(Editor’s Note: PromoWire by PPAI Media is a running digest of news releases and updates submitted from organizations around the industry. PPAI Media edits these only slightly, including for length, and will consider newsworthy entries from any member organization.)

September 2, 2022

American Solutions For Business Announces New Marketing Specialist, Steffany Rivera

American Solutions for Business is excited to welcome Steffany Rivera as the organization’s new Marketing Specialist & Graphic Designer. Located near Houston, Texas, Steffany will be a remote team member and is tasked with creating marketing content, tools and resources for ASB sales associates to successfully market to their end user buyers.

Steffany began her work in the industry as Marketing Manager of KTI Promo, a promotional vendor that works closely with American. The shift from supplier to distributor is Steffany is excited to make.

Steffany explains, “I am excited to join American Solutions for Business because the way I live aligns 100% with the way ASB operates: family, relationships, and community. Working for the distributor side will be an adjustment, but I plan to advocate for the suppliers and serve as a liaison to American sales associates.”

“We’re so happy to welcome Steffany to our team and ASB family,” expressed Director of Marketing, Events & PR, Taylor Borst. “I’m confident she has the talent and passion to be successful here and will create valuable content and resources to help our salespeople succeed.”

September 1, 2022

Rob Watson Hired as Vice President of Zing Manufacturing

Zing Manufacturing, a leading supplier of promotional products based in Tempe, Arizona, has announced that it has hired Rob Watson as its new Vice President. Zing, which is the exclusive promotional products industry supplier of S’well branded products, brings in Watson as the key component to drive an ambitious growth strategy set on developing cutting-edge technology solutions and expanding into new markets, product lines, and service offerings.

Watson brings a rich background of industry experience on both the distributor and supplier sides of the business. Most recently, Watson served as Managing Director of recent Top 40 Distributor The Image Group. Prior to that, Watson was a transformative leader at Top 40 Supplier Vantage Apparel. Among other high-impact industry roles, Watson spent over 5 years at the Advertising Specialty Institute where he focused on marketing and digital transformation.

Asked for comment, Zack Ottenstein, President of The Image Group added, "we wish the Zing team continued success, and we're happy for Rob. In a short time working together, The Image Group has transformed its technology platform, expanded its team, and developed several exciting new relationships.”

Watson’s move to Zing signals a major commitment from the supplier to make significant capital investments in technology, talent, and infrastructure as the supplier positions itself to become a disruptive industry force. Watson brings an established track record of leading major tech transformations and will be tasked with turning Zing into the industry’s most tech-forward promotional products supplier. Watson’s charge will focus on the creation of a Next Generation Customer Experience that offers the industry’s best buying experience offering tech-enabled real-time transparency into inventory, ordering, decoration, and delivery.

Summing up his vision for Zing, Watson responded in a single word: “dynamic.” “Zing will not be another product company,” Watson said. “We will form deep and rich relationships with key distributor partners and will build solutions and campaigns that make them more successful. We will listen to what your needs are, what your customers want, and what you need to be to be successful. Then we will custom build solutions exquisitely tailored for your success.”

Expanding on his reasons for the singularly unique nature of the opportunity at Zing, Watson stated that he was “blown away” upon discovering “the incredible building blocks already in place there.” Watson went on to say that between “the existing talent already in place combined with quick turn capabilities, warehousing, fulfillment, decoration, AI-driven robotics, robust customization options…the pieces already in place at Zing are really astounding and give us the opportunity to quickly build something there that doesn’t currently exist in this industry.”

Zing is known for being the industry’s exclusive licensee of S’well branded products and has also recently added the BUILT line to its exclusive collection of offerings. Watson said that the company will continue to bring a retail-centric quality and focus to its product offerings, which will continue to expand as Zing continues on its climb to becoming the top producer of products in its chosen categories.

Watson emphasized that his immediate focus will be on listening to key distributor partners as his team works to craft a best-in-class user experience unlike any that has come before it. With a focus on custom tech-forward solutions to support integrated programs and customer campaigns, Zing is setting out to transform the way that distributors and suppliers partner together. Watson’s hire is a major step forward in that effort.

Watson will join a team at Zing where industry veteran Rich Corvalan heads up the supplier’s sales efforts in his role as Senior Vice President of Sales. Corvalan will continue in this role and will focus on a substantial expansion of the supplier’s sales footprint.

4imprint Earns Spot On PEOPLE Companies That Care 2022 List

Oshkosh-based promotional products retailer 4imprint, Inc., has been named to the PEOPLE Companies that Care 2022 list. The Companies that Care list recognizes 100 companies nationwide for developing cultures of caring for employees, communities and the environment.

“It's about understanding the real needs of your people, of your community and of the world—and showing up in ways that make a meaningful impact. These companies make that kind of caring for people, and even the environment, part of their daily fabric.”

Organizations on the Companies that Care list are selected by Great Place to Work®. Nominations are based on results from more than one million employee surveys that ask questions about workplace respect, innovation, communication, engagement and more.

“To earn a second nomination to PEOPLE Companies that Care is an honor we would not be able to enjoy without each person on our staff,” said Kevin Lyons-Tarr, CEO, 4imprint. “Our team continues to create a culture of respect and fairness, and that makes a real difference.”

Companies that care about their employees are named to the list based on the Great Place to Work assessment on how fairly employees are treated and how well they create a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is. Only companies earning Great Place to Work certification are eligible for consideration.

“Caring isn't about being ‘nice,’” said Sarah Lewis-Kulin, vice president of global recognition at Great Place to Work. “It's about understanding the real needs of your people, of your community and of the world—and showing up in ways that make a meaningful impact. These companies make that kind of caring for people, and even the environment, part of their daily fabric.”

The Legacy Group Presents Legacy Legends Awards at LESE

The Legacy Group recently held its Legacy Exclusive Sales Event (LESE) in Saratoga Springs, New York where several Legacy preferred Suppliers were recognized with Legacy Legends Awards.

The awards were presented during the closing dinner of the LESE in front of more than 140 of Legacy Group sales executives and their preferred Suppliers. The recipients were recognized as stellar partners of The Legacy Group based on their sales growth, professionalism, innovation, and responsiveness.

This year’s awards were personalized art prints of the historic Saratoga Race Track.

The 2022 Legacy Legends Award recipients are:

Legacy Apparel Supplier of the Year: SanMar
Legacy Hard Goods Supplier of the Year: Hit Promotional Products
Legacy Supplier Representative of the Year: (tie)
Kim Brochschmidt, Stormtech
Kyle Annable, Stormtech