum

Earlier this summer, in a letter to FedEx, Patton made two requests to FedEx Ground:

• An increase in stop pay – if a load requires multiple stops between loading and the final destination, a driver could be paid for those in-between stops along the way—for pick-up and delivery contracted service providers (CSPs) of $0.50 per stop and an increase of $0.20 per mile for linehaul CSPs.

• The letter asks FedEx Ground to reevaluate its commitment to Sunday deliveries. Patton says, “By our estimates, Sunday deliveries are costing FedEx Ground upwards of $500 million in earnings drag. That $500 million figure is getting worse, not better. Likewise, Sunday deliveries erased more than one-third of CSP profit margins in less than one year’s time. In parallel fashion, that margin erosion is worsening, not improving.”

• Structural changes made by FedEx to the independent service provider contract.

• Sunday deliveries, which have much lower package density and create operational challenges as well as additional capital requirements and costs.

• An increase in Express deliveries via Ground, for which contractors are paid a lower rate than with traditional Ground delivery.

In Las Vegas, Patton stressed that the problems with the business model have grown so severe, that he needs to see changes from FedEx. He termed his November 25 deadline “Purple Friday.” During his conference speech, he said, “Purple Friday is my way of trying to work with FedEx Ground to say, ‘We have to have a timeline.’ This cannot just extend on an open-ended platform because that’s not working in my business.”

The Industry Challenge

Analysis from Stephens, an independent financial services firm, on the FedEx Ground/contractor relationship, found that after seeing strong profitability in 2020 due to additional payments and much higher volume, the margin structure for a Ground contractor began to come under pressure in 2021. This is attributed to:

Also, projections for the 2021 peak delivery season were overly optimistic and missed the volumes that contractors had prepared for. So even before fuel and other costs climbed, contractors entered 2022 on the back foot.

American Solutions for Business hosted a charity event, raising $10,000 during this year’s Summit. The Summit event features two days of supplier education sessions for top ranking ASB sales associates from around the country to celebrate their achievements over the last year. The fundraising started a month before the event, in which participants could purchase a paper star for $25. Those stars were then displayed throughout the ballroom during the Summit week.

“We set a goal of $5,000, knowing how giving our American family usually is to our host cities,” explained Justin Zavadil, President of American. “We were blown away once we realized that the funds raised were double that. I couldn’t be prouder of these efforts.”

A representative of Make-a-Wish Illinois was present to accept the donation and explain further the importance of the charity.

“Make-A-Wish Illinois was overjoyed by the generosity and the support of the American Solutions for Business team,” expressed Make-A-Wish Gift Officer, Ashley White. “To walk into their conference room and see all of the stars on the wall was so impactful. Because of their team and supporting vendors, another future wish child will experience the hope, strength, and joy that wish provides.”

To maintain its position as a top supplier in the promotional products industry, Tekweld has hired Gregg Szpicek as Vice President of Business Development to help further scale and strategize on its growth trajectory.

Hauppauge, New York.  Tekweld, a leading supplier in the promotional products industry, is proud to announce the triumphant return of Gregg Szpicek in the role of Vice President of Business Development.  Szpicek had previously joined Tekweld over a decade ago and served as Vice President of Sales until 2016, at which point he branched out as a formidable force in the industry leading sales and business development for a number of premier companies. 

Over the past 6 years, Szpicek has implemented effective growth initiatives and marketing and business plans for multiple organizations in a variety of roles—his intuition, strategic thinking, and fundamental understanding of the promotional space has allowed him to effectively scale and exceed sales goals and objectives.  

“We are thrilled to have Gregg back in the fold at Tekweld,” said Scott Slade, Chief Executive Officer.  “In this new role, Gregg will collaborate with leadership to strategically identify new channels, business opportunities, and revenue streams to further solidify Tekweld’s position as a trusted industry leader.”

