ORBUS INTRODUCES NEW DISPLAY PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS   

Woodridge, IL – June 17, 2024: Orbus® is excited to add an array of new products and solutions to its expansive offering. Orbus® specializes in the design, production, and wholesale trade only distribution of exhibit and display products, graphics and solutions.

Vector Fast Frame™ Collapsible SEG Frames & Light Boxes

This innovative new product line includes a collapsible SEG light box, portable counter and two banners!

• This cool and simple frame system is easy, modern and highly portable.

• Aluminum frames hold easy-to-change silicone edge graphics (SEG) and assemble in seconds without tools!

• Light Box Banner & Counter: Lights are pre-attached to the frame and make your brand glow!

• The Light Box Banner features magnetized sides, making it easy to connect side-by-side to create versatile backwalls and backdrops.

https://www.orbus.com/products-by-category/vector-fast-frame

New Hybrid Pro™ Modular Kits & Counters

The Hybrid Pro Modular line of reconfigurable and modular exhibits and counters continues to evolve and advance! In this launch, Orbus introduces four new counters and four new modular kits – the kits incorporate Blaze™ Light Boxes and MODify™ Merchandising walls in the designs. These new kits are designed to boldly promote and display merchandise. 20ft inline kits reconfigure to smaller, 10ft sizes!

New Economy Banners

Orbus’ line of banner stands expands to include two new economy options – the Synergy 800mm wide retractable banner stand and the Taurus, a versatile Step and Repeat backwall, both ideal for events and promotions.

New Dimensional & Channel Letters

Orbus is excited to introduce dimensional and channel letters as a new formal offering. With remarkable craftsmanship and technology, Orbus produces a variety of different options – materials, finishing, lighting and mounting. Collaborate with us to design and create your ideal dimensional signs.

https://www.orbus.com/products-by-category/wall signs-solutions/dimensional-channel-letters.

About Orbus: Orbus® specializes in the design, production, and wholesale trade only distribution of exhibit and display products, graphics and solutions. Orbus combines innovative technology with artistry and craftsmanship to provide an unrivaled spectrum of supply, support, and service to its dealer network. Orbus’ endorsed brands include The Exhibitor’s Handbook®, The Promo Handbook™, and SignPro Systems®. Orbus operations reside in Chicago, Las Vegas and Toronto. Orbus is a proud member of ISA, PRINTING United Alliance, EDPA, ASI, PPAI, UPIC, and SAGE; the company boasts G7 Master IDEAlliance certification and is registered to ISO 9001:2015 for the highest manufacturing quality standards and ISO 14001:2015 for its environmental management system. Orbus is a part of Orbus Visual Communications® Group, a market-leading group of brands in North America that specialize in the manufacture of visual communications solutions for exhibits/live events, retail and interiors. Brands within the group include Orbus®, Fabric Images®, Nimlok®, SEG Systems®, SEG Services® and CRĒO Industrial Arts.

Geiger Acquires O2 Marketing Further Expanding National Reach

Lewiston, ME – April 08, 2024 – Geiger, the world's largest privately held and family-owned promotional products distributor, announced the acquisition of O2 Marketing, a California-based promotional product company. Known for their creative approach, O2 Marketing marks Geiger's second acquisition in 2024 following New York-based Broadway Marketing in January.

"Looking ahead to 2024, we remain committed in our mission to strengthen our brand's influence both domestically and abroad," stated Chris McKee, Geiger's Chief Revenue Officer. "The acquisition of O2 Marketing underscores our dedication to expanding our footprint, incorporating new insights, and leveraging expertise—all while staying true to our core values."

With shared values and a unified vision, leaders at O2 Marketing cited Geiger’s corporate culture and strong technology options as key motives for aligning. Geiger has consistently ranked among the top 10 companies in the promotional products industry, holding the #9 spot on the ASI list in 2023 and ranking #7 on PPAI's inaugural top 100 companies list. Additionally, Geiger recently achieved an EcoVadis Gold sustainability rating, further solidifying its position as an industry leader.

"We were seeking a company who shared our passion for exceeding client expectations and who had the expertise and resources to help grow our business," said Meg O'Dea, Partner at O2 Marketing. "Geiger's proven track record and commitment to fostering a positive and collaborative work environment made them the ideal choice. In reality, we were choosing our next employer, and Geiger’s reputation for caring for people, products, and the planet is unmatched.

Effective immediately, O2 Marketing will operate as O2 Marketing, A Geiger Company.

ABOUT GEIGER Geiger is the largest privately held and family-owned promotional products distributor in the world. A fifth-generation business headquartered in Lewiston, Maine, Geiger operates from offices throughout the U.S. and Europe and is affiliated with more than 450 independent sales representatives. Geiger is a socially and environmentally conscientious company, providing proactive, comprehensive marketing solutions to their clients.

