Seven PPAI staff members from across the Association visited the downtown Dallas headquarters of business services member OrderMyGear in August to learn more about the company’s distinctive business model, meet team members and tour their offices housed in a remodeled 1908 building that was once Dallas’s first Cadillac dealer.

OrderMyGear was founded in 2008 around an online platform that ultimately makes it easy and efficient for small groups to order decorated team apparel, from branded tees for runs to benefit a cause, sweatshirts for school football players and caps promoting a school’s science club. It entered the promotional products industry in 2017 and now employs nearly 100 people. Front row from left: Mitch Hammer, OMG director of marketing; Ellen Tucker, PPAI director of business development; Matt Kaplan, OMG vice president of customer success; Mo Das, PPAI research manager; Jill Schuessler, OMG office manager; Melissa Massey, PPAI account executive; Danielle Renda, PPAI associate editor; Tina Berres Filipski, PPAI director of publications; Keith Vincent, PPAI director of marketing and James Skidmore, OMG VP of strategy. Back row from left: Dustin Downing, OMG head of product; Bob McLean, PPAI executive vice president; David Butterfield, OMG national sales manager; Dave Dutch, OMG CEO and Austin Parrish, OMG senior account manager.

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The SAAC Expo Draws Strong Promo Crowds To San Diego

The Specialty Advertising Association of California’s annual SAAC Expo brought the promotional products industry to the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, on August 6-8.


Above, left: This year, the SAAC Expo drew more than 700 attendees to experience its 200-exhibitor
trade show, networking and professional development opportunities. Above, right: The SAAC Expo
featured education opportunities for attendees throughout its run. Most took place in an area alongside
the trade-show floor. Sessions included panel discussions on building a strong community of empowered
women in the industry and generational differences and their impact on businesses.


Above photo: The SAAC Expo allowed attendees and exhibitors to connect and celebrate each other’s
successes at the SAAC Awards reception, held at the end of the show’s first full day on a terrace outside
the San Diego Convention Center overlooking the harbor.

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Charles River Apparel Sponsors, Participates In Charitable Causes In Chicago, Massachusetts

Sharon, Massachusetts’ supplier Charles River Apparel and its employees supported and took part in several charitable endeavors in August, including assisting Cradles to Crayons’ fourth annual Backpack-A-Thon in Chicago, and raising funds for charity as part of the Pan-Mass Challenge bike ride. Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essentials needed to thrive at home, at school and at play. The Pan-Mass Challenge annual bike-a-thon fundraiser reportedly raises more for charity than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. One-hundred percent of every rider-raised dollar is donated to cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.


Above photo: More than 800 volunteers filled more than 50,000 backpacks with school supplies for
children in need as part of Cradles to Crayons’ Chicago Backpack-A-Thon. All children’s items were
collected through donations and processed and packaged by volunteers in the organization’s warehouses
or at hosted events. Charles River Apparel, a bronze sponsor of the Backpack-A-Thon event, outfitted
Cradles to Crayons employees and recruited a team of employees and distributors around the Chicago
area, including staff from Printable Promotions, Axis Promotions and Club Colors, to participate as volunteers.


Above photo: Five employees of Sharon, Massachusetts, supplier Charles River Apparel—(from left)
Barry Lipsett, president and CEO; Tracy Lehnen, vice president of marketing; Ross Dohrmann, vice
president of sales; Mark Watts, inside sales manager, and (not pictured) Kaitlyn Montagna, decorations
operations supervisor—completed their first Charles River team ride in this year’s Pan-Mass Challenge.
The Charles River riding team, also known as “crewsers,” completed the 85-mile route from Wellesley to
Bourne, Massachusetts, and raised more than $20,000 thanks to the support of friends, family and the
Charles River organization.

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AIA Celebrates Growth, Accomplishments At 2019 National Sales Meeting

Neenah, Wisconsin-headquartered distributor AIA Corporation held its annual national sales meeting in August, bringing more than 200 attendees, including AIA owners, suppliers and employees, to the Grand Summit Hotel in Park City, Utah.


Above photo: AIA’s four-day event featured learning and networking focused on personal and professional
growth. AIA owners also met one-on-one with more than 25 suppliers to discuss fourth-quarter selling
strategies and trends for the year ahead and they toured the SnugZ USA manufacturing facility, participating
in assembly, screening and other hands-on activities.

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American Solutions For Business Hosts Annual Sales Summit

American Solutions for Business (PPAI 101656, D12) held its annual sales summit on August 22-25 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.


Above, left: More than 85 of Glenwood, Minnesota-headquartered ASB’s top salespeople and guests were
invited to the three-day event, where they attended optional golf and charity events as well as individual
suite-style meetings with 30 participating vendors to learn about each product line and offering. Above,
right: ASB hosted a nightly social event at different locations around the city, including a brewery, Twins
baseball game and adult arcade. These provided a fun, laidback atmosphere where sales associates,
vendors and home office team members could network and continue conversations from earlier in the day.

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James Khattak is news editor of PPB.