April 21

commonsku Opens Registration for skucamp Brooklyn

Toronto, ON Canada (April 21, 2022) – commonsku, a promotional products business and sales software. opens registration for its fifth annual skucamp conference at the Ace Hotel in Brooklyn.

The business planning bootcamp takes place September 19th-21st and features some of the most imaginative voices and entrepreneurial thinkers in the industry.

“Each skucamp is unique unto itself,” said Mark Graham, commonsku’s President and Chief Brand Officer, “and Brooklyn is the perfect city to create an experience like none before it. Brooklyn reflects the heart of the people in this industry who are resilient and creative, and who possess (like Brooklyn) grit and soul. We’re proud to host the industry’s most maverick thinkers all under one roof for an intimate experience of learning and inspiration.”

skucamp features a blend of fresh voices and unique talent that is rethinking the way forward with branded merchandise, including: Michael Scott Cohen, CEO + Co-Founder, Harper + Scott; Jill Haspert, CEO, Foxtrot Marketing; Mitch Freed, CEO, Genumark; Paola Espitia, Founder & Sales Manager STS Brand, Fred Daniels, Founder & Strategist, STS Brand, Kathy Cheng, President, Redwood Classics Apparel; Dan Pantano, President & CEO, alphabroder – Prime Line; David Nicholson, Vice Chairman, Polyconcept North America; Jonathan G. Isaacson, Chairman & CEO, Gemline; Lindsey A. Davis, Director of Promotional Sales, Raining Rose; Lee Fine, Head of Sales & Strategy, Juice Marketing; Robert Lederman, Head of Sales & Operations, Juice Marketing; Zac Fowler, President, INM Group; Jen Beldham, Founder & President, Northern Craft Supply Co.; Joseph Sommer, Founder & President, Whitestone Branding; Jodie Schillinger, CAS, Executive VP,| Maple Ridge Farms; Jill Stults, CEO, Bagley; Deron Stults, President, Bagley; Jamie Johnson, Sales Consultant, Maple Ridge Farms, Catherine Graham, Co-founder and CEO, commonsku; Mark Graham, President and Chief Brand Officer, commonsku

skucamp is proudly sponsored by alphabroder – Prime Line, Raining Rose Promos, Numo, SanMar, chameleon like, Hit Promotional Products, Spector & Co., Redwood Classics, T-Tycoon Solutions, Knoss, and PPAI.

To learn more and register, visit skucamp.com.

Proforma Founder Donates $5,000 to the Next Generation of Entrepreneurial Business Leaders
Greg Muzzillo inspires and Gives Speaker fee to Junior Achievement Organization

TAMPA, Fla.– Proforma founder, Greg Muzzillo, recently spoke at the NextGen™ Speaker Series in Naples, Florida and donated his $5,000 speaker honorarium to the Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida. The prestigious NextGen Speaker Series is a gathering of America’s most distinguished business leaders. Keynote speakers included world-renowned entrepreneurs and CEOs that shared their extraordinary life and business journeys.

“Achievable, believable entrepreneurship,” said Muzzillo when describing his own mentorship teachings. “I owe a great deal of my success to the many successful people who kindly offered me amazing advice and mentorship. Now, at this season in my life, it is my honor and obligation to share my experience and encouragement with the next generation of aspiring and emerging entrepreneurs.”

The NextGenTM Speaker Series started with a simple question. Michael Benson, CEO of Benson Blackburn, asked industry leaders to visit his office for a mentorship session with his team. His team was so fascinated by what they heard, they decided this information and these life journeys should be shared with the community. This led to the establishment of the NextGen™ Speaker Series, held two to three times per year at a private venue by invitation only.

“I hope that in some small way my donation helps the next generation of business leaders to dream bigger and build amazing lives and businesses,” said Muzzillo.

Junior Achievement of Southwest Florida is a volunteer-based organization offering kindergarten-12th grade programs that foster work-readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy skills, and inspire students to dream big and reach their full potential.

April 20

Delta Apparel Appoints Matt Miller as President, Delta Group

GREENVILLE, S.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Delta Apparel, Inc. (NYSE American: DLA), a leading provider of core activewear and lifestyle apparel products, announced today that its Board of Directors has appointed Matt Miller as the Company’s President, Delta Group effective April 25, 2022.

