Twenty-year industry veteran Alex Morin, formerly of Toronto-based Debco Solutions, now a part of Top 40 supplier HPG (asi/61966), has launched Promonoise, a new education platform for the promo industry. The launch includes a “Mentor Series” blog, podcast and e-book entitled “The Human Landscape During a COVID Pandemic.” Morin has plans to expand the offerings over the coming months. Promonoise will include Morin’s “experience as a supplier, his creativity when it comes to ideation, a rich plethora of relevant case-studies, and an unparalleled enthusiasm for wanting to genuinely help people reach their full potential,” according to the official launch announcement.

American Solutions for Business (asi/120075) welcomes Brandon Kennedy and BrandCo Marketing (asi/455385) to the sales team. “Brandon and his team are a perfect culture and strategic fit here and we couldn’t be happier to have them on board,” said Justin Zavadil, president of ASB. “I can’t wait to see them grow their business and level of service to their customers here at ASB.” 

SnugZ USA (asi/88060) has announced a new product offering as demand increases for packaging and fulfillment. Boxcar Custom Packaging is now available as a fully customized, full-color solution with several sizes and decoration options. SnugZ will also offer custom sizes as well as fulfillment, warehousing and kitting services through Piggyback Fulfillment, launched earlier this year. 

Eco Lips (asi/51599) has announced that three new lip care products – Intensive Overnight Lip Mask, Hemp Cherry Lip Balm and Zinc SPF 15 Coconut Vanilla Lip Balm – are now available at Walmart.

Top 40 supplier Charles River Apparel (asi/44620) sponsored the 2021 Pan-Mass Challenge and donated 2,000 of its Adventure Jackets to the fundraiser. The bike-a-thon raises money for cancer research and treatment, with 100% of every rider-raised dollar directly benefiting the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  

Culture Studio (asi/700559) has announced it will be opening a new facility in Florida. Additionally, the company welcomes Stuart Miller as director of southern productions.

American Solutions for Business (asi/120075) has raised over $3,000 for school supplies through its virtual fundraiser for the United Way of Douglas and Pope County in Minnesota. The virtual fundraiser traded dollars for votes for one of the senior leadership team members to be pied in the face. 

Geiger (asi/202900) has announced that it is a gold level sponsor and merchandise provider of the 2021 Maine Marathon, held this year on Oct. 3. In addition to sponsoring the event, Geiger will manage an online store year-round for official Maine Marathon apparel and merchandise. 

AIM Smarter will host the final installment of its nine-month diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) event series on Oct. 5 at 12 p.m. EDT. Free and open to all, the webinar is presented by international DEI expert and speaker Roy Gluckman, director of Cohesion Collective. Register here. 

Label Works (asi/66040) has announced the launch of its flexible packaging solutions program to support sales opportunities in the food and nutraceutical verticals, among others. 

Commonsku has hired Anna Nguyen as director of product management. Most recently, Nguyen was a partner and COO at Chicago-based Monarch & Company (asi/275403). “Anna’s experience as a distributor and her amazing ability to create operational efficiencies utilizing technology made her the perfect person to join our team,” said commonsku CEO Catherine Graham.

Gemline (asi/56070) will be hosting a free, live webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 28 at 1 p.m. EDT on “Untangling the Global Supply Chain.” This one-hour discussion will provide a better understanding of how product moves from overseas to the U.S., why the system has become so unbalanced and what to expect for the domestic transportation market in Q4 and beyond. The panel discussion will be led by Gemline CEO Jonathan Isaacson, who will facilitate a conversation with A. Ali Ashraf, director of North American ocean product at CH Robinson, and Jerry Hempstead, parcel industry professional and consultant. Register here.

Proforma’s (asi/300094) Owner Advisory Council recently held its annual planning meeting with Proforma’s top executive team members. “Proforma’s annual planning meeting sets our course for the year ahead,” said Vera Muzzillo, CEO of Proforma. “We are excited about the meaningful conversations that we were able to have in these intimate meetings to discuss new ways we can grow together. We have significantly ramped up our technology and marketing support and this meeting provided an opportunity to discuss how we can maximize our resources to benefit every member of the Proforma organization.” 

The Book Company (asi/41010) has announced the addition of word kits from Magnetic Poetry to its retail gift product offering. 

ReturnMe (asi/82261) has doubled its production capacity in response to growing demand in both the travel sectors and the gifting market. “With the recent acquisition of new machinery, we now have the ability to fully control our lead-times,” said Suhail Niazi, president of ReturnMe. “This was important to our top customers and will certainly increase the value of our offering along with the goodwill that comes with rapid delivery and no upcharges.”

IMAGEN Brands (asi/93990) welcomes Jessica Majors, Michael Hutchinson and Alan Marstall to the sales team. Majors joined in August as a national accounts manager, Hutchinson joined in July as a regional sales manager in the New England/New York area, and Marstall joined in July as a regional sales manager covering Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona and Oklahoma. “Combined, they bring with them nearly a half century’s worth of sales experience that will be crucial in our ongoing mission to achieve unmatched service and drive success for our customers,” said Lisa LeMond, vice president of sales and customer service at IMAGEN Brands. 

The Hershey Group Inc. (asi/72743) has hired Ian Kalna as director of strategic accounts. “We are very pleased with the growth in our company this past year,” said Mike Hershey, president of The Hershey Group. “Adding Ian will greatly help us to strengthen our ability to better serve our clients through better sales coverage and strengthened overseas presence.”

Storm Creek (asi/89879) has added nine employees to its team, including Ashly Salden, production and sourcing coordinator; Samantha Vucicevic, customer operations manager; Natalie Kincs, inside sales/account manager; Jackie O’Neil, inside sales/account manager; Max Hershley, marketing coordinator; and Sarah Hayden, digital marketing specialist. 

Zing Manufacturing (asi/99025) welcomes Bryan Mercer, Jen Kruger, Scott Hareid and Garrett Blankenship to the sales team. “I’m thrilled to reunite with these amazing sales professionals, all of whom I have worked with previously,” said Rich Corvalan, senior vice president of sales.