Industry veteran Kristie Schnier has joined the leadership team at Goldner Associates (PPAI 105311, Gold), the PPAI 100 No. 85 distributor, as its new vice president of sales.

• Based near Chicago, Schnier will spearhead business development efforts, enhance sales strategies and foster connections with Goldner’s sales team and clients nationwide.
• She brings over 25 years of experience on both sides of the promotional products industry. Her career began with Sanford Business-to-Business in a field sales role and culminated with responsibility for all sales and marketing efforts for the company’s promotional markets division. She moved to the distributor side as a vice president of sales in 2012.

Goldner Associates President Andy Straus says, “Kristie’s proven track record and innovative approach to sales leadership align perfectly with Goldner’s mission to deliver exceptional value to our clients. Her strategic insight and collaborative style will be instrumental in propelling our growth in 2025 and beyond.”

Vantage Apparel (PPAI 113235, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 12 supplier, has entered into an exclusive partnership with No. 41 supplier iClick (PPAI 254537, Gold) to expand its offering of high-quality hard goods within the Vantage webstore platform.

• Integrating iClick’s product line, which includes tech products such as power banks, wireless chargers, and accessories for mobile phones, audio and desktop, into Vantage’s webstore platform, gives clients access to a broader range of on-demand hard goods to complement Vantage’s branded apparel.
• The enhanced product selection is available beginning January 14, and the products will be part of the webstore’s single-piece, decorated product offering with no minimums.

After 35 years of developing beach towels and designer blankets, Terry Town (PPAI 230911, Gold), PPAI 100 No. 4o supplier, has launched Terry Town Bags, a full-line collection of tote bags, backpacks, weekender bags and more.

• With a focus on sustainability, each new bag in this collection is constructed from recycled materials.
• Terry Town also introduces the Swissdigital Design brand to the promotional products industry. As the exclusive reseller of the brand, Terry Town will also offer retail backpacks and duffel bags made from 100% recycled materials.

Sy Ereren, owner and president of Terry Town says, “We wanted to make an even bigger, greener impact in our industry, as we already have been with our collection of recycled beach towels and blankets. It was a natural progression for us to dip our feet into.”

Suzanne Simpson, MAS, has been promoted to director of strategic accounts at Gemline (PPAI 113948, Platinum), the No. 11 supplier in the PPAI 100.

• Simpson has been with Gemline for more than a decade, beginning her career as a sales agent for Canada and quickly rising through the ranks. Most recently she was senior strategic account executive.
• She is also an advocate for professional development within the promotional products industry and is a member of the PPAI Women’s Leadership Committee work group. Simpson earned her Master Advertising Specialist certification from PPAI in 2020.

NC Custom (PPAI 111662, Silver), PPAI 100’s No. 71 supplier, has brought on Renee “Nay” Blanton as strategic account manager.

• Blanton hails from South Carolina, bringing 14 years of experience in the promo industry. Before joining Jetline in 2010, she worked in the emergency medical field.
• At NC Custom she will leverage her expertise to provide service to the supplier’s customers and partners.

Geiger (PPAI 105182, Platinum), No. 5 distributor in the PPAI 100, has promoted Jacob Sclar to the position of corporate counsel. Previously he was Geiger’s contract manager and staff attorney, and also has held roles at Boudreau Law and the Maine Attorney General’s Office.

• Since joining Geiger in 2022, Sclar has been instrumental in enhancing the company’s legal operations. As corporate counsel, he will oversee Geiger’s risk management and legal operations, as well as provide strategic counsel on a wide range of matters.
• He will also work closely with Geiger’s leadership team to ensure that legal considerations are seamlessly integrated into the company’s long-term strategies.

“Jacob has consistently demonstrated a deep understanding of our industry’s unique challenges and opportunities,” says David Geiger, president of Geiger. “His promotion to corporate counsel is a testament to his hard work, leadership and dedication to protecting and advancing Geiger’s interests. We are thrilled to have him take on this expanded role.”

Hard goods supplier HPG (PPAI 110772, Platinum), No. 6 in the PPAI 100, and industry business service provider OrderMyGear (PPAI 704581) have partnered to make it easier for distributors to create company stores.

• The new arrangement gives distributors access to OMG’s services via HPG enabling them to launch company stores that are pre-populated with HPG’s bestselling products from its extensive one-piece minimum product assortment.
• The stores are powered by OMG’s platform, allowing distributors to create fully branded company, pop-up and redemption stores for all types of programs and use cases.
• The stores also offer advanced program management controls, payment methods and custom reporting tools, and they come with pre-built integrations with third-party systems.

HPG’s CRO Trina Bicknell says, “Our distributors have been asking us for a turnkey solution to launching company stores with our products with the option to add apparel from other suppliers. OMG offers such a broad range of solutions and is so highly respected by and integrated into our industry, it feels like the perfect partnership solution.”

LAT Apparel (PPAI 254347, Silver) has refreshed its brand image to celebrate more than four decades of crafting quality apparel.

• The company’s offerings include Rabbit Skins, a brand for children and Live & Tell, a fashion-forward apparel collection.

Exec to Coach, a business coaching firm specializing in growth, strategy, execution and financial management for small and medium-sized enterprises, has added three new seasoned coaches to its elite coaching team.

• Melissa Ralston is the former chief revenue officer of a top 10 promo supplier. She brings extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, strategy, customer experience optimization and identifying unique opportunities to maximize growth.
• Tom Havens is an entrepreneur and former president of a successful distributorship. His experience includes decades of expertise in growth, mergers and acquisitions, sales team development, creative strategies and fostering strong company cultures.
• Melyssa Hitchcock, former CFO at a top distributor, specializes in financial strategy, process improvement, leadership development and helping organizations and individuals unlock their full potential.

No. 6 supplier HPG (PPAI 110772, Platinum) welcomes Scott Loehrke and Darryl Andree to its sales leadership team.

• Loehrke is the new director of national accounts. He brings 15 years of industry experience on both sides of the industry to the role. He spent the last eight years at alphabroder, where he most recently was in a strategic director role servicing 10 of the top 40 largest distributors in the nation. Prior to that, he worked predominantly in business development for two top 200 distributors.
• After spending almost 20 years on the distributor side, Andree is now HPG Brands’ director of sales for Canadian-based Debco. Most recently he was a director of business development with BAMKO, working on national and international programs.