Carville Headlines PPAI Expo
James Carville, the political commentator and staffer of former President Clinton, was the keynote speaker at this week's PPAI Expo, taking place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, NV. His message to the audience of ad specialty distributors and suppliers: You can influence the political process. "You need to get involved," Carville said during his speech yesterday morning. "You need a group looking out for your interests in Washington. I hate to say it, but the interest groups run Washington, so you need to be involved politically."

Carville's speech, part humor and part slap-in-the-face reality about politics, gave the audience an inside look at how things get done in Washington and his outlook on the economy. While saying he graduated Louisiana State University with "a 4.0, which was my blood-alcohol level in college," Carville also left the audience with a positive note on his view of the economy. "We're going to come out of this and people will be better for it," he said. "I don't know exactly when, but we're going to come out of this."

Special Video Coverage From Vegas
Counselor's cameras were all over the scene at the PPAI Expo. Click here to watch a video report from the show, featuring exclusive interviews, an industry outlook for 2010 and innovative product ideas.

The Joe Show From Vegas
Can't get enough of Joe Haley? In this mini-episode of The Joe Show, Counselor Managing Editor Joe Haley is back to show off a product that will keep your 2010 sales from going down the drain.

White House Asks Weatherproof To Pull Ad
The Weatherproof Garment Company, which supplies its apparel to the ad specialty market under the MV Sport (asi/68318) name, plans to remove a much-discussed Manhattan billboard following a request this week from the White House. Government aides frowned on the billboard, which features an image of President Obama wearing a Weatherproof jacket, arguing the ad suggests an endorsement that does not exist. "Although Weatherproof believes that it had sufficient legal basis for displaying the billboard, it will be replacing the billboard in order to cooperate with the request of the White House," the company said in a statement Monday.

The billboard ad, placed in Times Square, shows an Associated Press photograph of Obama taken during a November trip to the Great Wall of China. When Weatherproof executives originally saw the photo they ordered a high-resolution image to confirm the jacket was made by the company. Then, according to the New York Times, Weatherproof paid the Associated Press for the licensing rights to use the photo. For a portion of last week, Weatherproof also added the billboard image to its Web site, advertising "The Obama Jacket."

Since the billboard appeared, legal analysts who specialize in First Amendment and intellectual property cases have said there is no clear precedent for a case like this. However, Freddie Stollmack, Weatherproof's president, recently said he would agree to take down the billboard if the White House made a formal request. In an interview with the Times, Stollmack said Weatherproof was "not looking to alienate the White House" by running the ad.

Podcast: Giving Businesses A Creative Boost
On Tuesday's ASI Internet Radio Show, the hosts took calls from audience members looking for ways to close deals with creativity in 2010. Searching for new promotional ideas? Need suggestions for eye-popping products? Check out this podcast.

Click here to listen to this especially creative segment from Tuesday's show. If you'd like to check out a recording of the entire online radio show, go to www.asicentral.com/radio. And, don't forget to join us Tuesday, January 19, for our next broadcast. Log on to www.asicentral.com/radio at 10:30 a.m. eastern time and give us a call at (215) 953-4979. We want to hear from you!

Small Business Lending Rises Sharply
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) backed 37% more loans last quarter than it did during the same period in 2008, signaling what the government hopes is a loosening of the credit market. In the final three months of 2009, the SBA's 7(a) lending program processed more than 12,000 loans totaling $3.8 billion, according to initial data. In contrast, during the fourth quarter of 2008, the SBA backed loans totaling only $1.9 billion.

The sudden increase in SBA-backed loans follows an especially dreary stretch of tight lending practices. In fact, from April to October, the nation's largest banks reduced their collective small business lending by 4.3%, slashing $11 billion in credit, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. The government tried several initiatives to reverse the trend, most rooted in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. One measure granted $375 million to temporarily waive fees for SBA loans, while also increasing the amount of each loan that the government guaranteed. While the allocated money ran out in November, Congress earmarked additional funding in late December.

Podcast: Counselor's Industry News
Every week, the ASI Internet Radio Tuesday Morning Show delivers an audio version of the industry's top news. Click here to listen to the segment from this week's show. The topics include: a flurry of acquisitions, the future of Absorbent Ink (asi/295819), and a new home for a former Top 40 supplier executive. Click here to listen.

Do You Have America's Most Creative Sales Team?
For an upcoming feature in Counselor magazine, the editors are looking for distributors that have creative sales teams. Do you brainstorm until all hours of the night, present wild promotional ideas to clients, and generally approach the ad specialty market in a unique and creative way?

We want to hear from you. Send a brief e-mail to Andy Cohen, editor, at acohen@asicentral.com explaining how your sales team is creative and unique in its approach to the market. Please make sure to include your contact information and ASI number. The more creative the e-mail the better, as your company could become the subject of a feature in the March issue of Counselor.

Call For Entries: Counselor Product Design Awards
Counselor magazine is looking for innovative products for its Product Design Awards competition. Suppliers are invited to nominate their favorite eye-catching products in the following categories:

In order to enter, please submit the following three items: 1. A sample of the product. (We recommend that the product be exclusive to the supplier that is submitting it, although this is not a requirement.); 2. A quick description of the product, including any special features; 3. The category that the product should be considered for. There is a limit of one submission per category, per company. All submissions will be judged on the following areas: design appeal, functionality and the ability to attractively feature a logo (when appropriate). Winners will be featured in the June issue of Counselor.

Please send all entries to: Karen Akers, Awards Editor, Counselor Magazine, 4800 Street Road, Trevose, PA 19053. Questions? E-mail Karen Akers at kakers@asicentral.com. Please note that only products from North American suppliers will be considered and that submissions will not be returned unless specifically requested.

ASICentral: Industry News @ Your Fingertips
Thanks to our new RSS feed, ASICentral now has a one-stop shop for industry news. Not only can you now find all the news from the homepage in our new RSS list, but you can also subscribe to the list and have the content come to you. Beautiful, huh? Just click the icon here to learn more and subscribe!

Got questions, comments or any type of feedback regarding anything ASICentral, don't hesitate to contact us at feedback@asicentral.com. Also, follow ASICentral at .

In The News
Akran Marketing (asi/115329) was named "business of the year" in the Mid-Market Silver category at the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce 2009 Business Achievement Awards banquet. The company was also recently honored with the Better Business Bureau Torch Award, recognizing exceptional ethical standards.

Just About Ink Promotional Products (formerly asi/397765) has announced its closure.

PPAFCO (formerly asi/288994) has ceased all operations.

Senator USA (asi/86390) has launched a new Web site found at: www.senatorgroupusa.com.

Victorinox Swiss Army (asi/46170) has introduced a new Web site found at: www.vsacorporate.com. 

People On The Move
BDA (asi/137616) has appointed John Moore as vice president of product development and marketing in its Power A division.

Indoff Incorporated (asi/231011) has added four sales professionals to its promotional products staff. They are: Debra Surface, Tracy Lay, Keith Harris and Robert Russell.

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