May 1, 2023

Genumark CFO John Gill Retires; Mike Garcia Named Executive VP, Finance

Mike Garcia has been promoted to executive vice president, finance at Genumark (PPAI 261066, D11) following the retirement of longtime chief financial officer and executive vice president John Gill on April 28.

For more than 22 years, Gill stewarded the company through continuous financial growth. Garcia joined the company in 2022 as director of finance.

“Thanks to John’s expert guidance, Genumark has a solid foundation on which to build for decades to come. I am grateful for his leadership, his integrity, his friendship, and his countless contributions to Genumark,” says Mark Freed, executive chairman. “I am thrilled to have Mike in this important leadership role. His background as a CPA, having held multiple controller and director of finance roles in the manufacturing and distribution industries, makes him well-suited to guide us financially as we plan for the future.”
 

IMAGEN Brands Welcomes Brock Spurrell  

Brock Spurrell has joined IMAGEN Brands (PPAI 114197, S10) as a regional sales manager for the Southwest territory covering Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. He is based in Las Vegas, Nevada.

  • Spurrell has more than 10 years of regional and national sales management experience, including sales roles at Mohawk, TBC Corporation and most recently at EngineQuest, where he was responsible for up to 25 percent of the company’s annual sales growth.

April 28, 2023

Orbus Celebrates A Recycling Milestone

Orbus Exhibit & Display Group (PPAI 428128, S7) announces that it has recycled an average of 75% of its total waste every year for the past 10 years. The effort is a testament to its long-standing commitment to environmental sustainability and ongoing efforts to reduce its impact on the planet..

  • In that time, the company has also diverted more than 10 million pounds of waste from landfills and has built and maintained a comprehensive recycling program that includes separating recyclable waste into categories such as cardboard, paper, aluminum, fabric and steel.
  • The company achieved its ISO 14001:2015 certification in 2010.

April 27, 2023

commonsku Hosts First CEO Summit In Toronto


commonsku (PPAI 552077, A1) hosted its first CEO Summit at the Bisha Hotel in downtown Toronto last week.

  • The summit welcomed more than 20 CEOs from some of the industry’s largest distributor companies to connect and share best practices on topics ranging from AI to sales incentives and compensation, team structure, HR and culture and more.

“What amazed us all was how readily everyone shared their ideas,” says commonsku CEO Catherine Graham. “I found it inspiring to see all of the innovative ways these companies are growing their businesses, and the progressive thinking around everything from team structure, to technology adoption to sustainability. It left all of us excited about our industry’s future.”

Atlantis Headwear Hopes Environmental Initiative Will Inspire Others

Atlantis Headwear (PPAI 753003, S1) reveals its latest commitment to the environment – preserving a private forest located within five miles of the company’s headquarters in Italy.

  • Bosco dei Racconti features nearly 600 trees and plants that have absorbed a remarkable 182 tons of CO₂ since its establishment. To achieve this feat, Atlantis worked closely with Divisione Energia Srl, a specialized studio in energy and environmental projects.
  • Together, they conducted a comprehensive survey of the area, georeferenced all the trees, prepared a technical report highlighting the CO₂ absorbed by each plant, developed a digital thematic map and created informative panels to be placed throughout the forest.
  • Atlantis and its parent company, Master Italia, believe that the trees in Bosco dei Racconti embody the brand’s commitment to the environment. Rather than valuing the land for its potential for construction, the company sees the trees as proud ambassadors that make the community a better place to live.