(Editor’s Note: PromoWire by PPAI Media is a running digest of news releases and updates submitted from organizations around the industry. PPAI Media edits these only slightly, including for length, and will consider newsworthy entries from any member organization.)

April 28, 2022

Stran & Company Adds Industry Veterans Nancy Shaffer and Jamie Hoelscher to Key Management Roles

Stran & Company, Inc. (“Stran” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: STRN) (NASDAQ: STRNW), a leading outsourced marketing solutions provider that leverages its promotional products and loyalty incentive expertise, today announced that promotional product industry veterans Nancy Shaffer and Jamie Hoelscher have joined the management team in the roles of Director of Client Services and Director of Merchandising & Vendor Relations respectively.

Adding both Nancy and Jamie, each with 8-10 years of promotional industry experience, in these key leadership roles are the next steps in building out the team at Stran for anticipated future growth. Nancy Shaffer will be tasked with re-organizing Stran’s client services and sales support operations including assisting in driving greater operational efficiencies across different geographic regions.

Sheila Johnshoy, COO of Stran, commented, “I couldn’t be more excited to welcome both Nancy and Jamie to the Stran team. Their combined experience and leadership will be invaluable to the entire organization. Nancy’s deep understanding of the Supplier / Distributor relationship and her passion to bring best in class client experiences to Stran’s customers is a perfect fit for the Stran culture. And having worked directly with Jamie for years I am 100% confident in her ability to drive greater value for our clients through strengthened partnerships with our suppliers and our approach to merchandise.”

Nancy Shaffer makes her return to the promotional products industry after a four-year hiatus from branded merchandise. Ms. Shaffer spent 10 years working for Top 40 Supplier PCNA, working in a variety of roles including developing strategic marketing partnerships for PCNA’s top distributor accounts. She managed teams of coordinators and specialists to help drive sales through supporting distributor partners in ways that were specific to their individual go to market strategies. In her new role as Director of Client Services, Nancy will lead Stran’s dedicated support team to ensure a continued focus on serving the customer through all future growth.

Jamie Hoelscher most recently worked at iPromo as their Senior Director of Merchandising, and prior to her role at iPromo Ms. Hoelscher spent seven years at ePromos rising from Merchandising Manager to their Director of Merchandising. Prior to her 8 years in the promo industry Jamie worked in retail merchandising and as a buyer for ShopHQ Jamie will provide strategic operational leadership with Stran’s supplier partners to ensure Stran can deliver to its clients a robust and competitive product offering. In addition to building a preferred supplier program, Jamie will lead merchandising efforts across the organization bring her deep promo and retail industry knowledge to the role.

April 27, 2022

Bankers Advertising Company Brings Sales Partners, Supplier Representatives Together For The 2022 Gathering of the Stars National Sales Meeting

Iowa City, Iowa – April 27, 2022 ‐ Distributor Bankers Advertising Company recently gathered sales partners and supplier representatives together for their 2022 Gathering of the Stars National Sales Meeting in Dubuque, Iowa.

The meeting, themed “Experience the Magic,” was held at the Hotel Julien in Dubuque. The meeting began with a reception and dinner for more than 55 Bankers representatives, guests, suppliers and employees who attend the annual event.

The meeting included education sessions, sales workshops, peer panel discussions, networking with suppliers, a product‐trend tradeshow and awards ceremonies celebrating the career achievements of Bankers’ Top Sales Partners. Additionally, attendees enjoyed a tour of the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. The meeting was the perfect occasion to encourage our sales partners to keep the momentum of 2021 going.

“Having our meeting in person again was wonderful,” said Erica Kelley‐Gogel, CAS, Vice President of Sales. “The camaraderie among our sales partners is truly special and wonderful to see. They come to this meeting with a purpose in mind ‐ find new ideas, share experiences, and celebrate successes among their peers. We couldn’t ask for a better group of sales partners‐both veteran and new.”

For over 125 years, Bankers Advertising Company has been committed to their partnership with clients and their sales partners to develop marketing strategies using promotional products to achieve the client’s business goals.

Ennis, Inc. Reports Results For The Quarter And Year Ended February 28, 2022, Sets Record Date For Annual Shareholder Meeting

Midlothian, TX. April 25, 2022 — Ennis, Inc. (the “Company”), (NYSE: EBF), today reported financial results for the quarter and fiscal year ended February 28, 2022. Highlights include:

  • Revenues were $99.7 million for the quarter, an increase of $9.8 million or 10.9% for the comparative quarter and $400.0 million for the fiscal year, an increase of $42.0 million, or 11.7% for the comparative fiscal year.
  • Earnings per diluted share for the current quarter were $0.26 compared to $0.20 for the comparative quarter last year. Earnings per diluted share were $1.11 for the fiscal year as compared to $0.93 for the last fiscal year.
  • Our gross profit margin for the quarter decreased on a comparative quarter basis from 29.6% to 27.5%. Gross profit margin was 28.7% for the fiscal year compared to 29.0% for the prior fiscal year.

[Editor’s Note: Ennis, Inc. is parent company of suppliers Independent Printing & Packaging (PPAI 111993, S2), Folder Express (PPAI 354129, S1) and Admore, Inc. (PPAI 111144, S10)]

Financial Overview

The Company’s revenues for the fourth quarter ended February 28, 2022 were $99.7 million compared to $89.9 million for the same quarter last year, an increase of 10.8%. Gross profit margin was $27.4 million, or 27.5%, as compared to $26.6 million, or 29.6% for the same quarter last year. Net earnings for the quarter were $6.6 million, or $0.26 per diluted share as compared to $5.1 million, or $0.20 per diluted share for the same quarter last year. Quarterly results were impacted by a pension settlement charge related to a large amount of lump-sum distributions paid to retirees. A pension settlement charge of $0.3 million impacted quarterly results by $0.01 per share as compared to a settlement charge of $1.6 million impacting the same quarter last year by $0.04 per share.