MEDIA CONTACT

Stephanie Whitman | Geiger Vice President of Marketing

70 Mt. Hope Ave • Lewiston •

Maine • 04240 207.755.2372

E: swhitman@geiger.com geiger.com

  

AAkron Line Named Exclusive Supplier of A.T. Cross

AAkron Rule Corporation, a pioneering force in the promotional products industry, is pleased to announce that we have been named the key Supplier partner of A.T. Cross Writing Instruments. This strategic collaboration solidifies AAkron’s commitment to providing top-tier offerings in the promotional products sector. While A.T. Cross will continue its in-house decoration processes as well, AAkron will serve as the primary channel for distribution, enhancing accessibility to A.T. Cross writing instruments for businesses in the promotional products market.

Stan Dohan, MAS, MASI, AAkron Executive Vice President adds, “A.T. Cross is an iconic writing instrument brand, and the gold standard in pens for over 150 years. We are so excited to exclusively represent Cross in the promotional products industry. We cannot be more pleased to have the opportunity to add our award-winning, decorating, full color, and laser engraving to deliver a premium, packaged writing instrument line for our valued distributor customers.”

Founded in 1846, Providence, RI based A.T. Cross Company is a global innovator of fine writing instruments. Effective immediately, please find A.T. Cross writing instruments available for laser engraving, full color decoration and one color screen printing available from the AAkron Line: https://www.aakronline.com/en_us/category-product-list/a-t-cross-1

“A.T. Cross is excited to partner with AAkron and their experienced professional team. Our two companies share a common goal in delivering the highest quality products combined with exemplary service,” adds Andrew Boss, A.T. Cross North American Sales Manager.

About AAkron Line

AAkron Line is a leading promotional products supplier and trusted resource for service, quality, and innovation since 1967. We are the Original Home of Mood Products, proud manufacturer of over 350 Made in the USA products, and now, the Retail and Promotional Products Brand Leader. AAkron Line is family-owned and operated with locations in New York, Tennessee, and Texas, which currently employ over 260 people.

ORBUS NAMED BEST PLACE TO WORK BY ASI COUNSELOR MAGAZINE

Woodridge, IL – February 1, 2024:  Orbus Visual Communications® has been named a 2024 Best Place To Work by ASI Counselor Magazine. Orbus is North America’s largest producer and manufacturer of visual communications solutions for tradeshows and events, retail environments and workplace interiors.

ASI Counselor Magazine identifies itself as “The Voice of the Promo Product Industry.” The Best Places to Work list is a mix of top-rated suppliers and distributors in the promotional products industry throughout the U.S. and Canada. The winners are chosen through in-depth employee surveys that rate the company in categories such as management communication, workplace culture, and work/life balance.

Orbus was named to this list because of its commitment to employee happiness and recognition. Orbus is proud to have built a workplace culture where diversity is fostered, employees feel they are heard, and a work-life balance is of upmost importance. Our employees are our greatest asset and keep our business successful year after year.

“We are honored to be recognized as a 2024 Best Place to Work by ASI Counselor Magazine,”said Todd Papendick, Director of Human Resources at Orbus Visual Communications. “At Orbus, we take pride in creating an environment where creativity and innovation thrives, and where employees feel happy to call it home.” 

About Orbus Group

Orbus Visual Communications is a market-leading group of brands in the United States and Canada that specialize in the manufacture and production of portable, modular, and custom displays used in events, exhibits, retail, and workplace interiors. Brands within the group include The Exhibitors’ Handbook®, Promo Handbook™, Nimlok®, Nimlok Canada, Fabric Images®, SEG Systems & Services®, Orbus Visual Communication Canada, and SignPro Systems®.

Orbus is a proud member of ISA, PRINTING United Alliance, EDPA, ASI, PPAI, UPIC, and SAGE; the company boasts G7 Master IDEAlliance certification and is registered to ISO 9001:2015 for the highest manufacturing quality standards and ISO 14001:2015 for its environmental management system and “green” efforts.

Orbus Group’s supply and manufacturing operations reside in Chicago, Las Vegas, Charlotte, and Toronto. For more information, visit www.orbus.com.

J. Charles Welcomes Larry Frodyma, as the Southwest Region Sales Manager

Erlanger, KY – January 10, 2024

J. Charles is excited to announce the addition of our newest team member Larry Frodyma as Southwest Regional Sales Manager.  Larry brings a vast amount of experience and connections within the Promotions industry spanning 36+ years. 