Szpicek is a native New Yorker, with a vision for creative solutions and an innate ability to build strong relationships with colleagues, customers and associates.  He is well known and respected within the promotional products industry, and will oversee the development of Tekweld’s new channels and strategic initiatives.

Ohio-headquartered distributor Proforma (PPAI 196835, D13) has promoted Greg Armstrong to the post of chief sales officer. Armstrong, a veteran of the promotional products industry with more than 20 years of experience with a variety of companies, served as the served as Proforma’s vice president of sales development for nearly two years until 2018 when he left the company before returning in 2021 in a different VP role.

The Promotion

• The title and role adjustment became official earlier this month. Armstrong had been vice president of sales, but in the new capacity will have more strategic oversightin recruiting distributors to Proforma’s owner network.
• Armstrong has an extensive CV in the industry, but he tells PPAI Media that he left Proforma in 2018 on good terms with an eye on his dream of starting his own business in sales coaching. After juggling a stint as vice president of sales for supplier Logomark, he focused solely on that dream as the owner of Right Turn Advisors.
• Eventually, Armstrong says his relationships with his former clients “pulled me back” into the promotional products industry, where he was worked as vice president of sales for supplier Evans Manufacturing.
• The mutual decision to return to Proforma early in 2021 was based “100%” on the relationship that he had with Proforma’s founder Greg Muzzillo, CEO Vera Muzzillo and President Doug Kordel, according to Armstrong.
• Prior to his first stint at Proforma, Armstrong spent a combined 15 years working with Alcone Marketing Group, Gemline and AIA Corporation.

The New Role

• Much of Armstrong’s role as chief sales officer will involve attracting distributors, independent or otherwise, to Proforma and giving them the tools they need to succeed within the company. He describes the position as, “more of a role that allows me to look at it from a more visionary standpoint.”
• “What we’re trying to do with our owner network is establish a scalable, measurable and meaningful process to not only grow their business, but manage the business, all the while utilizing our own prior proprietary technologies,” Armstrong says.

Strategy

• “We’re not being disruptive just to be disruptive,” Armstrong says of the company’s mindset. “Let’s look at things differently. Let’s face it, the world kind of tilted on its axis a little bit in the last couple of years. So we’re not looking at it in a reactionary state; it’s more of an opportunity to rethink how we go to market.”
• “One of the biggest challenges and one of the best opportunities of this industry is that you can sell pretty much anything to anyone,” Armstrong says. “So where do you pick your swim lanes? How do you go about what is, in essence, infinite opportunities? That’s one of our taglines; ‘One source, infinite resources.’ We’re really embracing that and incorporating that.”

Logomark, the industry-leading promotional product supplier, has entered into a partnership with Snowfox to add their branded barware to Logomark’s growing hydration offerings.

Founded in Newport Beach, CA in 2017, Snowfox, Inc. is a woman-owned company established with the idea that beverage temperature retention could be achieved without sacrificing the design and drinking experience provided by traditional elegant glass barware. With each of its drink-specific product designs, Snowfox concentrates on four basic elements; simple yet sophisticated styling, weight that is up to 50% lighter than typical everyday glass, a thin, 1mm rim that provides a similar sipping experience to premium glassware, sizes and shapes that are comfortable to hold for both men and women, and sufficient insulation to keep a drink cold without the need for a lid. Made with high-quality 304 (18/8) food-grade stainless steel, and using double wall vacuum insulated construction, Snowfox barware is crafted to keep drinks cool while keeping hands and table surfaces dry and are available in designs and colors chosen to look great and perform well at cocktail parties and poolside gatherings alike.

“Logomark is excited to enter a partnership with an innovative drinkware brand like Snowfox. The brand provides a fresh take on drinkware, blending performance stainless steel with high-end barware,” says Trevor Gnesin, Chief Executive Officer at Logomark.

