Stealing The Spotlight In a sea of more than 2,000 exhibitor booths, Foxyware was a bedazzled lighthouse sparkling on the trade show floor. The Port St. Lucie, Florida-based supplier of blinged-out apparel and accessories turned heads at The PPAI Expo 2024 with strategic marketing and eye-catching product displays. Co-owner Tammy Cimperman didn’t just hold up her rhinestone tumblers and crossbody bags, which were showcased in the New Product Pavilion. She created a full sensory experience with her booth backdrop, a shimmering wall of sequins, and her team of “Foxyware Vegas Boys” – decked out in hot pink sequin jackets – and “Sparklenistas” in equally glittering attire. Adding to the glitz and glamour was Foxyware’s brand partner, Vegas Golf, run by Tammy’s husband Wayne Cimperman, who was wearing a gambling-themed suit and inviting attendees to check out his “On The Course” golf game, “Need Beer” golf towels and golf ball cigar holder. It’s no surprise that the pair’s booths were consistently packed with attendees eagerly snapping photos and videos of the spectacle. “This was our most successful show,” says Wayne, adding that Foxyware’s sales increased by 50% this year. “We were inundated with calls for two months immediately following The PPAI Expo 2024. The nice part about this show is the fact that orders are still coming in. We still have distributors saying that their client wants something specifically for women that will be used over and over again, something with lots of perceived value.” How Sweet It Is! Perhaps the biggest success story to come from The PPAI Expo 2024 was Stacy Stahl, founder of St. Louis-based supplier Sweeter Cards. Stahl won The Pitch – promo’s version of The Voice and Shark Tank combined – after her fully customizable greeting card and chocolate bar combo convinced all four judges to turn their chairs in approval while taking 55% of the audience vote. One month after The Pitch, Sweeter Cards was named Rupt Ventures’ first strategic investment in the promotional products industry. Jason Lucash and Mike Szymczak – cofounders of Origaudio, which they sold to HPG in 2018 – came out of retirement at The PPAI Expo 2024 to introduce Rupt, the first supplier whose entire product line is made from recycled materials, and its VC arm Rupt Ventures. It was also at The PPAI Expo 2024 that Stahl met Jodie Schillinger, MAS, executive vice president at Maple Ridge Farms – the No. 60 supplier in the PPAI 100. Although M&A was never a focus for the Mosinee, Wisconsinbased gourmet food company, Schillinger says she’s always on the lookout for the next big thing. While a local candy maker or ice cream Tammy Cimperman, co-owner, Foxyware Must Read | Expo Success 60 • DECEMBER 2024 • PPAI
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