Spotlight: Amerifoam’s Lisa Bascom on Leadership, Running a Family Business, Community Work and Local Stardom

Lisa Bascom has a secret identity. By day, she’s president and owner of Brooklyn Products International Inc., parent company of AmeriFoam – The House of Foam, the promotional products supplier based in Brooklyn, Mich. But by night, she’s a superhero, a real-life Doctor Strange with the ability to stop and manipulate time. That’s the only possible explanation for Bascom’s remarkable and diverse list of professional and personal accomplishments, anyway…

Read More

The Area 51 Raid Is Off, But the Bud Light Alien Merch Is Still On

Remember that whole plan the internet had to storm Area 51? The event has been canceled (thankfully), and with it Bud Light’s idea to mass produce cans with aliens on them to capitalize on the hype. But this story isn’t without good news. Bud Light is sponsoring a music festival in Las Vegas called the Area 51 Celebration, and those alien cans will be in stock at the Luxor Hotel and Casino’s VIP section. So will limited edition Bud Light alien merch, like can coolers, shirts, hats and bomber jackets…

Read More

Cap America Announces New Representation Across U.S.

Cap America Inc., Fredericktown, Mo., announced new representation in three key market areas. Jim Maddox of The Maddox Co. will cover the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Maddox has more than 25 years of experience in promotional headwear. Many distributors will be glad to see a familiar face as he takes over responsibilities…

Read More

Promo Marketing’s Power House Power Meeting Takes Wine Country—Here’s Everything You Missed

As we get ready to close out our eighth year of Power Meetings, there are a few more stops left on our travel itinerary for 2019. But our last Power Meeting, a Power House event for the industry’s top sellers, took us to Napa, Calif., where top distributors and suppliers joined the Promo Marketing team for a fun and engaging three-day event in beautiful wine country. Here are three things you missed in Napa if you weren’t at the event…

Read More

MIT Scientists Discover Shade of Black 10 Times Blacker Than Other Blacks

There’s that old phrase about something being “the new black” to mean it’s what’s in vogue now. When some MIT scientists talk about a new material they’ve developed as “the new black,” they mean that it’s a black that’s 10 times blacker than any previously reported black, absorbing 99.99 percent of light. The material is…

Read More

Toronto Raptors Launch Branded Hijabs Inspired by Muslim Women’s Team

This has been a year of firsts for the Toronto Raptors, who in the spring captured the first Eastern Conference and NBA titles in team history. Now, the Canadian club will look to accomplish another first, becoming the first NBA team to offer branded hijabs in a bid to be more inclusive. The Hijabi Ballers, a Muslim women’s team, served as the local inspiration for the Raptors to make history through the items…

Read More

Student Bullied for Handmade University of Tennessee Shirt Gets Full Scholarship

Remember that creative kid in Florida who got the attention of the University of Tennessee with his homemade T-shirt? It was the T-shirt that the school made an official design, which promptly crashed its online store’s website due to demand. Since the school benefited so much from the kid’s fandom and subsequent artwork, the least it could do was give him a little something for his trouble, right? It turns out that “little something” is a full ride…

Read More

BIC Graphic Alleviates Tariff Concerns With USA-Made Products

BIC Graphic North America, Clearwater, Fla., has launched a variety of promotions to help alleviate budget challenges as a result of tariff increases. BIC Graphic offers more than 1,000 products manufactured, printed or assembled in the U.S. across 12 categories. This list includes best-sellers from brands like BIC, Koozie, Triumph Calendars and more. “Our industry…

Read More