(Editor’s Note: PromoWire by PPAI Media is a running digest of updates from organizations around the promotional products industry. PPAI Media will consider newsworthy entries submitted by any member organization.)

August 21

ASB’s American Summit Draws Top Sales Associates To Lake Tahoe

American Solutions for Business (PPAI 101656, D12) hosted its annual American Summit for top sales associates last week in Lake Tahoe, California.

  • Attendees were recognized for their achievements over the past year and enjoyed two days of supplier sessions followed by supplier-sponsored socials each evening.
  • An annual tradition is the event’s charity effort; this year it benefitted “Keep Tahoe Blue,” a nonprofit whose mission is to protect and restore the environmental health, sustainability and scenic beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin. With a goal of raising $5,000, event attendees began donating weeks before the event and doubled their result by raising $10,000 for the nonprofit.

“What a beautiful location and collection of individuals to have at this year’s Summit,” says Larry Zavadil, ASB founder & CEO. “I never get tired of seeing the hugs from people meeting for the first time, or reuniting for the 20th time. I’m excited to see the new connections that blossom from the networking from last week.”

“The dedication of our teams, sales associates and supplier partners is evident in each Summit event that we host,” says Dana Zezzo, VP of marketing, vendor relations & events “To each person who had a hand in making this the highest-attended Summit in ASB history, we want to say, ‘Thank you!’”

Craig Wallace Joins Cap America As National Sales Manager

Cap America (PPAI 111597, S10) has added Craig Wallace to its sales team as national sales manager. He will work alongside current sales managers Lauren Allen and Joel Krane to help establish, maintain and grow sales within the company’s promotional division.

  • Wallace started his career in the industry 23 years ago as a distributor and has worked on the supplier side for the past 12 years.
  • In his new position, he will analyze market statistics to develop sales campaigns and create sales quotas, attend national trade shows as well as customer visits with sales representatives, and communicate trends and product needs for company tracking. He reports to Senior Vice President of Sales Grace Schettler.

“We’re very excited to have Craig on board as the newest member of our growing sales team,” says Schettler. “His experience on both the distributor and supplier side of our industry will be significant in helping us identify ways to improve our customer experience.”

Wallace adds, “Sales is a relationship business, and the relationships Cap America builds with both their employees and customers is very impressive to me. I’m excited to be a part of Cap America’s success story.”

August 18

Gina Schladetzky Joins Raining Rose As Marketing Manager

Raining Rose (PPAI 232508, S7) has hired Gina Schladetzky as marketing manager.

  • Schladetzky, who previously worked for two fast-growing Iowa marketing agencies, brings extensive experience in start-up and digital marketing.
  • In her new role, she will oversee all promotions, advertising, social media, brand and sales enablement efforts to support the team. She reports to Kate Nash, director of sales and marketing.
  • The hire comes as Raining Rose embarks on a three-year strategy to scale up its approach to customer service, marketing and sales, with an important emphasis on technology.

“I’m honored to be the marketing manager for a company that cares so much about doing good,” says Schladetzky. “With our focus on quality ingredients and sustainability, Raining Rose Promos is helping to transform the promotional products industry in a way that’s better for people and the planet. It’s easy to be a champion for an industry that has such a bright future.”

August 17

BAMKO Hosts First Women In Promo Panel Discussion

Next month, BAMKO (PPAI 242148, D11) will host its first Women In Promo, an industry-wide conversation led by female leaders in the promo industry.

  • The virtual panel discussion will explore taking risks, establishing firm boundaries and mastering the art of saying “no.”
  • Six female industry trailblazers are scheduled as panelists: Lisa Hu, founder and designer at Lux and Nyx; Jamie Stone, founder of Gifts By Design and senior vice president of rewards and recognition at BAMKO; Johanna Gottlieb, chair at PromoKitchen and member of the PPAI Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force; Michele Bell, vice president of editorial, education and special events at ASI; Lindsay Alcorn, senior sales executive at BAMKO and Tori Feeney, recruiting manager at BAMKO.
  • The conversation gets underway at 10 am PT/12 pm CT/1 pm ET on Thursday, September 7. Register here.

August 16

Gildan’s Latest ESG Report Shows Progress Toward 2030 Targets

Gildan Activewear (PPAI 250187, S13) has published its latest Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report, marking the company’s 19th year of public ESG disclosures.

 2022 ESG highlights include:

  • Tied 25% of all Gildan’s senior executives’ strategic objectives to their annual short-term incentive plan to support the advancement of ESG targets
  • Included sustainability-linked terms in its existing $1 billion revolving credit facility
  • Reduced absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 10.9% (compared to a 2018 base year)
  • Reduced water intensity by 18.4% (compared to a 2018 base year)
  • Sourced 21.7% of its cotton supply from verified U.S.-grown cotton suppliers (USCTP) and Better Cotton
  • 2% of total SKUs of packaging and trim materials specific to apparel (which include carton, polyester, paper, and cotton-poly trims) now contain recycled materials or have relevant sustainability certifications
  • Achieved 30.3% gender parity in the collective group representing director-level and above employees, up from 26.7% in 2021
  • Contributed $1.1 million to community initiatives
  • Published its first stand-alone Climate Change Disclosure Report

Gildan President and CEO Glenn J. Chamandy says, “ESG is one of the three core pillars of our Gildan Sustainable Growth (GSG) business strategy, and as we continue our journey towards achieving our 2030 ESG targets, we are committed to delivering and reporting on our progress.”

The full 2022 ESG Report is available here.

Patrick Eppert To Manage New Central Territory At Goldstar

Goldstar (PPAI 114031, S10) announces the addition of Patrick Eppert as regional manager for its newly-developed central territory.

  • Based in St. Louis, Missouri, Eppert will serve customers in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The northern states in the company’s North Central region will continue to be served by Brett Long and his team.
  • Eppert honed his skills and expertise at Tri Star Pictures Home Video division. His relentless pursuit of excellence and commitment to building strong customer relationships have been at the core of his impressive 20-year career, says the company’s news release.

“Goldstar has been growing like crazy,” Eppert says. “I would like to help them get to their next goal [in this new role]. I have some very successful longtime friends at Goldstar and look forward to working with them and having some fun while doing it!”