Larry began his Promotional Products career in 1987 with BDS Marketing in the Events/Promotional Marketing side of the industry where he quickly worked his way up to Director of Promotional Marketing Services.   Since that time, he has continued to build a highly successful career in a multitude of positions including Founder of Frodyma On-Site a National Hispanic Promotions Agency. His career also included stops as a Distributor for eight years with Southern California based Promotional Image as well as stints on the factory side with Logomark, High Caliber, Lanco/Chocolate Inn & most recently Evans Manufacturing.   

“We are very pleased that Larry has decided to join the J. Charles team," said Kale Wallner, Vice President of Sales. "His drive and passion for the industry will continue to strengthen the legacy of amazing products and service for many years to come".

Larry Frodyma

Driving Growth And Innovation: EME’s New Leadership Will Elevate Their Client’s Meeting Experience

The company has brought in experienced staffing to propel the company forward in both its reach and technical capacity.

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (August 25, 2023) – Exclusive Meeting Events (EME), the originator of the invitation-only, one-on-one formatted meetings that bring top distributors and suppliers from across the nation together, has brought in experienced staffing to propel the company forward in both its reach and technical capacity. EME President Eric Taras has taken a minority role in the business and will continue in an advisory capacity, while longtime EME Vice President Lauren Fox will retire November 1.

“EME’s number-one priority is to maximize our supplier’s investment and our distributor’s valuable time out of the office. We realized in order to continue to provide unparalleled quality and service to the industry, newer processes, technology and media avenues would need to be added,” said Fox. “After reviewing and carefully selecting a new management team, we are confident that the new ideas and energy the team will bring to EME events will achieve a new level of success for our EME family members.”

The innovation and exemplary services that EME clients are accustomed to will continue and grow with its new leadership team. Carlye Wund, who has created and managed engaging corporate event experiences for 17 years, has joined the organization as director of operations. Industry veterans Vicky Tirpack and Eric Johnson, MAS, will continue in their respective roles of director of sales and director of distributor development. 

“Being the industry leader, we take pride in our ability to bring together top-notch exhibitors and motivated distributors, and our commitment to curating premier events that empower attendees to connect, learn and grow will remain unchanged,” Wund said. “We will continue creating an unparalleled networking opportunity and providing the level of service that our clients appreciate and love.”

While the foundation of the EME experience remains intact, there are exciting updates on the horizon. “We are adding off-site experiences to our events as well as scoping new resort locations,” Wund said. “We’re also implementing improvements in our meeting management processes, adding new tech components to our website and streamlining how we gather information from our clients.”

EME will continue to stay true to the roots upon which the company was founded while also elevating what the exclusive EME experience is all about. “Competitors have tried to imitate what EME has been delivering to our clients for years because it truly is an experience for their business,” said Taras. “I am beyond the moon with the new team that we have implemented, and I have no doubt they will take the EME experience to the next level it deserves.”

For more information, contact Carlye Wund at carlye.wund@emeevent.com or 858-337-8133.

About  EME:

Exclusive Meeting Events (EME) was founded in 2007 to create first-class, innovative yet intimate trade show event experiences that produce measurable results for all clients who attend. EME curates the most elite and effective events the promotional products industry has to offer. 

 

Often copied, EME is the innovator of the invitation-only, one-on-one formatted meetings that bring top distributors and the best suppliers from across the nation together at resort locations and venues throughout the country. Year over year, these elite, productive, relationship-building events deliver proven ROI for both suppliers and distributors alike.

For more information, visit www.ememeetings.com.

@carlye.wund@emeevent.com 

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Since you hold multiple events each year, I used the plural of events to convey this.

PMANC Campbell M. Brown Memorial Scholarship 2022 Recipient says Thank You

PMANC,

Thank you for giving me and my family this amazing scholarship offer. This helps my single mom pay for some of my school fees at Sonoma State University. This scholarship allows me to focus a little more on school and not worrying about having to work to pay my fees. This is greatly appreciated!!! 

Ryan Kirkbride

PPEF Awards $299,000 In Scholarships, Passes $3 Million Mark

IRVING, Texas, (June 15, 2022) – Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF; www.ppef.us), a nonprofit founded to recognize and encourage scholastic excellence and academic performance among promotional products industry employees and their college-aged children, today announced 162 recipients of $299,000 in college scholarships for the 2022-2023 academic year, bringing the total amount awarded since PPEF’s founding to more than $3 million.

“With this year’s recipients receiving the most money we’ve ever awarded, $299,000, that takes us over the $3 million mark for total scholarship awards since the inception of PPEF,” said Matt Bertram, chair of the PPEF Board of Trustees. “Continuing to help the next generation is possible due to the generous support of companies and individuals within the industry. Thank you to all of the donors who believe in the power of education and generously support PPEF’s mission.”

This year, PPEF is awarding 130 new and 32 renewal scholarships to selected recipients who have displayed remarkable academic achievement, extracurricular participation and community service. Each will receive between $1,000 and $9,000 to support their college education.

