Outdoor Cap (PPAI 213485, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 30 supplier, and its retail subsidiary JUNK Brands have joined in the celebration for the newly announced Ozark United FC, USL Arkansas official team branding. The team name and branding will represent men’s professional soccer in Northwest Arkansas.

• Outdoor Cap recently offered fans the opportunity to personalize caps at their interactive patch booth. Branded headwear and headbands will also soon available at the Ozark United FC fan store.

AIA (PPAI 101364, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 18 distributor, recently brought owners, suppliers and team members from across the country to Milwaukee for three days of learning, collaboration and inspiration.

• During the meeting, AIA unveiled its innovative Brew City Merch Market, an immersive environment where distributors could personally engage with trending items. The concept highlighted creativity and innovation and provided valuable insights into product potential and customer appeal.
• In addition, a powerful education lineup featured keynote sessions led by Jamar Jones, Gerry O’Brion, Marcus Sheridan and industry veteran Jenna Quaranta, who inspired attendees with insights into branding, marketing and sales excellence.

Melissa Haen, senior engagement marketing manager, says, “Drawing inspiration from the experience found in local brewery merch shops, this interactive experience allowed attendees to explore and select their favorite event merchandise from a selection of best-selling and newly launched products.”

Advertising Premium Sales (PPAI 101466, Silver) has completed an extensive brand refresh, including a redesign of the company logo and icon to reflect the growth of the organization and the renewal of its corporate vision.

• APS is planning to celebrate by holding its first customer appreciation event on October 9 at the Holiday Inn – St. Louis Creve Coeur.

“Cultivating the right look for our brand was critical to the entire team and represents a major milestone for the company as we accelerate our evolution into a single-source marketing agency that drives results,” says Matt Shucart, owner and president. “This refresh of our brand is a look to the future of marketing services while also honoring the foundation that my late father, Jay, and grandfather, Buddy, built for almost 60 years. We believe the modern and clean look is a testament to continuing his vision for APS and fully represents the work we do for our clients.”

Distributor DLA Promotions (PPAI 802959, Standard Base) has unveiled MerchMatch, billed as the first AI-powered platform designed to simplify and enhance the purchasing experience for promotional merchandise buyers.

• MerchMatch is a free service providing users with product suggestions and creative ideas that align with the event’s theme, target audience demographics, and specified budget. Through intelligent AI-driven recommendations, users receive a customized list of 10 tailored product ideas based on the data provided during their search.

Canadian apparel manufacturer Attraction (PPAI 474094, Standard Base) now upcycles 100% of its textile scraps from with the production of its Ethica brand thanks to an agreement with Mécanec Transformation Textile (MTT).

• MTT uses the scraps as insulation for soundproofing products. Previously, approximately 18 percent of the fabric ended up in landfills.

“We are very proud of this new development! We have been looking for ways to upcycle our textile scraps for several years. It was unacceptable to send the remnants of our quality organic cotton and recycled polyester apparel to the landfill,” says Julia Gagnon, vice president of operations. “The ultimate goal would be to eventually use our own textile scraps to create a locally-made recycled cotton yarn that could then be used to manufacture our Ethica products.”