biggest needs and found that more than 363,000 Southern Nevadans were experiencing food insecurity. “We decided on a booth built from items we could later donate to Las Vegas nonprofit Three Square, Southern Nevada’s only food bank and the area’s largest hunger‐relief organization,” Davis says. “We purchased a ton of non‐ perishable food, especially protein sources. We also purchased personal hygiene items like toothpaste and tampons, as well as baby items like diapers and wipes.” Raining Rose Promos’ actual booth was in place for the second day of the Expo. Debuted at the show, it too represented the company’s values, as it was made of cardboard, eco-friendly and was totally recyclable. It’s design also highlighted the cardboard’s honeycomb structure. But the exhibitor’s temporary booth also made a strong impression on the show floor. “The response from PPAI Expo attendees was incredible,” says Davis. “We heard amazing comments from people that stopped by the booth and received some special shout outs from industry leaders. We even had a handful of people stop by later in the week with items that we took with us to Three Square as part of the donation! The promo world is filled with good people with warm hearts—we saw this front and center throughout Expo week.” The exhibitor’s “People & Planet” ethos extends beyond its booth in Las Vegas. The company is a Certified B-Corporation, meaning that has met the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. “We take care of our team, so they can take care of our customers. When it comes to creating products that promote healthy self‐care, we carefully source ingredients that benefit our planet’s preservation and support the farmers we work with,” Davis says. “We even upcycle our water! About 20 miles from our facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is a 2.8 megawatt anaerobic digester that turns cattle manure and factory by‐ product into methane gas. The methane gas is then burned to generate electricity for the local community. Our rinse water is one of those factory by‐ products. Each week, we send about 2,400 gallons of water that’s been used to rinse our kettles and wash out product.” Davis shared several other ways the company is adhering to its principles: • One percent of Raining Rose Promos’ annual profits are donated to Heifer International to support honeybees, supplies and training for beekeepers in Central and South America. Honeybees are essential to thriving crops worldwide, and beeswax is a primary component to many of the lip balms produced by Raining Rose Promos. • It has recycling programs within its facility for paper, plastic, cardboard and aluminum. • The company uses paper tape that is water activated as packing tape, meaning it can be recycled. • Each year, it rears monarch butterflies at its Cedar Rapids facility. • The Cedar Rapids facility is also LEED certified. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world. Available for virtually all building types and globally recognized, LEED provides a framework for healthy, highly efficient and cost‐saving green buildings. Khattak is a news editor at PPAI. Ra i n i ng Rose Pr omos “When it comes to creating products that promote healthy self-care, we carefully source ingredients that benefit our planet’s preservation and support the farmers weworkwith.” LindseyDavis, MAS 50 | APRIL 2022 | GROW
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