PPB May 2018

2019. These contracts cover a variety of our service lines, including promotional products, packaging, graphic design services, ecommerce and warehousing services. 2017 was a very successful year for City Paper Company—in fact, it was one of our top years in our 120 years of business. Our goal for 2018 is to stay focused, work smart and work hard simultaneously, utilize creative prospecting methods and continue to be proactive for our amazing customers. If we do these things well, our year end will reflect strong growth over 2017. What trends or issues are having the biggest impact on your business and why? The methods by which people purchase goods today is having the biggest impact on the retail packaging side of our business. We all know that Amazon is dominating the online purchasing world. As a result, we must think more creatively and consultatively about how we approach our online retailer customers, as well as our storefront customers who compete with the online retailers. It’s more imperative than ever to make a great impression when we are given the opportunity, and the responsibility lies with us to guide our clients into making conscious decisions when it comes to their brand. The world is just going to continue to evolve in the way people buy, and it’s our job to ensure we are adapting along the way. Large Distributors Marc Simon CEO HALO Branded Solutions (PPAI 106462) Sterling, Illinois Company Founded: 1952 Key Markets Served: All markets Types Of Services Offered: All promotional products and recognition products and services. How is your business faring so far toward meeting its 2018 goals? [We are] ahead of budget. Where do you see your company by year end and how does that compare to 2017? Significantly ahead of budget. What trends or issues are having the biggest impact on your business and why? [Trends include the] increasingly sophisticated demands of organizations who purchase promotional products, and industry consolidation. Jon Sloan CEO/Managing Partner Mercury Promotions & Fulfillment (PPAI 261357) Sterling Heights, Michigan Company Founded: 1996 Key Markets Served: All markets Types Of Services Offered: Branded merchandise; digital storefront solutions; sweepstakes; contests and game promotions; loyalty, incentive and recognition management; warehouse and fulfillment; print management How is your business faring so far toward meeting its 2018 goals? Mercury is off to an extraordinary start in 2018. We are 20 percent ahead of budget year to date in comparison to 2017. We attribute this to new client acquisition and smart marketing solutions. Where do you see your company by year end and how does that compare to 2017? We are currently trending 20 to 30 percent ahead of 2017. What trends or issues are having the biggest impact on your business and why? Clients are being required to do more with fewer internal resources and are asking companies like Mercury to do more for them. Mercury provides a center of excellence enabling our clients to manage all their corporate assets and materials exclusively through us. This trend has had a very positive impact on our business. To our clients, we are easy to do business with. The only negative trend that can affect our business or any other is when a current client—for whom you provide extraordinary creativity and service—RFPs your business to try and secure lower pricing while requiring the same level of service or higher. We have a great formula in place to provide great service at a fair cost. We do not have a formula in place to provide great service for free. Jim Childers President BrandVia (PPAI 105536) San Jose, California Company Founded: 2003 Key Markets Served: With representation up and down the California coast, our client base is rich with technology, entertainment and professional services clients. With many of our clients leading the way in their own industries, we at BrandVia are driven to lead the way in ours. Types Of Services Offered: BrandVia is a full-service brand engagement company. Our 30-plus unique teams bring various skill sets to their projects in order to deliver memory-making magic rather than just a logo on a pen. We have been very successful working to create gift experiences that go beyond the gift itself. How is your business faring so far toward meeting its 2018 goals? We are tracking PPAI Exclusive Research: 2017 Distributor Sales Volume Estimate | FEATURE | MAY 2018 | 53