BIC Honored by Distributor Partners
BIC Graphic announced it has received honors from two of its distributor partners. It recently received the 2015 Supplier Engagement Award (based on successful “T3” campaign) from Deluxe/Safeguard. It also received two awards from iPROMOTEu. In the Top Supplier of the Year, it was ranked #6 our of 15 top suppliers. It also received a special recognition award for support of iPROMTEu's A Woman's View program.
Stahls', Detroit Red Wings Alumni Face-Off in Charity Hockey Game
The community was the real winner when a team of employees and executives from the Sterling Heights, MI,-based Stahls’ faced off against a squad of former Detroit Red Wing players in a charity ice hockey game benefiting the Clark Park Coalition last month at Detroit’s Clark Park Ice Rink.
The matchup ended with the Wings edging out Stahls’ 9-8. Three of Ted and Mary Stahl's children were on the team: Dan, Trevor, and Kari. The game was the highlight of this year's annual The Frozen Fish Fiasco outdoor hockey series, and the only game for which admission was charged. Despite the fundraising purpose of the Stahls'-Red Wings match, the Stahls' team took it seriously. 
The 17 players drawn from the staff all had “extensive experience on the ice," noted Stahls' sports marketing coordinator Paul Sabatini. "Within our offices, we have a lot of people who have played hockey, but we had never played together before. We didn't want to be embarrassed," he said. To help them put their best skate forward, the Stahls' team enlisted the services of Olympic Gold Medalist and St. Clair Shores native Mark Wells, to lead four practice sessions and coach them in the game. Wells was a defenseman on the 1980 U.S.A. Men's Olympic Hockey team.
The 2015 event drew 1,500 spectators to the park. Since it was begun in 2010 by members of two adult hockey teams in the Labatt Hockey Detroit A League, The Frozen Fish Fiasco has raised more than $75,000 for the Clark Park Coalition.
PPEF 2016 Scholarship Period Now Open
Promotional Products Education Foundation (PPEF; www.ppef.us) announced that the 2016 PPEF scholarship program is now accepting applications for the 2016-2017 school year with $150,000 in scholarships available. Since its inception in 1989, PPEF has awarded approximately $1,417,000 in financial assistance.
Funded by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI) and donations from the promotional products industry, the scholarship program enables youth and professionals to continue their education on a collegiate level. The Association and industry patrons have a long-standing commitment of service to the promotional products industry and this fund supports those who demonstrate the same commitment.
"PPEF will award $150,000 to 74 new and 29 renewal scholars in 2016," said, PPEF chair, Patricia Dugan, MAS. "PPEF is proud to have increased our commitment to families with the greatest financial need by changing the structure to award larger payments to need-based recipients. It is wonderful to hear comments from students mentioning that they are the first ones in their families to go to college – truly life changing!"
The 2016-2017 scholarship application period is now open and the submission deadline is Tuesday, March 15, 2016.
Chocolate Inn / Taylor & Grant Named Gold Partner for Staples, Geiger
Chocolate Inn / Taylor & Grant has once again earned gold partner status from both Staples and Geiger for 2016 in both the United States and Canada, providing strength and strategic focus as a North American solution within the food category. Chocolate Inn / Taylor & Grant has seen consistent growth with both Staples and Geiger and is looking to continue that growth well into the coming year. David Miller, president of Chocolate Inn / Taylor & Grant expressed his excitement towards receiving this status. "It is an honor to yet again be recognized us as one of the most trusted suppliers in the food gift industry. We will continue to provide them with the quality and service that is expected of a gold partner for 2016 and beyond."
PPAI Honors Aprons, Etc.
30+ year promotional products industry veteran Aprons, Etc. won a Silver for 2015 Supplier Catalog design of the year in the 2016 Image Awards Competition sponsored by Promotional Products Association International (PPAI). Thirty-One Gold, Silver and Bronze winners were recognized at the PPAI Awards Presentation & Reception at The PPAI Expo in Las Vegas.
"Aprons Etc.'s creative marketing has delivered an outstanding brand experience,” said Paul Bellantone, CAE, president and CEO at PPAI. "I am proud of the fact that promotional products companies work to deliver the same outstanding creativity of messaging in their own marketing as they do on behalf of their clients.”