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Thursday
December 27, 2012 Make a DifferenceFiled under: Community, News About ASI The end of one year and the start of another offers a great opportunity for reflection. Above all, it’s the perfect time to think not of ourselves, but of others, and to ask if we did enough to help friends and neighbors who might be in need. As Norman Cohn, ASI’s chairman of the board, is fond of reminding us, “One person can make a difference.” I was especially heartened by the way this industry responded after Hurricane Sandy devastated so much of New York City, Long Island and the Jersey Shore. Generous assistance came from numerous corners and in many forms, through fundraising, food and supply drives organized by dozens of suppliers and distributors. Here at ASI®, we’re involved in a number of charitable initiatives that promote the idea of “goodwill toward men” (and women) all year long. I’d like to share some of our most important activities, which might give you ideas on what companies and employees can accomplish by working together toward a common goal: Employee Turkey and Pie Giveaway. Each November, the Cohn family shows their thanks to employees by giving them a choice of a free Thanksgiving turkey or pie. This year, we distributed 270 turkeys and 280 pies. The pies specifically benefited the Metropolitan Area Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance (MANNA) Pie in the Sky charity of Philadelphia. It works like this: Every pie ASI bought provided a fresh, hot, homemade Thanksgiving dinner that served four, delivered right to the door of a MANNA client coping with a life-threatening illness and at acute nutritional risk as a result. Promotional Products Education Foundation. PPEF benefits the children of employees in the industry through several types of scholarships. ASI has already donated $110,000 to the foundation. Annual Holiday Gift Drive. Every December, hundreds of ASI employees donate money to buy gifts for area families living in or receiving services through a homeless shelter run by the Family Service Association of Bucks County, PA. This year, we purchased a total of $6,279 worth of gifts, which helped people in need while allowing volunteers to feel good about doing their part. Helping Cure Diabetes. In the past five years, the daughters of ASI Co-Chairman Matthew Cohn, Sydney and Mackenzie, have raised over $2 million to help fund research for Type 1, or juvenile diabetes, a devastating disease that affects millions of people, including a large and growing percentage of children like them (www.cohnsisters.com). In the last year alone, the girls raised a record $500,000+ through fundraisers like an annual JDRF walk for the cure in Philadelphia. JDRF is the world’s largest charitable funder of diabetes research. American Red Cross. Every year, ASI’s administrative staff puts together a wonderful silent auction to raise money for the American Red Cross using sample promotional products sent by suppliers and featured in ASI magazines. United Way. Each year ASI matches any funds employees donate to United Way agencies. This year, ASI and its employees contributed a total of $20,640 to the United Way of Bucks County, PA. Last year ASI donated $16,578. A Woman’s Place. A shelter for battered women located in Doylestown, PA. Since October 2006, more than 100 used cell phones have been donated by ASI employees, to be used only for emergency calls to 911. The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Each December, employees donate whatever they can to get a photo taken with Santa to benefit the local Ronald McDonald House, which provides a home away from home for families of critically ill children receiving treatment at local hospitals. So far, ASI has donated $2,675. Dress for Success/Work-N-Style for Men/MenzFit. Provides interview-appropriate clothing to Philadelphia area low-income men and women entering or reentering the job market. So far, employees have donated 741 pieces of clothing, shoes and accessories. Hometown Initiatives. As a way of giving back to my Indiana hometown, I started a food bank endowment that’s now close to $100,000, along with a separate charitable activity in Hope called the Hawcreek/Flat Rock Endowment Fund, whose endowment has already reached nearly $500,000. In my adopted hometown of Princeton, N.J., I’m heavily involved as a board member and former board president of the Arts Council of Princeton, which provides hundreds of free and reduced-price art courses for kids, and as a trustee of the McCarter Theatre Center for the Performing Arts. These are just some of the initiatives we believe in here at ASI. As we enjoy holiday festivities, let’s all pause to give thanks for having enough to be able to give back – and to think about ways we might contribute to the greater good in 2013 and beyond.