The Company’s revenues for the fiscal year ended February 28, 2022 were $400.0 million compared to $358.0 million for the prior fiscal year, an increase of 11.7%. Gross profit margin was $114.7 million, or 28.7%, as compared to $103.8 million, or 29.0% for the prior fiscal year. Net earnings for the fiscal year were $28.9 million or $1.11 per diluted share, compared to $24.1 million, or $0.93 per diluted share for the prior fiscal year. A pension settlement charge of $1.1 million impacted the current fiscal year results by $0.03 per share as compared to a settlement charge of $1.6 million for the prior fiscal year impacting the results by $0.05 per share.

Keith Walters, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, commented by stating, “Our fourth quarter operational performance was within expectations. Our recent acquisitions added approximately $4.1 million in revenues and $0.01 in diluted earnings per share for the quarter and $23.9 million in revenues and $0.08 in diluted earnings per share for the fiscal year compared to the corresponding prior quarter and year respectively. While we experienced increased demand for our products during the fiscal year, we were confronted with rising raw material and logistics costs, delayed delivery times, and labor shortages, all of which continued throughout the year.

“The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported “the unemployment rate declined to 3.6 percent in March, and the number of unemployed persons decreased to 6.0 million which are measures little different from prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Wages and salaries increased 5.0 percent for the 12-month period ending in December 2021 compared to 2.8 percent in December 2020”. Our labor force declined in number of employees since last fiscal year by 4.7%, but our total cost of labor has increased 10.6%. Paper supply has grown more limited and due to tight demand and supply, there has been a tremendous amount of upward pressure on prices. Uncoated papers are up over 20% from last year, and likely to move up and stay at those levels through next year. Coated papers are up over 25% from last year with further price increases likely. Paper mills are now operating at a very high capacity, but are basically producing to fill orders rather than stock inventory and are struggling to achieve that goal of restocking. While the availability of paper in the North American market is tighter than it has been in a long time, our strong vendor relationship with our paper supplier allows us to meet customer demand for their business product needs. In addition to increases in labor and paper costs, there have been unprecedented price increases for other materials used in our production processes. We have been adjusting our pricing to cover inflation during the year to minimize the negative impact inflation otherwise would have had on our gross profit margin.

“Despite the supply and labor issues and continuing challenges of the pandemic, net income improved for the quarter and fiscal year compared to the prior year and our EBITDA margin was consistent in the low to mid 15% range. We consolidated a few of our underperforming manufacturing facilities into existing locations with excess capacity to reduce future costs and improve our operational efficiency. These additional costs incurred impacted the current year approximately $1.8 million or $0.05 in diluted earnings per share.

“We believe we have one of the strongest balance sheets in the industry, with no debt and significant cash. To eliminate the associated maintenance fees and covenants that restrict our operations even when a credit line is unused, we opted to not renew our long term bank line of credit which expired in November 2021. Our profitability and strong financial condition will allow us to continue operations and fund acquisitions without incurring debt. Given those strengths, we also anticipate timely access to credit should larger acquisition opportunities materialize. We increased our share repurchase activity during the quarter and are focused on delivering profitability and returns to our shareholders.”

commonsku Opens Registration for Product Summit: Creativity

Toronto, ON Canada (April 26th, 2022) – commonsku, a promotional products business and sales software, opens registration for Product Summit: Creativity.

Product Summit: Creativity is a fresh take on product education combining real-world learning,on-trend product ideas, and stories from pros in the trenches. The virtual conference will be held on May 19th, 2022 from 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm ET and features 24 suppliers, 7 main stage speakers, plus 1-to-1 networking.

Main stage speakers and topics include Shelley Williams, VP Marketing at SanMar on “The Business of Creative,” Jeff Anderton, Director of Content with Snugz USA on “Bringing a Product Story to Life,” Renya Nelson, Founder at Brand Aid on “Crafting Merch for the Most Iconic Brands Today,” and a panel featuring Lindsey Reid, Owner at emblm; Sean Mooney, Partner at Show pony; and Heather McLeod,Vice President of Sales at Elite Promotional Marketing on“Secrets Behind Ingenious Merch: From Ordinary to Extraordinary.”

“Our first Product Summit focused on Sustainability, and our second Summit was all about the Holidays,” said Bobby Lehew, commonsku’s Chief Content Officer. “This time we’re exploring the concept of ingenuity, learning how the best in the business create extraordinary experiences through ordinary products on behalf of their clients. The entire event is focused on not only presenting new and on-trend ideas but reimagining products so they become new again.”

Suppliers leading the breakouts include: alphabroder Prime, HPG, Fields Manufacturing, iClick, Gemline, Ariel Premium Supply, Raining Rose, Lion Circle Corp., Starline, KNOSS Apparel,Maple Ridge Farms, Pop!Promos, Cutter & Buck, Hirsch Gift, NC Custom, Denik, Logomark,Towel Specialties, S&S Activewear, Fill it Forward, PCNA, Gold Bond, Tekweld, and Peerless Umbrella.

To learn more and register, visit: commonsku.com/productsummit