Logomark will be releasing 8 stainless-steel barware products from the brand including Beer, Martini, Rocks, Wine, and Highball glasses, along with Ice Buckets, Cocktail Shakers, and Wine Carafes, that will be available in white and black with rose gold trims and unique shimmer finishes among other color offerings.

“With their focus on design and value, we believe Logomark will be a great partner for us within the promotional products industry. We look forward to working with them to provide customers with our unique drinkware options,” says Cici Perrier, Founder and CEO of Snowfox.

To learn more and view the complete offering please visit logomark.com/snowfox.

Ad Bands Plus Celebrates 100 Years And Continued Growth

Ad Bands Plus, a leading global supplier of ad specialty products such as custom imprinted rubber bands and wristbands, is celebrating its 36th year in business. Officially launched in 1986, Ad Bands Plus has grown to service ad specialty distributors in twelve countries.

Credited as the inventor of the world's first stretchable wristband in 1987, Ad Bands Plus created the Pepsi Challenge wristband which transformed the wrists of people around the world into miniature billboards. The concept was then adopted by fashion labels, NBA stars, food and beverage brands, and promotional media/ad agencies.

Proforma Members Gather for Largest Educational and Networking Event of the Year

“It was an unforgettable four-day event!” said Terri Tolmack, Owner of Proforma Hi-Rez. “The days were filled with networking, continued education, a Supplier Showcase, and the opportunity to learn from fellow Owners and gain insight on the latest technological and marketing innovations Proforma has to offer in the industry.”

Proforma, the $500 million technology and business success leader, hosted its largest event of the year, the Proforma Annual Convention and Family Reunion, Ignite 2022. This event reunited more than 400 members of the Proforma Family including Owners and their teams, Supplier Partners, industry leaders, and the Support Center Team at the beautiful Paris Hotel in Las Vegas.

This year, Proforma introduced several new awards to recognize their Supplier Partners’ standout performance within the print and promo industry. A few of the awards highlighted their sustainable and eco-friendly approaches, those with the most cutting-edge products, and Suppliers who were able to make the “impossible” possible by going above and beyond for their customers.

“Our Proforma Family wouldn’t be complete without our incredible Supplier Partners,” explained Proforma VP of Supplier Relations Michelle Dalton. “Getting to be in an environment where there is so much positivity and collaboration going on always leaves us eagerly awaiting next year’s event so we can reunite again!”

On the eve of Dale Denham’s one-year anniversary as PPAI president and CEO, he presented in front of many of the industry’s top leaders at the North American Leadership Conference (NALC) in a “Fireside Chat” about the challenges and progress the Association has faced, while offering plans for the future.

It was fitting that Denham’s first year capped at NALC. One of the earliest calls that Denham had to make, after joining PPAI on Aug. 16, 2021, was to cancel the 2021 NALC due to a COVID-19 spike. It was one of the most difficult decisions of his tenure, but it was likely not his most important. A few months later, with COVID-19 still affecting plans around the country, Denham moved forward with The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas, an in-person return in January of 2022 that the industry sorely needed after two years apart.

Denham also addressed significant staff reductions that took place during the pandemic, before he arrived at PPAI, and the many hirings and promotions over the past year that have begun to counter those reductions. Denham, of course, is only the most notable addition representing the new direction of the industry’s non-profit Association.

“The people are changing,” says Denham. “PPAI is changing.”

In some ways, the most visible changes have been to branding and marketing, such as advancement to the Association’s content and media offerings. These initiatives are designed to allow PPAI to be recognized as the voice of the industry. But much of the focus that Denham has guided the Association toward represent a different way of looking at things.

This particular moment in the industry, following the disruption caused by the pandemic, required a PPAI leader who would direct the Association toward something beyond business as usual. Denham’s time in the promotional products market, including his previous role as senior vice president and CIO at distributor Geiger, suggested he planned to push PPAI toward more.

“We are not going to sit still,” Denham said Monday. “You will see a lot of changes.”