Funded by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) and generous donations from companies and individuals within the promotional products industry, the scholarship program enables youth and professionals to continue their education at the collegiate level. The Association and industry patrons have a long-standing commitment of service to the promotional products industry, and this fund supports those who demonstrate the same commitment.

The list of 2022 scholarship recipients is at www.ppef.us/winners-showcase/.

PPEF Scholarships

To learn more about applying for the 2023 scholarships, applicants are invited to visit www.ppef.us and click on the Scholarships tab. The application deadline for next year is March 15, 2023. Please direct questions to Sara Besly at SaraB@ppai.org. Donations can be made online at www.ppef.us or mailed to PPEF, 3125 Skyway Circle North, Irving, Texas 75038.

About PPEF

PPEF is an industry-based non-profit organization that raises money to help students achieve their higher education goals.  PPEF was founded to recognize and encourage scholastic ability and academic performance among promotional products industry employees and their children. Since its inception in 1989, PPEF has awarded over $3.02 million in financial assistance to 1,618 recipients.

SAGE ® REACHES 1 MILLION SUPPLIER VERIFIED PRODUCTS

Addison, Texas (June 14, 2022) –SAGE,the leading provider of information, marketing,and business management solutions to the promotional products industry,announcesthe accumulation ofone million verified products in the SAGE Total Accessproduct database.

SAGE has the only Verified by Supplier database in the industry. As a SAGE Advantage Member, suppliers are encouraged to verify product information and pricing throughthe SAGE Supplier Center in real-time.Products can also be verified through SAGE’s Bulk Product Update and real-time APIs. When a distributorsees the Verifiedby Supplier icon, they know they cantrust that the product’sdata and pricing are up-to-date and accurate. Over 80percent of activeproducts in the SAGE database are verified,and many distributors choose to only search for verified products.Additionally, verified products have an increased chance of showing up first in search results.

“With the supply chain issues and market fluctuations we’ve been seeing that are not likely to be resolved in the immediate future, the ability for suppliers to verify their product data and for distributors to be able to rely on that data’s accuracy for their customers is paramount for our industry,” said David Natinsky, President of SAGE.“We are thrilled to have reached a million verified products in our database,and we will continue to work with our suppliers to ensure that as many products in our database as possible remain verified.”

Distributors can limit searches to onlyverified products in SAGE Online,SAGE Web, or SAGE Mobileby going into the product search tab and selecting the VERIFIED checkbox inthe “Other FilterOptions” at the bottom of the search screen. Within search results, verified products display a red checkmark in the right top cornerofthe tile view. To see if a product is verified, locate the red verified logo next to the product’s pricing table. To view the most recent date ofverification, hover over the verified logo.

To learn more about SAGETotal Access,visit www.sageworld.com.

About SAGE

SAGE, based in Addison, Texas, is the leading provider of information, marketing,and business management solutions to the promotional products industry. In addition to SAGE’s flagship SAGE Online™, SAGE Mobile™, and SAGE Web™ research and business management services, SAGE also provides the industry with other research services, order management, website,and email services, e-commerce solutions, end-usercatalogs, artwork services, payment processing, tradeshows, tradeshowmanagement services, and lead retrieval software. SAGE is also the exclusive technology provider for members of the Promotional Products Association International (PPAI), the industry’s non-profit association. Formore information, please visit www.sageworld.comor call 800.925.7243.

ORBUS NAMED ONE OF PPB’S 2022 GREATEST COMPANIES TO WORK FOR

Woodridge, IL – May 18, 2022: Orbus Exhibit & Display Group®, North America’s largest producer and manufacturer of visual communications solutions for corporate interiors, retail environments, tradeshows and events, is thrilled to share that it has been named one of PPB’s 2022 Greatest Companies to Work For. Orbus had previously received this recognition in 2019.

Each nominee was evaluated via a survey asking full-time employees to rank the company on five specific areas: benefits, resources, culture, leadership, and company direction. Orbus is honored to be named among 47 other top promotional products suppliers, distributors and business services firms.

“The entire world is grappling with the effects of worker disillusionment and disengagement coming out of the pandemic, and our industry is not immune,” says Josh Ellis, publisher and editor-in-chief of PPB. “Still, we see dozens of companies in promotional products that are keeping their employees happy, inspired, challenged and thriving.”

Orbus has made the promotional industry a focus in recent years and has joined several respected industry associations such as ASI, SAGE, PPAI and more.

“It is an honor to once again be named one of PPB’s Greatest Companies to Work For,” said Gary Keefer, CEO of Orbus Exhibit & Display Group. “We take great pride in our employees and their ability to persist and prosper during these challenging past two years.”

Download this press release (PDF)