Vantage Apparel (PPAI 113235, Platinum), PPAI 100’s No. 12 supplier, has brought on Adam Morales as its new regional account executive for the New England territory.

• Morales brings more than eight years of extensive industry experience with suppliers such as alphabroder and Koozie Group. Most recently, he was an account executive at alphabroder where he was known for his expertise in both apparel and hardgoods.
• He has also managed large-scale promotional projects alongside his distributor customers whose clients have included Warner Music Group, 20th Century Fox and Toyota.

“We are thrilled to welcome Adam to the Vantage Apparel family,” says Rob Watson, CEO of Vantage Apparel. “His finesse in product placement, project management and promotional merchandise uniquely positions him to elevate Vantage’s offerings in the New England region.”

Tekweld (PPAI 266346, Standard Plus) aims to raise its level of customer service to new heights with the addition of Dawn Smith as director of customer success and Sydney Taylor as customer operational success manager.

• Smith joins Tekweld with an extensive background in the promotional products industry and a strong passion for helping clients succeed. She enjoys working with cross-functional teams and is a skilled mentor who is expected to further strengthen the supplier’s customer support team.
• Taylor also brings years of promo experience to the supplier and is a master at managing workflows, creating procedures and streamlining processes. She will collaborate with other members of the Customer Success Department, Production Department and clients to ensure their success.

“Tekweld is redefining customer service,” says Gregg Szpicek, Tekweld’s senior vice president of sales. “We have a renewed focus on customer success by treating each and every interaction with the utmost care and attention. Our objective is to foster loyalty and repeat business. Tekweld is confident Dawn and Sydney will do an excellent job leading the charge in this bold initiative.”

In response to circumstances caused by recent hurricane damage at The Don CeSar, the 3rd Annual PromoStandards Tech Summit will be relocated to The Wyndham Grand Clearwater Beach, in Clearwater, Florida. The date of the event, February 3-5, 2025, remains unchanged.

• The PromoStandards Tech Summit brings together distributors, suppliers and service providers to collaborate, innovate and drive the promo industry forward. Now in its third year, the Summit is on track for another sold-out event.
• All registered attendees will be contacted directly with details regarding the venue change and any necessary updates.

“While we were saddened the hurricane so impacted the beautiful Don Cesar, the safety and comfort of our attendees are paramount,” says Amy Rabideau, vice-chair of PromoStandards (PPAI 816699). “The Wyndham Grand offers a comparably stunning beachfront location and was able to accommodate. The Board recently held our strategy planning sessions onsite and could not be more excited for the attendees to experience its exceptional amenities.”

QIMA (PPAI 517075), a provider of supply chain compliance solutions including onsite inspections, supplier audits and lab testing for clients in 120 countries, reports that its ISO 17025-accredited lab in Tirupur, India, has recently received CPSC approval to test simple toys.

Since opening in 2023, the location has been serving various textile brands and factories to ensure compliance. With this new approval from CPSC, the company’s team of experts will help clients navigate CPSC requirements and provide physical and chemical testing services to assure compliance with toy products.