With company leaders listening, Denham also addressed Promo Data Exchange (PDX), what he described as “the most unpopular change that we announced.” PDX’s goals, which run parallel to industry tool PromoStandards, ruffled some feathers upon its announcement.

“We both share the same vision,” Denham says. “We want to get rid of all those phone calls. We want to stop errors. We just have different strategies. Some of you have different opinions on what we are doing with Promo Data Exchange. We are doing it because we believe we have a strategy that is going to help solve a problem, and we continue to talk to PromoStandards and look for ways to work together for the good of the industry.”

In spite of some resistance to PDX, Denham confirmed PPAI’s commitment to streamlining future business, and the Association’s hope to lead the industry into tools and possibilities that will push it forward.

“We are committed to digital transformation for the industry,” Denham said. “We are going to drive digital transformation.”

In evaluating potential leaders for the Association, PPAI's Board of Directors highlighted figures who could push the industry toward improved technological solutions.

"It is hard to believe a year has passed since Dale took the helm at PPAI," says board chair Dawn Olds, MAS+. "His vision and passion for Association staff, members, and the industry are at the core of all he does. On behalf of the entire PPAI board, I thank him for the leadership he has provided this past year and look forward to seeing the seeds of success he has started to plant blossom."

Denham concluded his Monday remarks by stating that CSR was “perhaps the most important thing for this industry” and that it has been mandated by the PPAI Board of Directors to be a top priority, while teasing that new plans and ways to drive progress in that area will be developed at the Product Responsibility Summit in September.

Digital transformation, CSR and the Promotional Products Work campaign – with its first buyer-facing event set for Sept. 29 - are the three pillars to what PPAI is focusing on going forward under Denham’s leadership.

“Our mission is to be the force and the voice to advance the promotional products marketplace for the benefit of our community,” Denham says. “Our members are the community. The marketplace is everyone who is buying or selling promotional products. We want everyone in the community. We’re working for the whole marketplace.”

For PPAI, 2022 has marked a return to in-person events. Following the success of The PPAI Expo 2022 and Women’s Leadership Conference 2022, the PPAI North American Leadership Conference returned to its in-person format this week for the first time since 2019.

Industry leaders came together at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, beginning Sunday, for educational sessions, keynote speakers and the opportunity to connect with each other face-to-face.

“It’s so great to see everyone coming back together, talking live,” Dawn Olds senior vice president of industry relations and DEI at HALO and PPAI’s board chair. “It can feel nearly impossible to do over Zoom or by email. That creative energy, you can just feel it here. It’s palpable in the room. It’s great to have it back.”

After an outdoor welcome reception Sunday evening taking in the Broadmoor’s famous scenery, the event officially kicked off Monday morning with a packed schedule of informative sessions capped off by the evening’s networking dinner at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum with a talk from Paralympic skier Tyler Carter.

Monday’s sessions tended to focus on technological progress. Earlier in the day, Mike Pfeiffer of American Solutions for Business, who is also chair of PPAI’s Technology Committee, explained the ongoing challenges of cybersecurity. Tech expert Vala Afshar of SalesForce provided the room - full of high-level promo professionals - with a presentation on near- and short-term possibilities afford by technology, including AI, that should be top of mind for company leaders. Afshar also joined Dale Denham for a Q&A diving deeper on the subject of digital progress.

“Every year it’s different, and the topics seem to shift in focus,” says Christopher Duffy, MAS, the CEO of Signature Group Consulting, who has now been to 10 NALCs. “Today seemed to be technology and people, and I find that good. I look for tidbits, and I got pages of tidbits today; things I can apply.”

Keynote speakers from outside the industry were a big part of NALC’s first education day, asking company leaders to think outside of what has been directly in front of them recently.

Claudia St. John of Affinity HR Group – a PPAI partner - proposed hiring practices and employee benefits that might have seemed radical to the company leaders just a few short years ago. Tamara Ghandour, president of LaunchStreet Consultancy even asked each table to build a rocket ship with the scant material accessible at their table. The event also included a “fireside chat” with PPAI CEO Dale Denham, who marked the non-profit trade association’s progress and challenges.

PPAI’s goal to bring together many of the industry’s top-level executives creates inevitable opportunities for networking and ideation, which NALC doesn’t shy away from. An “Executive Exchange” between speakers asked attendees to discuss issues at hand with a small group of peers they were randomly assigned to sit with, leading each attendee to hear multiple perspectives on shared issues that have come up in the industry over the past three years.

“That has been a lot of the conversation,” Olds says. “Conversations around ‘How did you deal with this? How are you driving innovation in a hybrid work environment?’ There were some really great ideas that our table exchanged that I’m excited to go back and apply.”

According to Duffy, the exchanging of ideas at NALC always takes a familiar pattern but with fresh ideas.

“The other benefit is the networking and the connecting,” Duffy says. “I know 90% of the room, and after three years, sometimes it feels like we hadn’t been away, but I just like the connecting and the catching up. This is a room of like-minded people.”

PPAI’s aim with NALC is to encourage the industry’s leaders to push new ideas forward and solve problems together, putting mutual solutions over competition.

“We all just want to do better,” Duffy says. “We all go back to our offices and have obstacles to tackle.”

After almost 35 years with the company, Sharon Eyal is stepping down from ETS Express (PPAI 135148, S11). His departure, set for later this year, is part of a planned transition following the Oxnard, California-based supplier’s acquisition by PCNA (PPAI 113079, S15) in 2019.

Eyal’s family has been in the glass and ceramics business for generations. His father founded ETS Express in 1985 and he joined in 1988.

When Eyal came onboard, ETS had five employees, three of which were members of his immediate family. He became the company’s CEO in 1994 and prior to the sale to PCNA, ETS had grown to more than 500 employees at its Southern California headquarters and Concord, North Carolina, fulfillment center.

Eyal led ETS through its 2018 trademark dispute with retailer S’well. The case, formally known as Can’t Live Without It, LLC dba S’well Bottle Company v. ETS Express, Inc., went to a jury trial in the Southern District of New York in March 2018. Following the nine-day trial, the jury ruled unanimously in ETS Express’ favor on all counts.

Speaking to PPB at the time, Eyal said, “For me, settling wasn’t an option. If we had settled, that would have given the green light for retailers and outsiders to come into our industry and claim something is theirs where it may not be.”

In the wake of his departure, Eyal intends to take six months off from working.

The Transition

Following Eyal’s departure, Brandon Bell is stepping up to lead ETS as president going forward. He has been with the company for almost a dozen years, first coming onboard in 2010 as director of sales. Since March 2019, he has been the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“Sharon and his family have built an amazing company that values its customers and employees alike,” Bell says. “It is thrilling to be part of a team that is so passionate about what our company does. There is such a positive energy to build and continue the family values established over that last 37 years. I am grateful to be part of it.”

Backfilling Bell’s position at ETS as vice president of sales is Adam Stone, the company’s national account director. Stone has been with ETS since 2014 and before that, PCNA as a field sales manager. His background also includes several years with The Magnet Group in a sales role.

The Acquisition

PCNA’s acquisition of ETS closed on November 29. It joined industry supplier brands Leed’s (PPAI 112361, S13), Bullet (PPAI 113079, S12), Journalbooks (PPAI 110769, S10) and Trimark (PPAI 198982, S10) under the company’s umbrella.

ETS, reportedly the largest supplier of promotional drinkware in North America at the time and a recognized leader in product design and innovative decoration, extended PCNA’s presence and leadership in the fast-growing drinkware category.

Following the acquisition, ETS continued to operate out of its Oxnard headquarters under the leadership of Eyal, who joined PCNA’s executive team. ETS operations, sales and marketing remained independent.