HPG (PPAI 110772, S11) – ranked the No. 8 supplier in this year’s PPAI 100 – has announced that Alex Symms, MAS, will expand his director of sales role to cover all three of the Braintree, Massachusetts-based company’s West Coast brands: Evans Manufacturing, Handstands and Origaudio.

A 20-year veteran of the promotional products industry, Symms joined HPG in June after previous roles at suppliers PowerStick, Chameleon Like, Admints & Zagabor and KTI Networks / KTI Promo.

“We already knew Alex would be an excellent addition to the team and he proved us right even faster than expected,” says Trina Bicknell, chief revenue officer at HPG. “I’m excited to expand his influence even further within the HPG enterprise and consolidate our West Coast sales leadership for our customers.”

Brand Evangelist

As a result of Symms’ expanded responsibilities, Nick Lateur – director of sales at HPG – has transitioned into the newly created role of brand director.

Entering the promo industry in 2015, Lateur worked in national sales for suppliers AP Specialties and IMAGEN Brands before joining HPG at the end of 2020 as director of national accounts for HPG’s specialty channel.

  • In August, Lateur assumed a development and sales management role at Origaudio after co-founder Mike Szymczak announced his retirement.

“HPG is the fastest-growing supplier in the industry with the top talent in the industry,” Lateur says. “We’re constantly launching exciting new products and impactful sales tools like Storyboard+. The formula for success in promo is: be top of mind, be easy to work with and maintain strong human relationships. This new role, with the support of the HPG marketing team, will allow me to truly evangelize our brand, our superior products, our unique services and our incredible people; all of which enable our customers to win more business.”