Robert W. Humphreys, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Matt Miller as President, Delta Group. Matt is an experienced and proven business leader with a track record of building high-performance business teams while executing and delivering strong and profitable results. Matt will assume full profit and loss responsibility of the Delta Group and leadership responsibility for organizational functions including sales and marketing, manufacturing, operations, planning, and process improvement.”

Mr. Miller, age 53, has most recently served as Interim CFO at Ardmore Home Designs from June 2021 to April 2022. Prior to joining Ardmore, Matt was President and CEO of Interface Americas, a global flooring company specializing in carbon neutral carpet tile and resilient flooring, where he oversaw the North American, Latin American, and South American regions representing approximately $700 million in revenue. Matt was responsible for all functions within the division including sales, marketing, product development, supply chain, manufacturing, finance, and human resources. Matt has a proven track record of driving profitable growth across multiple industries and has served in numerous other senior leadership positions in strategy, finance, and innovation at companies such as American Standard, Newell Brands, Kraft Foods, and Zyman Group.

Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor in Business Administration and Finance degree from Emory University Goizueta School of Business and a Master in Business Administration from Duke University Fuqua School of Business.

Kym Frese, TAS Joins Raining Rose Promos As Central Region Account Executive

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA, Apr. 20, 2022 – Raining Rose Promos today announced the hiring of Kym Frese, TAS, to serve as Central Region Account Executive.

“Getting to know our customers and growing our relationship with them is something I am very excited for in this position,” said Kym Frese, TAS, Central Region Account Executive, Raining Rose Promos.

In her new role, Kym serves as the inside sales rep for the Central region of the United States, working closely with Midwest Sales Executive Jon Hicks and Multi line Rep Ben Norris in Texas and the surrounding states. She works with Raining Rose Promos customers to grow their business, solve problems and serves as customers’ day-to-day contact to ensure a positive experience from start to finish.

“Kym brings a ton of knowledge and passion for customer service and supporting businesses’ growth,” said Lindsey Davis, MAS, Raining Rose Promos Sales Director. “She truly embodies Raining Rose Promos’ values, and her positive attitude shines bright in every interaction.”

Cooley Group honored as a Best Company to Work for in New York

P ittsford, NY, April 19, 2022—Cooley Group, Inc., an industry leading branded solutions provider in promotional, print and fulfillment for over 75 years, announced today that it has been named one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York by The New York State Society for Human Resource Management (NYS-SHRM).

Cooley Group is headquartered in Pittsford, NY, and has offices throughout the state. As a locally based and all employee-owned company, Cooley Group has a long history of hiring locally, maintaining a culture of continuous learning, teamwork, integrity, and service. These values have been the foundation that has enabled lasting client relationships, continued growth, and achievement.

“It’s a very high honor to be one of only 75 companies in all of New York State to be recognized in this way. Every day I am very grateful for our colleagues at Cooley Group—for how they support our clients and, just as importantly, each other,” said Phil Yawman, President. “I am extremely proud of our team. Despite the challenges we have all faced in the past two years, not only have we retained our long-time employees, but we have continued to grow and attracted new talent during this difficult time.”

Yawman went on to add, “While the pandemic changed how so many companies operate, including Cooley Group, our team’s shared commitment to embracing change as a pathway to continuous learning and further delivering a differentiated client experience has never wavered. The reward for that is a great place to work, growth in our client base and the opportunity to give back to the communities that we live and work in.”

The distinctive Best Companies to Work for in New York Program is designed to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment in New York, whose practices benefit the state’s businesses, economy and workforce. Winners are determined by specific registration eligibility requirements and a two-part survey of employee satisfaction and engagement, as well as workplace practices and policies.

The Cooley Group team has over 375 years of collective industry experience, ranging from several months to several decades. Cooley Group has a very high employee retention rate and has simultaneously and successfully hired additional resources to support its growing client
base. This has been made possible in part due to the company’s competitive compensation and benefits package including:

• Flexible hybrid work environment
• 401(K) and Profit Share Plan
• Company stock ownership for all employees
• Company provided health and dental coverage
• PTO, including a company-wide community service day

In addition to being honored as a Best Company to Work for in New York, Cooley Group is also a five-time winner of the Best of Print and Digital Award, recognizing its best-in-class customer service, and recently earned the Pyramid Gold Award by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI).