News Last Updated: October 28, 2026
In The News - October 2026
Stahls' (asi/88984) Fulfill Engine has integrated Counselor Top 40 supplier Cutter & Buck (asi/47965) and Storm Creek (asi/89879) into its on-demand platform, connecting both brands with automated decoration and fulfillment. "Our supplier and brand partners are the lifeblood of this industry and a huge part of what makes the Fulfill Engine ecosystem work," said Jayson Tompkins, founder and chief digital officer of Stahls' Fulfill Engine.
RocketCup (asi/83085) has strengthened its partnership with the Golisano Institute for Business & Entrepreneurship, providing fully custom coffee bags and a newly opened RocketCup Coffee cafe at the insitute's Buffalo, NY, campus.
iClick (asi/62124) has launched its holiday 2026 collection, featuring 17 new tech accessories, including a new lineup of semi-solid state power banks, high-capacity chargers, 240W fast-charge cables, audio products, PopSockets accessories, phone wristlets and Xoopar tracking devices. "This launch is our direct answer to what distributors tell us their end users are asking for: technology that's safer, faster and smarter," said Jeffrey Roberts, CEO of iClick.
GetPrintFiles, a Web2Ink company, has launched GetPrintFiles.com, an online service that turns any logo, sketch or AI-generated design into a clean, print-ready vector file. Users upload a PNG, JPG or WebP (low-resolution is fine) or simply describe the design they want and will see a free, watermarked preview before paying anything, the company said. Each finished design costs a flat $4.99. "Every printshop knows the moment a customer emails a blurry 200-pixel logo pulled off their Facebook page," said Steve McKillip, founder of GetPrintFiles and Web2Ink. "Fixing that file shouldn't mean a monthly software bill or an hour in Illustrator."
ASB (asi/120075), a Counselor Top 40 distributor, has promoted Kate Murray to marketing and communications manager. “Kate’s ability to create meaningful messaging and engagement is incredibly valuable in telling ASB’s story as well as building connection within our home office, sales associates and support teams,” said Taylor Borst, ASB’s vice president of vendor relations, marketing and events.
Atlantis Headwear (asi/37380) brought caps and live customization to the ONA Short Film Festival on San Servolo Island in Venice, Italy. “ONA gives us an opportunity to support environmental storytelling while connecting with attendees through headwear,” said Federico Pasini, vice president at Atlantis Headwear. “We are proud to continue this partnership and give guests a chance to create something unique during the festival.”
Discount Marketing Products (DMP; asi/49891) has announced the addition of Jules Scheck Associates Promo as its new multi-line reps in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia. “We’re excited to welcome JSA Promo to the DMP team," said DMP President Dalan Cohen. "Their strong distributor relationships and extensive industry expertise make them a great fit for us.”
4AllPromos (asi/196920) has launched 4AllPremium, a corporate gifting collection featuring highly sought-after retail brands, including YETI, Carhartt and JBL. "As corporate culture shifts toward deeper, more meaningful retention gifts, expanding our vast assortment into premium retail brands with low minimums was the natural next step," said Patrick Kenna, CEO of 4AllPromos.
Taylor Promotional Products (asi/333647) has announced the graduation of a second cohort of equipment operator students through its partnership with South Central College in Mankato, Minnesota. According to the Counselor Top 40 distributor, the Uniquely Abled Academy was developed by SCC’s Customized Workforce Education division and provides individuals with autism and other unique abilities the technical skills needed to prepare for careers as printing press operators. Over the last two years, 11 students have graduated from the program, and Taylor has gone on to hire 10 of them.
Infinity Product Group, parent company of Infinity Her (asi/62578), participated in a volunteer event at the Samaritan Community Center on Oct.13. During the event, IPG employees packed 1,000 SnackPacks to help address childhood food insecurity in Northwest Arkansas. The team also donated 104 pounds of dried beans to support SCC’s grocery shop program.
Pica Marketing Group (asi/132691) has been named the 2026 Michigan Women's Business Enterprise of the Year by the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council. Great Lakes WBC is a nonprofit that certifies women-owned businesses through the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council and connects them with corporate and government contracting opportunities, capital and business education.
Stahls’ (asi/88984) has introduced its Patch Selector Tool, which it says offers customers a faster way to find the right patch for their design and discover options they may not have considered. With one artwork upload, customers can check compatibility across 18 patch types, and the tool shows which options are ready to order, which need artwork adjustments and which are not compatible with the submitted design.
Starline (asi/89320), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, has hired Allyson Kosko as Northeast regional sales manager. Kosko has spent more than two decades in the industry, with both supplier and distributor firms. “Her experience gives her a unique understanding of our customers and their needs,” said Brian DeBottis, CRO of Starline. “Allyson’s strategic mindset and passion for building strong distributor partnerships make her a great addition to our sales team, and we’re excited to see the impact she’ll make.”
