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Friday
March 30, 2007 GOT SPIRIT? | SnugZ Sure DoesFiled under: Members, News About ASI I wanted to share some of the SnugZ story with you that was shared with nearly 400 distributors, suppliers and decorators at the ASI Spirit Awards last week in Las Vegas for the presentation of the Supplier Family Business of the Year award. SnugZ will get you thinking about how you view your employees, your clients and your family and how you can run a better businessby treating others as you wish to be treated. Started in 1989 with just a single product, SnugZ is a second-generation business and was founded by Patti Hicks – winner of the ASI Woman of Distinction Award in 2003. Family businesses have to manage through many transitions, including the passing of family members. Unfortunately, in SnugZ’s case, it was Patti’s sudden and unexpected death in 2004.
Monday
March 26, 2007 I RAN WITH THE WOLVESFiled under: Members, News About ASI I spent this weekend in Minneapolis visiting with ASI distributors and suppliers at three educational, fun, engaging events. (I was joined by ASI vice presidents Susanne Curry, head of ASI marketing, and Heather DiPrato, who manages distributor services in Minnesota and the surrounding states.) On Sunday afternoon, I attended a Timberwolves basketball game at the invitation of the Taylor Corporation – which has several ASI supplier companies and whose owner, billionaire Glen Taylor, happens to own the team. Taylor hosted several local distributors, and we had a great time watching the Timberwolves beat Portland in a close one, 94-93. (The team has been having a tough couple of seasons, so a win was nice to cheer along!) At the end of the game, each guest in our skybox was presented with a gift bag of eight Timberwolves ad specialties – including a heavy duty travel mug, an embroidered (and slightly scary) black hat and a luggage tag. My favorite item was a high-quality pen imprinted with “I RAN WITH THE WOLVES” – which I think is catchy and fun.
Thursday
March 22, 2007 GOT SPIRIT? Geiger’s Spirit Awards story inspires growth | plus Jay Leno and Vegas picsFiled under: Members, News About ASI We’re back from the 2007 ASI Spirit Awards at the ASI Show Las Vegas – where the show delivered on our projection of over 3,700 attendees – and this year’s Spirit Awards ceremony was more exciting than ever. In addition to celebrating innovative advertising and outstanding customer service and honoring the fastest-growing suppliers and distributors, we acknowledged three family businesses that represent the best practices in family business and our industry. The backgrounds of the family businesses honored – Geiger, SnugZ and Super Embroidery – are fascinating and each tells a unique story that reflects the dynamic and innovative nature of our industry.
Wednesday
March 21, 2007 Counselor Wins Top Award for Family Business CoverageFiled under: News About ASI
From New York City… The leading organization in business publishing, American Business Media (ABM), just named Counselor as one of the best magazines for 2006. Counselor was recognized for its monthly ‘Family Business Spotlight’ series with a Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award. There were only 12 winners of a Neal Award this year – selected from more than 1,300 entries.
Wednesday
March 14, 2007 What a Year | Ad Specialties Top $18.6 Billion in 2006 – Up 4.5%Filed under: Industry Initiatives, News About ASI Wow. This was quite a year for advertising specialties! (And I’m not usually one for hyperbole, or exclamation points, as my staff knows.) ASI just released the results of its annual industry sales analysis, indicating revenues topped $18.6 billion in 2006 – up 4.5 percent from 2005 and a new record. Congratulations to everyone! What this means is that spending on advertising specialties was almost twice as large as Internet display advertising, nearly five times greater than outdoor advertising and more than cable TV advertising* for the same period, even outpacing the 3.4% growth rate for the United States GDP. Impressive, by any measure.
Thursday
March 8, 2007 Ad Specialties on MSNBC | Better Industry ExposureFiled under: Education, Industry Initiatives, Media Coverage, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties In last October’s Counselor magazine I wrote about how I’m often contacted by distributors and suppliers who are frustrated that our industry doesn’t get more media coverage to educate reporters and end-buyers about using advertising specialties.
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