There’s more than just what you officially sign up for at The PPAI Expo. The experience can’t all be contained to a directory (although PPAI packed a lot of experiences into its directory). Beyond all of that is a buzz that can’t be officially accounted for. It’s the meetings that take place when you have so much of the global promo community converging on one place. They happen in rented out Mandalay Bay board rooms. They happen in restaurants and bars all over Las Vegas.
Over a year ago, at The PPAI Expo 2025, Richard Hellinger, president of business development at Koozie Group, PPAI 100’s No. 11 supplier, was having just another one of those meetings. At the time, he was working with Garyline, which announced a merger with Koozie Group in April.
- During this Expo meeting, a client told Hellinger that they wanted drinkware different than a traditional round bottle.
- In a moment of random inspiration, the client pulled out a square juice bottle to emphasize that they wanted a bottle that might have corners.
That little gesture likely only happens in a face-to-face meeting, and it was all Hellinger needed to spark the idea for what would become a new product.
Richard Hellinger
President of Business Development, Koozie Group
“The PPAI Expo gives me the chance to meet customers face to face and understand their needs,” Hellinger says. “That’s how we created a truly custom, USA-made bottle, showcasing how nimble we can be.”
From Expo Idea To PPAI Pyramid Award
What resulted was the Garyline Boss Embossed Bottle. Instead of a bottle that’s square like a juice box, the bottle is flat on two sides with two rounded sides. The two flat sides are embossed. Unique enough to stand out without reinventing the bottle.
Immediately, the product received recognition, winning a 2026 Silver PPAI Pyramid Award: Supplier Decorating for the Special Applications/Processes category. PPAI Pyramid Awards honor creative excellence in the promotional products industry and recognize dependable suppliers, outstanding promotions, creative campaigns and exceptional craftsmanship by Association members.
A Year Later, Expo Attendees Flocked To The ‘Boss’
Everything came full circle at The PPAI Expo 2026. If you’ve ever been a handful of hours into walking the trade floor, then you know the feeling. It starts to feel like the desert air has crept into the convention center and you wonder when the last time you had a sip of water.
In an effort to discourage single-use plastics, PPAI placed water refill stations in key places on the trade floor. And attendees who visit the PPAI booth in the middle of the trade floor at The PPAI Expo 2026 could grab a free Garyline Boss Embossed Bottle to refill. For tired, thirsty distributors, it was a can’t miss.
This year, water bottles were refilled just under 6,700 times, potentially avoiding the purchase of thousands of single-use water bottles.
