PPB November 2017

SAGE held its annual promotional products trade show in August at the Irving Convention Center in Irving, Texas. With 215 exhibitors, 21 states represented and 24 education sessions held, the SAGE Show 2017 attracted a record-breaking number of attendees, including buyers who attended with their distributors. SAGE Show 2017 Draws Record Attendance At the SAGE Show, SAGE made a $10,000 commitment to support the PPEF scholarship program at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. The contribution will provide a $2,500 annual scholarship to a junior or senior student with a minimum 3.0 GPA who is majoring in marketing. PPEF’s university scholarship/internship pilot program awards scholarships and internships to students at college campuses across the country who are studying fields related to the promotional products industry. From left are Dana Floyd Porter, Bille Walchek, David Natinsky and Eric Natinsky, all with SAGE; Kevin Fralicks, UNT senior director of development at UNT; Sara Besly, foundation manager at PPEF, Dr. Wes Randall, department of marketing chair at UNT, Bob McLean, executive vice president at PPAI and Jenni Clark, director of development at UNT. On the trade-show floor, attendees explored more than 200 supplier lines featuring the latest and most popular promotional items, including wearables, writing instruments, drinkware, sporting goods and much more. The SAGE Show kicked off with a full day devoted to relationship building, education and networking. SAGE and PPAI joined forces to provide professional education sessions dedicated to exploring cutting-edge technology, improving sales and marketing skills and ultimately growing promotional products businesses. Geiger Debuts Solar Array For Headquarters’ Power Needs As part of Geiger’s green commitment, the distributor has begun generating 100 percent of its electric power from a solar array installed on its Lewiston, Maine, campus. The largest business solar array in Maine, the firm’s electricity needs are generated by 696 Q CELL panels producing 233.2 kilowatts in direct current. Annual production is estimated to be 303,100 kilowatts, which translates to a reduction of 319,731 pounds of CO 2 . 84 | NOVEMBER 2017 | CONNECT