Friday
December 21, 2012 ’Tis the SeasonFiled under: News About ASI Like so many other businesses, ASI held its annual holiday party this week in our company cafeteria. To make it special, we decided on a “Winter White Out” theme and encouraged all employees to dress in white. Fully in the spirit of the occasion, I found a white tux to rent, which I topped off with a white bowler. Beautiful ice sculptures, carved on site with actual chain saws, provided a cool-looking back-drop, along with servers who looked like members of the “Blue Man Group.” Throughout the party, employees could sit on a full-sized ice throne to get their photo take — at bottom right, I’m sharing a very cold toast with ASI Chairman Norman Cohn and some of the extraordinary crew. One of the highlights of the day was the annual awards ceremony, where ASI recognizes the year’s top employees. You might recognize some of the names so I’d like to share them with you below:
Employee of the Year: Michele Bell, editor of Supplier Global Resource and senior editor of Counselor magazine, pictured at right with me and ASI Vice-Chairman Matthew Cohn. Michele started at ASI in April 1997. Through the years, Michele has mastered a number of roles, including former editor of Advantages, co-host of the ASI Radio Show and speaker at numerous ASI Shows and Power Summits. Michele will do, and does, anything it takes at ASI to get the job done. Michele can truly be counted on to come through each and every time, no question. She’s also an award-winning writer and editor (netting a Neal Award, the “Pulitzer Prize of business journalism,” for a piece she wrote on China). As Melinda Ligos says, “Michele is above all a rabid supporter and participant in everything we do on the editorial team, whether she considers it ‘cockamamie’ (her favorite word) or not.” The 2012 Manager of the Year: Alice Kraus, assistant director of production. Alice started at ASI in 1980 in a department called the Infoline Library – kind of like the Bell Telephone version of ESP. She stayed until 1983, leaving only to become a new mom. After working from home, she returned to the company in 1991. Alice becomes the very first employee in ASI’s history to win the Manager of the Year Award twice in two different centuries. She won the first in 1999 and remains one of the most dedicated and determined employees ASI has ever had, earning the enduring respect of her staff, coworkers, internal and external clients and ASI management the hard way – by working to the very best of her abilities – and then reaching even further. The 2012 Rising Star Manager of the Year: Creative Director Jake Krolick. Jake, who’s worked at ASI for seven years, charged out of the gate to win Rising Star Employee of the Year in 2007. Anyone who’s ever met Jake – or visited his website – or watched one of his many YouTube videos – knows he’s a born communicator. From the start, his extensive experience in video and new media helped ASI launch the most successful video program in ASI history. In addition, this year Jake spearheaded 2 successful catalog redesigns, the Gift Book and the Fall Idea Showcase, in 2012, leading to greater advertising and circulation success. ASI’s 2012 Rising Star Employee of the Year: Finance Business Analyst PJ McCall. PJ started with ASI in 2011 as a financial analyst on the supplier side and quickly took on more responsibility, working with management on revenue and commission forecasting and with ASI Show on revenue reporting and analysis, and commissions. Everyone who works with PJ comments on his “can do” attitude, saying he consistently volunteers for new tasks, which he tackles with positive energy and a smile. He’s meticulous and extremely organized – and answers every question that comes his way. I hope you found the time to enjoy some wonderful holiday festivities this year as well. How did your company observe the holiday? Please let me know by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Tuesday
December 18, 2012 ASI Launches Company StoresFiled under: Community, News About ASI, Using Ad Specialties In today’s online age, there’s really no better way to impress new and even existing clients than with a customized microsite that shows off their brand in action, which is why ASI® just launched the all-new Company Stores. Powered by ESP Websites, Company Stores represent the next generation of online selling. It’s fast, easy – and impressive. All you do is choose from ASI’s slate of online templates, stock it with up to 1,000 products, click once to add your client’s logo and voila: a branded store for your best customers. Click here for more info or call your account executive at (800) 546-1350. ESP Websites™ Company Stores highlights include:
Hopefully, you were able to join ASI’s user experience VP, Rob Watson, for a demo of Company Stores. Stay tuned for more upcoming webinars and demos, as it’s really the best way to test drive ASI’s latest products and feature updates. Check it out and let me know what you think by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Thursday
December 13, 2012 A Majority Minority NationFiled under: Community, Members, News About ASI One of the liveliest discussions at the recent ASI® Power Summit In the summit’s closing moments I asked everyone in the audience to hire one minority sometime in the next year. “Don’t hire someone like me,” I said. “We don’t need more 50-year-old white males!” It’s not surprising so many of you look just like me since white males outnumber everyone else in our industry. But if the presidential election taught us anything, it’s that the country’s demographics are changing – fast. According to a study released days after the election by the non-partisan Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans backed Obama by huge margins and helped him win. (To read the full report, click here). Fully 89% of Mitt Romney’s supporters were white non-Hispanics, compared with just 56% of Obama’s. If this industry doesn’t get with the program soon, we’ll lose just like Romney did. As study after study tells us, people tend to trust and buy from people who look like them, culturally and ethnically. Click here to watch my YouTube video on the subject, which also recaps Power Summit sessions ASI held on building trust and the 2013 industry sales outlook. In closing, do me a favor: look around your own office and count the number of minorities versus white males. And then let me know what you think of my suggestion by posting a comment or e-mailing me here. I’m also on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. And for more info on the 2013 Power Summit, September 15-17 at the Montage Deer Valley Resort in Park City, Utah, click here. Maybe by the time fall rolls around, I’ll look out and see some new faces in the Power Summit audience.
Wednesday
December 5, 2012 ASI Technology SmackdownFiled under: Industry Initiatives, News About ASI
Rob Watson, ASI’s VP of digital user experience, joined me for the big online reveal of incredibly dynamic new features and advancements coming up in ESP Mobile, ESP Websites and ESP Web, designed by our crack tech team to help you work smarter and faster in 2013 and beyond. We’ll give live demos of everything in ASI Orlando Jan. 5-7, ASI Dallas Feb. 6-8, and ASI Long Beach March 22-24, so if you haven’t already, click here to register for those upcoming shows. If you missed the webinar, here are the highlights: ESP Mobile™ for iPhone, iPad and Android
ESP Websites™ (now available for suppliers, too)
ESP Websites: All-New Company Stores
ESP Web™: All-New Presentations
Our tech team relied on your feedback for many of these advancements – so keep those ideas and suggestions coming, and get more info by contacting your sales rep or emailing us at whatsnew@asicentral.com. |
concerned a hot-button issue important to so many of you: whether to hire from inside or outside the industry. I used that discussion as a springboard to a favor I asked of the 250 industry movers and shakers gathered in Florida. 
So it’s good economic sense for every company in this industry to take an aggressive stance on hiring more minorities. Consider this: if every top distributor hired and trained a minority in 2013, in five years we’d have 25,000 experienced representatives courting new business. 
