PPB October 2019

Charles River Apparel Sponsors, Participates In Charitable Causes In Chicago, Massachusetts Sharon, Massachusetts’ supplier Charles River Apparel and its employees supported and took part in several charitable endeavors in August, including assisting Cradles to Crayons’ fourth annual Backpack-A-Thon in Chicago, and raising funds for charity as part of the Pan-Mass Challenge bike ride. Cradles to Crayons provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low- income situations, with the essentials needed to thrive at home, at school and at play. The Pan-Mass Challenge annual bike-a-thon fundraiser reportedly raises more for charity than any other athletic fundraising event in the country. One-hundred percent of every rider-raised dollar is donated to cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. More than 800 volunteers filled more than 50,000 backpacks with school supplies for children in need as part of Cradles to Crayons’ Chicago Backpack-A-Thon. All children’s items were collected through donations and processed and packaged by volunteers in the organization’s warehouses or at hosted events. Charles River Apparel, a bronze sponsor of the Backpack-A-Thon event, outfitted Cradles to Crayons employees and recruited a team of employees and distributors around the Chicago area, including staff from Printable Promotions, Axis Promotions and Club Colors, to participate as volunteers. Five employees of Sharon, Massachusetts, supplier Charles River Apparel—(from left) Barry Lipsett, president and CEO; Tracy Lehnen, vice president of marketing; Ross Dohrmann, vice president of sales; Mark Watts, inside sales manager, and (not pictured) Kaitlyn Montagna, decorations operations supervisor—completed their first Charles River team ride in this year’s Pan-Mass Challenge. The Charles River riding team, also known as “crewsers,” completed the 85-mile route from Wellesley to Bourne, Massachusetts, and raised more than $20,000 thanks to the support of friends, family and the Charles River organization. AIA Celebrates Growth, Accomplishments At 2019 National Sales Meeting Neenah, Wisconsin- headquartered distributor AIA Corporation held its annual national sales meeting in August, bringing more than 200 attendees, including AIA owners, suppliers and employees, to the Grand Summit Hotel in Park City, Utah. AIA’s four-day event featured learning and networking focused on personal and professional growth. AIA owners also met one-on-one with more than 25 suppliers to discuss fourth-quarter selling strategies and trends for the year ahead and they toured the SnugZ USA manufacturing facility, participating in assembly, screening and other hands-on activities. 108 | OCTOBER 2019 | CONNECT