Business Services

commonsku (PPAI 552077)—Bobby Lehew, chief content officer

DistributorCentral (PPAI 220404)—Angela Taylor, marketing director; Alex Garcia, software support specialist; and Amy Pentola, account manager

Distributors

American Solutions for Business (PPAI 101656)—Monique Gregoire, promoted to executive director of finance

iPROMOTEu (PPAI 218870)—Catherine Kruse, director of vendor relations

Lands’ End Business Outfitters (PPAI 386784)—Jerome Griffith, CEO

Staples Promotional Products (PPAI 108945)—Faisal Masud, chief technology officer

Vernon Company (PPAI 109323)—Dustin Wicks, director of business development

Suppliers

BAG MAKERS, Inc. (PPAI 111408)—Linda McMahan-Kollinger, MAS, promoted to executive director of integrated branding

Calibre International, LLC (PPAI 205801)—Les Dorfman, CAS, promoted to executive vice president of High Caliber Line, a division of Calibre International

The Chest (PPAI 111653)—Courtney Corbett, sales

Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (PPAI 133342)—Melissa Burgess-Taylor, promoted to chairman and CEO

Gemline (PPAI 113948)—Lauren Balazs, regional sales manager for the Texas territory

Halls & Company (PPAI 111778)—Patrick Napurski, director of operations and product development

Landway International Corp. (PPAI 243349)—Mark Stenson, will represent the company in Indiana; Bill Linn, Bill Randles and Chad Birch from L&B Sales to represent it in the Illinois market; and Rod Williamson, Bryan Mercer and Stephanie Mercer of Midwest Reps to represent the company in the Midwest region

Outstanding Branding (PPAI 678649)—Rob Watson, global chief marketing officer

Royal Apparel (PPAI 269959)—Katia Taveras, production supervisor

SanMar Corporation (PPAI 110788)—Jennifer Larson, vice president of human resources

Terry Town (PPAI 230911)—Joe Keely will represent the company in the states of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas; Chris Sinatra in Illinois and Wisconsin; and Jon Wendinger in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota

In Memoriam: Emmett Ross

Emmett Ross, former vice president of marketing of Hazel, Inc. (PPAI 114161) and a past chair of the PPAI Board of Directors, passed away on December 8 in Jonesboro, Arkansas. He was 81.

During his career in the promotional products industry—he also served on Hazel’s board of directors—Ross was active in a number of professional organizations. He served on PPAI’s board for five years, with his term as chair in 1985, and was a member of National Premium Sales Executives and the St. Louis Advertising Specialty Association.

After retiring from the industry in 1989, Ross purchased a cattle farm near Pocahontas, Arkansas. He moved to Jonesboro in 2006 due to ill health.

Ross is survived by his wife, Peggy; daughter, Gina Ross; granddaughter, Maggie Adams and her husband, Clay; grandson, Ross Beard and his wife, Rebecca; great-grandchildren, Weston, Emerson and Braylon; half-sisters, Jessanita White and Ellen Trahan; and his dog, Beau.

A memorial service was held on December 10 at Emerson Memorial Chapel in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Flo and Phil Jones Hospice House, 1148 East Matthews, Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401.

In Memoriam: Charles D. Sandford

chuck-sandfordCharles D. Sandford, president of supplier BAG MAKERS, Inc. (PPAI 111408), passed away on December 2 following a year-long battle with cancer. He was 70.

Chuck, as he was known, joined his wife, Chief Executive Officer Maribeth Sandford, at BAG MAKERS in 1992 and was named president shortly thereafter. He helped steer the company through nearly three decades of rapid growth and success.

Sandford was also active in the couple’s horseracing venture, Chuck and Maribeth Sandford, LLC. The Sandfords’ racehorse, Take Charge Indy, won the Florida Derby in March 2012 and competed in that year’s Kentucky Derby. The horse suffered an injury at the Derby, coming in at No. 19, but went on to win the Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs a year later. Also, through a donation from BAG MAKERS, Take Charge Indy helped raise funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, a charity that provides financial assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries.

