Supplier Facility Damaged By Earthquake
An Easter Sunday earthquake in Mexico has forced the temporary closure of the large Sanford Business-to-Business (asi/84833) manufacturing facility in Mexicali. While the facility was only slightly damaged and may re-open by the end of this week, the Counselor Top 40 supplier has already announced that its production schedule will be delayed. "We're still experiencing aftershocks and tremors in the area and we're working through that," said Kristie Schnier, director of sales and marketing for Sanford, in an interview yesterday with Counselor. "We're trying to balance the lives of our employees with the work that needs to be done."

No Sanford employees were hurt in the earthquake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale. The facility, which employs 1,600 people, has been declared structurally sound and Sanford officials say no equipment was damaged in the earthquake. Normally, the lead time for a repeat Sanford order is three days, while the lead time for a new order is five days. Because of the earthquake, the lead times have been adjusted to 10 and 12 days respectively. "Customer service is working through requests and we're doing our best to keep our distributors up to date," Schnier said.

Podcast: Barbara Corcoran Unplugged
On Tuesday's ASI Internet Radio Show, the hosts had a special guest call in to join in on the fun: New York real-estate mogul Barbara Corcoran. She shared her no-nonsense success stories, explaining how she has built a billion-dollar business out of a $1,000 loan. Plus, listen in to this podcast as she shares strategies for building buzz for your company on the cheap. 

Click here to listen to the Barbara Corcoran interview segment from Tuesday's show.

If you'd like to check out a recording of the whole online radio show, go to www.asicentral.com/radio. And, don't forget to join us next Tuesday, April 13, for our next broadcast. Log on to www.asicentral.com/radio at 10:30 am eastern time and give us a call at 215-953-4979 or e-mail us at radio@asicentral.com to participate on the show. We want to hear from you.

Survey: Where The Jobs Are
A new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals its projections of jobs that will add the most workers in the years between 2008 and 2018, and the data offers distributors some opportunities to consider. Topping the list is registered nurses (expected to grow from employing 2.62 million Americans in 2008 to 3.2 million in 2018), followed by home health aides. The list includes a number of other health care–related positions as well, including personal and home care aides at number five and nursing aides, orderlies and attendants at the number nine position.

"The medical field has had a shortage for a long time," says Gary Garton, owner of Garton Specialties (asi/202132). "I look at it very positively from a distributor's standpoint. If they're looking to hire in those places, that should indicate that they're in a market for wearables or medical garments, tools and that sort of thing." Garton says that the fact that home health aides are near the top of the list makes sense particularly since this is an area where there is rising demand, as people spend less time in hospitals.

Other positions that are growing and may be creating programs to attract new workers are customer service representatives at number three, as well as food preparation and serving workers, including fast food, at the number four spot. Retail salespeople were positioned at number six, and education also had a strong showing, as post-secondary teachers took the number 10 spot, and elementary school teachers held the number 12 position. "I would expect colleges to be good opportunities because with the high unemployment, people are going back to school," said Sharie Stewart, principal of Abacus Enterprises (asi/101830).

Video Report: Industry News Of The Week
Every week, Counselor PromoGram offers a video news report that highlights the industry's top stories. Called Industry Update, each episode details the most important trends and news items impacting the ad specialty market.

In this episode, we discuss a natural disaster impacting one large supplier and reveal the scoop on a distributor acquisition. Plus, a new survey shows businesses forecasting growth this year. Click here to check out the trends and to watch Counselor PromoGram's Industry Update.

If you have any news you'd like to see covered on Industry Update or in Counselor PromoGram, please send it to newsdesk@asicentral.com.

Nominate Your Company For The Best Places To Work Contest
For the third year in a row, Counselor is setting out to identify the industry companies that employees simply love to work for. These are the distributors and suppliers that have a loyal work force and that provide a work environment which employees want to go to every morning.

Counselor will be unveiling its second-annual Best Places To Work issue in September, and it will undoubtedly include an elite list of industry companies. Do you want your company to be considered? Getting involved is easy – and it's completely free to participate. The only necessary qualification is that a company has at least 10 employees. To nominate your company, or any others in the market that you think deserve to be recognized, simply click here . Also, there's no risk to participating. Only the honorees – those companies with the best scores from the survey – will be published in Counselor.

So, don't delay. Click here to register your company to be considered for one of the most exclusive lists in the ad specialty market: Counselor's Best Places To Work.

Share Your Story With Counselor Mag & Earn $100
Have you recently lost a client because he's had his budget cut, moved on to another job or simply gone to a competitor? Share your story with Counselor magazine's reporters and we'll have a team of experts offer you valuable strategies you can use to regain that client's business. Plus, we'll feature you in an upcoming issue of Counselor AND give you a $100 American Express Gift Card for your efforts.

If you're interested, please send an e-mail to acohen@asicentral.com and tell us in 100 words or less how you lost a recent client (you needn't reveal the name or company of the client) and any efforts you've made to win him/her back.

ASICentral: Vote Now For Your Fave Promo Product
Last month our Facebook users uploaded images of their favorite promotional products. From the Cigar Holder Divot Tool to the Meat Tray Compressed T-shirt, we got a lot of great submissions, many of which are both fun and functional. Check out the products and their descriptions, then vote for the one you like best.

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
CSE (asi/155807) has announced that president and CEO Tom Savio was selected as one of the winners of the 2010 Bravo! Entrepreneur Awards by BizTimes Milwaukee.

iPROMOTEu (asi/232119) has announced the winners of its Dunk Fest 2010 contest. They are: Melissa Martin (first place); Michelle England (second place); Nels Bodway (third place).

People On The Move
Proforma (asi/300094) has announced the following additions to its network of owners: Keith Abrams, Proforma Impact Print & Promo, Gilbert, SC; Tana & Bob Curtis and Renee & Shannon Woolridge, Proforma All Star Marketing Solutions, Tucson, AZ; Suzanne Holler, Proforma Desert Promotions, Newark, TX; Peter Meyer, Proforma Meyer & Associates, Concord, CA; Suzanne & Robert Witenhafer, Proforma Arrow Solutions, Rockledge, FL; Nancy Cohen, Proforma g3 Solutions, Los Angeles, CA; Jeffry Dunn, Proforma Apple Business Solutions, Pittsburgh, PA; Irene Vance, Proforma iPrint Group, Calgary, AB; Scott Hendrickson, Proforma QFI Marketing Solutions, Louisville, KY; John Lader, Proforma i.d. clare & company, Chicago, IL.

The Gold Coast Promotional Products Association has named Kelly Wilson its new executive director.