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We've received such positive feedback from readers regarding the initial editions that we plan to continue culling together industry news that affects ad specialty suppliers and distributors in the Canadian marketplace.
Please don't hesitate to e-mail me directly with any news pertaining to your company, such as mergers and acquisitions, new hires, awards and accolades received, creative client promotions or new product launches. You can reach me directly at (215) 953-3323 or mbell@asicentral.com.
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| NEWS |
Redwood Classics Apparel and Creative Solutions & Ideas End Partnership
Creative Solutions & Ideas will no longer represent Redwood Classics Apparel (asi/81627) in southwestern Ontario, effective immediately. The decision comes after an eight-month partnership between the two companies.
"Next year will be a year of aggressive strategic growth for Redwood Classics Apparel," says Kathy Cheng, director of sales & marketing. "Our decision to part ways with Creative Solutions & Ideas will allow us to enter into a partnership with a more specialized agency to better service the southwestern Ontario region."
Redwood Classics Apparel thanks clients and customers for their patience in this time of transition as they look for a new agency for this territory. Please visit www.redwoodclassicsapparel.net for more information.
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A Brand Company, BrandAlliance Form Cross-Border Partnership
Counselor Top 40 Canadian distributor BrandAlliance (asi/145177) and Charlotte, NC-based A Brand Company announced that the two firms have signed an alliance agreement, which provides A Brand Company's flagship, Activate! Promotions + Marketing (asi/141964), with additional capabilities to service global brands that require a single-source provider across North America. It also allows BrandAlliance to have a stronger presence in the United States.
"In today's increasingly global marketplace, we understand many procurement departments view North America as a single, seamless market," said Fred Parker, CEO of A Brand Company. "This agreement allows us to be a one-stop North American provider for our existing and future clients. It also continues our focus on growth as we build our brand with smart, innovative companies like BrandAlliance."
Nick Thompson, president of BrandAlliance, also views the new partnership as beneficial for his organization. "There's a saying: "You're only as good as those you surround yourself with,' " he said. "By creating strong alliances with the best companies, we elevate our service capabilities to new levels and provide increased value to our clients, suppliers and employees."
As a result of the alliance, two new subsidiaries have been formed: BrandAlliance USA and Activate! Canada. From an operations standpoint, BrandAlliance will support Activate! Canada's business on A Brand Company's behalf, and A Brand Company will support BrandAlliance USA's business on BrandAlliance's behalf.
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Distributor Recalls John Deere T-Shirts
The Michael Walker Advertising Co. (asi/354640), an Ontario-based distributor, in conjunction with regulator Health Canada, has voluntarily recalled 122 youth T-shirts imprinted with the logo of equipment manufacturer John Deere. The recall was issued because testing showed the inks used in the screen-printed green and yellow logos contained amounts of lead that are higher than legally allowed. "We did our own testing and discovered the lead," said Karl Walker, vice president of Michael Walker Advertising. "We contacted Health Canada within 24 hours. We also made contact with our customers and let them know what happened."
According to Health Canada, the T-shirts were sold by Canadian John Deere dealers and at the John Deere head office in Canada between May of 2010 and April of 2012. The shirts were manufactured in Mexico, decorated by Roban Screenprint of Hamilton, Ontario, and distributed by Michael Walker. The distributorship first became aware of the elevated levels of lead in June of this year. No injuries or illnesses have been reported from use of the recalled shirts. "You would have to ingest the T-shirts for there to be any problems," Walker says.
Health Canada is telling consumers who own the T-shirts to contact The Michael Walker Advertising Co. and return the items for a full refund. The distributor can be contacted toll-free at (800) 668-6693 or through the company website, www.michaelwalkeradv.com.
Sweda SZ Electronics Passes SA8000 Factory Inspection
PSL has announced that Sweda SZ Electronics, its affiliated factory, has passed the factory inspection of SA8000 with an official result of "outstanding." Created in 1997 by Social Accountability International, SA8000 is a standardized code of conduct recognized globally that was created to improve working conditions.
SA8000 is based on 13 human rights conventions and is used to apply these principles to work environments around the globe. The eight core elements of the code are health and safety, working hours, child labor, forced labor, discrimination, freedom of association and collective bargaining, wages and discipline.
PSL is a global promotional gift supplier with 18 sales offices that serve 12,000 distributors in more than 100 countries. A subsidiary of the Sweda Group, based in Hong Kong, PSL was established in 1978. For more information, visit www.pslworld.com.
Vantage Apparel (asi/93390) has hired Ken Penner as the sales representative for Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Penner has extensive experience in promotional sales and can be reached at kenpenner@shaw.ca.