Sandford is survived by his wife; sister, Cheryl Bayness and her husband, Roger; Maribeth’s children, Paul Fleming and his wife, Stephanie, and Jennifer Madai; nephew, Jeremy Bayness and his wife, Jennifer; nieces, Jennifer McFadden and her husband, Scott, and Brittany Pawlikowski and her husband, Blake; grandchildren, Anne Marie Bean and her husband, Ben, Ben and Mia Fleming, Amanda Madai, and Aubrie Thompson and her husband, Kevin; and great-grandchildren, Josephine and Isabelle Bean, and Aurora Thompson.

In Memoriam: Barry Dobb

barry-dobbsBarry Dobb, industry veteran and president of supplier Z Marketing Group, passed away on December 7 in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. He was 69.

Born in the UK, Dobb came to the U.S. in the 1980s to develop a candy apple business, a field he had been successful with back at home. After a factory fire pushed him into sales, Dobb joined the promotional products industry with Brown & Bigelow. Finding his calling in sales management, he grew a successful sales force there and later at Geiger.

Dobb met Mary Kilburn in 1992 when he acquired her sales force to merge with his regional group at Geiger. Two years later, they formed The Marketeers traveling roadshow, representing suppliers to distributor companies in the Western U.S. They were married in March 1996.

They later settled in Colorado and launched the supplier Z Marketing Group. He also founded a small catering business, Z’vents.

Dobb is survived by his wife, Mary, daughters, Katy Lawrence, and Rebecca Cushing, along with her husband, Andrew; and grandchildren, Alex, Anna, Elise and Caitlin.

In Memoriam: Lou McCormick, Jr.

loumccormickjrLou McCormick Jr., owner of ADCO Associates and a longtime member of Philadelphia Area Promotional Products Association (PAPPA), passed away December 16. A funeral Mass was held December 23.

McCormick began working in the industry as an employee of Jack Binswanger before moving to the Dubbs Company and then ADCO, which he eventually purchased. McCormick’s son, Lou McCormick III, says, “My dad loved the industry, and he forged many close friendships with the people he worked with.”

McCormick is survived by his wife, Sharon; son, Louis J. McCormick, III and his wife, Denise; daughter, Bethany and her husband, David; daughter, Erin and her husband, Robert; and nine grandchildren.

Donations may be made in memory of Lou to support lung cancer research at: Abramson Cancer Center, 3535 Market Street, Suite 750, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104. Make checks out to Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania in memory of Lou McCormick.

In Memoriam: Rick Medlin

fruit-of-the-loom-rick-medlinRick Medlin, president and CEO of supplier Fruit of the Loom, Inc. (PPAI 133342), passed away of natural causes on November 27. He was 68.

Medlin was named president and CEO of Bowling Green, Kentucky-based Fruit of the Loom in 2010. He had previously served in a number of other roles within the company, including executive vice president of operations, senior vice president of manufacturing and vice president of textile manufacturing. Prior to joining Fruit of the Loom, Medlin had held several positions at NRB Industries and Milliken & Company.

Medlin is survived by his wife, Janie; son, Jay Brandon Medlin; daughter, Jenna Medlin Nelson and her husband George Bernard Nelson, Jr.; three grandchildren—Riley Augusta Medlin, Kielen Richard Medlin, and Rhein Walker Nelson; and sister, Patti Medlin.

In Memorial: Ronald Wardell

Ronald Gayland Wardell, of distributor Wardell Enterprises (PPAI 109414) in Plano, Texas, passed away on May 27 of complications from lymphoma. He was 70.

Wardell’s successful sales career included a 20-year tenure with Conwed Corporation, a Weyerhaeuser company, and a number of national sales awards. He later joined his wife, Jan, in the family business, Wardell Enterprises, where he built a successful 31-year career in the promotional products industry.

An avid bass tournament fisherman in his younger days, Wardell was a man of many interests. He enjoyed traveling, cooking, bridge, football, golf and spending time with friends and family. He was also a passionate Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns fan.

Wardell is survived by his wife, Jan; son, Ron and his wife, Leticia; daughter Jenny Young and her husband, Brad; daughter Lauren Christensen and her husband, Steve; grandchildren Taylor, Brenna, Josh, Bradlee, Braiden, Ava and Axel; great-grandchild Kason; and sister Connie Crowson and her husband, Bill.

Wardell willed his body to the UT Southwestern Medical Center Willed Body Program. The family requests any memorial donations be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.