TREVOSE, PA - January 24, 2011 - The Advertising Specialty Institute today awarded its first education certifications upon a select group of professionals who earned the industry equivalent of a bachelor’s or master’s degree.

The first 29 graduates of the Advertising Specialty Institute Certification Program received their certifications in a pinning ceremony Monday at The ASI Show in Orlando, Fla. ASI President and Chief Executive Officer Timothy M. Andrews, ASI Chairman Norman Cohn, Vice-Chairman Matthew Cohn and Corporate Vice President Stephanie Cohn Schaeffer were among 17 recipients of Master of Advertising Specialty Information (MASI) certificates. In addition, 12 professionals received Bachelor of Advertising Specialty Information (BASI) certificates.

“We are so proud of the first graduates of the Advertising Specialty Institute Certification Program,” said Andrews. “We launched this program to provide members with the skills they need to out-think, out-perform and out-service the competition. We couldn’t be happier so many members are seizing the opportunity to set themselves apart through quality education.”

To date, 3,327 industry professionals have registered for classes needed to obtain an ASI certification. In 2010 alone, 4,600 distributors took more than 16,000 live education courses at ASI trade shows, making ASI the largest educator in the $17 billion ad specialty industry. Each year, ASI commits $1.3 million to educate its members.

The following received their certificates Monday:

Master of Advertising Specialty Information

• Rodney French, of Quality Resource Group, Inc. (asi/303015)
• Rodney Friese, of Magna-Tel Inc. (asi/68480)
• Leanne Heuring, of Magna-Tel Inc. (asi/68480)
• Kathy Lawrence, of Numo (asi/74710)
• Christine Marion, of EmbroidMe (asi/384000)
• Becky McMillan, of Magna-Tel Inc. (asi/68480)
• Todd Pottebaum, of Quality Resource Group Inc. (asi/303015)
• Cliff Quicksell, of Cliff Quicksell & Associates (asi/825111)
• Mindy Statler, of Magna-Tel Inc. (asi/68480)
• Mary Turner, of Magna-Tel Inc. (asi/68480)

And the following ASI employees: Ron Ball, Chris Lovell and Mary Sells.

Bachelor of Advertising Specialty Information

• Chris Babiash, of M.A. Apparel Inc. (asi/257814)
• Mike Beckman, of Proforma-BPM (asi/300094)
• Paula Braeuner, of Magna-Tel Inc. (asi/68480)
• Jessica Johnson, of Production Creek Specialty Advertising (asi/299743)
• Mark MacDougall, of Valley Graphics Ltd. (ais/350569)
• Dennis Pottebaum, of Quality Resource Group Inc. (asi/303015)
• Beth Robinson-Mungle, of Magna-Tel Inc. (asi/68480)
• Michelle Sherman-Cheng, of On3Tek, Inc. (asi/287739)

And the following ASI employees: Nick DiNicola, Heather DiPrato, Jim Padilla and Pamela Vicik-Smith.

The Advertising Specialty Institute Certification Program is the industry’s only free certification program, created on a user-friendly digital platform. All courses are tracked automatically via a digital campus, so participants can easily access their transcripts and remaining course requirements.

Register here to get started taking on-demand courses today.

Both live and online ASI Education courses qualify for credit. Candidates must complete certification within three years of beginning the program. Following defined guidelines, courses taken at a past ASI Show, on the ASI Education Online Learning Center, or completed at major industry events, such as the PPAI Expo or regional association conferences, will be eligible for transfer.

The ASI Show Orlando - the industry’s largest event on the East Coast - is being held at the Orange County Convention Center Sunday, January 23, through Tuesday, January 25. The show features more than 60 education sessions.

About ASI
The Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) is the largest education, media and marketing organization serving the advertising specialty industry, with a membership of over 26,000 distributor firms (sellers) and supplier firms (manufacturers) of advertising specialties.  Supplier firms use ASI print and electronic resources to market products to over 22,000 ASI distributor firms.  Distributor firms use ASI print and electronic resources, which contain nearly every product in the industry from more than 3,500 reputable suppliers, to locate supplier firms and to market services to buyers.  ASI provides catalogs, information directories, newsletters, magazines, websites and databases, and offers e-commerce, marketing and selling tools.  Visit ASI online at asicentral.com and on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, the CEO's blog and the ASI Social Network.

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Contact

Dawn Marie,
Executive director of corporate communications

Email industry news and press releases to Chris Ruvo, Digital News Director and Promogram Editor at cruvo@asicentral.com

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