Rupt (asi/84203) has launched the Rupt Design Lab, allowing distributors to create custom mock-ups and full lookbooks on the supplier’s products in a matter of seconds. Rupt, which offers one-piece minimums, said it can then produce the mocked-up items at one of its 15 worldwide facilities and get them into recipients’ hands “in a matter of days.”
AAkron Line (asi/30270) has named Rick Dolan as Midwest regional sales manager. Dolan joins AAkron from Stormtech (asi/89869), where he was senior director of strategic accounts. He also has experience with Counselor Top 40 supplier PCNA (asi/66887) and IMAGEN Brands, now part of Counselor Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480). “Rick is from St. Louis and has strong distributor relationships in the Midwest as well as nationally. We are excited to have him join our team,” said Stan Dohan, executive vice president at AAkron Line.
HIRSCH (asi/61005), a Counselor Top 40 supplier, has appointed Karina Bravo to the role of e-commerce solutions manager, where she will focus on leading the growth of HIRSCH's recently announced Gratigy company store platform. Bravo has a strong background in business development, SaaS sales in promo, recruitment and management.
Proforma (asi/300094), a Counselor Top 40 distributor, has wrapped up its 2026 Energize event series, which brought together nearly 130 Proforma distributor owners and team members, as well as more than 120 supplier partners. The three-city event tour hit New Orleans, LA; Charleston, SC; and San Diego, CA.
Elemental (asi/51846) has launched holiday gift sets that combine stainless-steel drinkware with apparel made from recycled coffee grounds. Each set includes a stainless-steel water bottle or tumbler and a cap, polo or sweatshirt from CoffeeThread, Elemental’s apparel line. CoffeeThread fabric is made by cleaning, drying and milling used coffee grounds, then blending them with recycled fibers.
Nicole McNamee Consulting and Sportified Recruit, LLC, are joining forces to pair recruiting and placement with sales training. Sportified Recruit specializes in placing former collegiate and professional athletes at companies and organizations, while NMC's sales training helps each hire learn the ins and outs of the promo industry.
The Authentic T-Shirt Company/SanMar Canada (asi/84864) has launched a new Coming Soon category on its website, giving Canadian decorators an earlier look at upcoming products and more time to plan for future opportunities. Users can preview upcoming products, plan for what’s ahead and place back orders on select styles before they arrive.
Proforma (asi/300094), a Counselor Top 40 distributor, recently hosted its 2026 Owner Advisory Council, executive, and leadership teams in Cleveland. The Proforma OAC is composed of elected distributor owners across North America representing their respective regions, while its executive and leadership teams consist of key support center team members whose strategic vision accelerates growth, strengthens relationships with supplier partners and the industry, and exemplifies Proforma’s mission of empowering distributor owner success, according to the firm.
Natural Trends (asi/73497) has introduced two new products: The Pocket Fix-All Kit and Pocket Duct Tape. The Pocket Fix-All Kit combines a WD-40 Precision Pen and a 9-yard flat roll of duct tape in a single package, while Pocket Duct Tape offers the same portability in a standalone product.
Orbus (asi/75209) has been named one of the Best & Brightest Companies to Work for in the Nation, marking the supplier’s 12th consecutive year on the list. Presented by the National Association for Business Resources, the award recognizes organizations that excel in employee engagement, workplace culture, leadership and commitment to fostering an exceptional work environment. “This achievement reflects our amazing employees, whose passion, dedication, collaborative spirit and sense of fun continue to shape a culture where people feel valued, empowered and inspired to do their best work every day,” said Todd Papendick, vice president of human resources.
The Branded Merch Network has opened registration for Automate & Elevate, an online industry education event to be held on Thursday, Nov. 12, from 1 to 2:30 p.m. ET. This year, presenters will focus on how promo, decorated apparel and print professionals can better understand and apply AI technologies. PromoPilot is the presenting partner of the event, and both ASI and PRINTING United Alliance are the education partners. Registration is free.
Haptica, a print- and promo-focused media brand under German publishing company WA Media GmbH, has unveiled a unified rebrand, including a new logo, the tag line "Merch & Marketing" and the integration of Haptica's various communication channels.
Essent Corporation (asi/821099) has introduced Essent AI Connect, a Model Context Protocol Connector for PromoStandards, which turns the endpoints a supplier already operates into tools AI applications can use. It is available to any supplier with PromoStandards endpoints, regardless of who hosts them, the company said.
Something Inked (asi/329822), a Counselor Top 40 distributor, has entered into a strategic partnership with FISLL (Faith, Integrity, Sacrifice, Leadership and Legacy), the purpose-driven platform founded by former NBA All-Star and Olympic Gold Medalist Allan Houston. The partnership brings together Something Inked’s production expertise, operational infrastructure and distribution capabilities with FISLL’s growing platform and cultural influence, according to the two brands. "This partnership is about alignment and execution,” said Bill Feldberg of Something Inked. “FISLL has built a powerful identity rooted in faith, character, leadership, sports and culture. Our role is to provide the operational horsepower and production scale to help meet demand and unlock new opportunities for growth and activation.”