SAAGNY News

Last evening, SAAGNY President  John R. B. Cudahy was among the 20 individuals honored as a 2017 Rising Star by PPB magazine.  PPB’s annual recognition program spotlights the industry’s most watchable young pros based on nominations related to their accomplishments, leadership potential, and involvement in their industry and community.

More than 80 individuals were nominated this year, a record for the program that was introduced in 2010 and has proven to be one of the most popular and sought-after honors in the industry.

President Cudahy was among the 10 suppliers and 10 distributors recognized during the PPAI North American Leadership Conference being held in Austin, Texas, this week.

Congratulations to all the PPB 2017 Rising Stars:

Distributors

Maggie Cox, HALO Branded Solutions

Jacob Fletcher, Image Source, Inc.

Tiffany Gomas, Elevate Brand Marketing

Kate Harthan, Corporate Recognition

Max Levavi, BAMKO

Edward Martin, Proforma Media & Print Solutions

Anna Nguyen, Monarch & Company

Eric Schmaltz, OmniSource Marketing Group, Inc.

Brittan Stiff, Bates-Wells, Inc.

Marci Schwartz Taran, Bradley Company

Suppliers

John Cudahy, Prime Line

Nicole Deen, Trimark Apparel/PCNA

Doug Donnell, Hit Promotional Products

Charity Gibson, Peerless Umbrella Co.

Jason Haft, alphabroder

Bryan Kiel, Edwards Garment

Carrie Laufenburg, MAS, The Magnet Group

Scott Leonard, Hit Promotional Products

Nate Robson, Raining Rose, Inc.

Chris Vinci, AAkron

Today The SAAGNY Foundation and its volunteers visited the Hilltop School in Haverstraw, New York for its annual Fun Day.  

Over 80 students enjoyed carnival games, snacks, crafts, prizes, and goody bags.  The children's  smiles and pure joy were a treat for all the volunteers.  But what truly made it special for every volunteer today and those who have donated items to The SAAGNY Foundation was the little boy who stopped us from  leaving so he could give us this thank you note.  #worthit

SAAGNY Awards Season is upon us.  Nominations are currently being accepted for Distributor of the Year, Supplier of the Year and many more through Friday, August 25.  Click here to nominate your favorites.  The top nominees will be announced and voting launched at the SAAGNY Fall Showcase on Tuesday, September 26.  Winners will be announced at the SAAGNY Holiday Party and Awards Celebration on Wednesday, December 13. Applications for the Linda Robinson Scholarship, Past President Scholarship, SAAGNY Diamond Award, and SAAGNY Rising Star award are being accepted through Friday, October 13.  Please click on the name of the award for the application.  Winners will be announced at the SAAGNY Holiday Party and Awards Celebration on Wednesday, December 13.

Eric Rackoff, Immediate Past President and Chair of the Nominating Committee is calling for SAAGNY Nominations - Class of 2020. 

The nomination process is a vital step in ensuring the future success of our organization. Your participation in this process will help to ensure that SAAGNY's leadership will maintain its strong representation of our members.  SAAGNY members will elect four representatives at the Annual Meeting at the SAAGNY Fall Showcase (Tuesday, September 26) to serve a two-year term on the Board of Directors, beginning January 1, 2018 and concluding December 31, 2020.  You can step up yourself or suggest another potential leader with whom you are acquainted and who you believe will make a contribution. Please email your nominations including nominee name, company, phone, email and type of promotional product business (i.e. distributor, supplier, multi-line rep, business services) no later than Friday, August 18, 2017, by email  to donna-jean@saagny.org

Thank you to all the hard working volunteers, some of whom are pictured here, who came out to Happiness is Camping, Hardwick, NJ, yesterday.  Happiness is Camping is a summer camp for children with cancer and their siblings. 

As The SAAGNY Foundation has done for more than 20 years they hosted a Pirate themed day which included songs, pirate flags, scavenger hunt, games, crafts, water ice, gifts, and goody bags.  The SAAGNY Foundation does numerous charitable activities throughout the year, if you are interested in helping please email saagnyfoundation@saagny.org.

Click here and take a moment to get "up-to-date" on all your SAAGNY news.

Last night SAAGNY members enjoyed a beautiful evening in Central Islip, New York meeting old friends and making new ones, as the Long Island Ducks took on the New Britain Bees at Bethpage Ballpark.  Some SAAGNY members were able to get to the park early and have a picture taken on the field as the Ducks finished batting practice.  Although the Ducks were defeated 8-2 in the middle game of a three-game series, SAAGNY members enjoyed hot dogs, Big Al’s BBQ, and a selection of beverages.   

Thank you to all who were able to join us at the game! 

SAAGNY's breakfast networking program, is bringing suppliers and distributors together in local Panera Bread locations throughout the tri-state region.  There is no charge to attend any of these events.  At each PROMOTIONAL BUZZ, member suppliers and/or multi line reps will present their product line(s) to you in a casual, relaxed atmosphere while you enjoy a cup of coffee and a light breakfast (courtesy of the presenters).  Join us Tuesday, June 27, at Panera in West Babylon, NY and Thursday, June 29, Panera in Ramsey, NJ.

The Board of Trustees of The SAAGNY Foundation is proud to announce that Katherine W. Kaye (daughter of Woody Kaye, Corporate Values) and Amy J. Nadel (daughter of Wendy Ferber, Pride Products Distributors) have been selected as recipients of the 2017 The SAAGNY Foundation Scholarships.  Each scholarship is worth $1,000 per year for up to four years. 

A panel of independent judges, reviewed the applications and judged each applicant based on his/her grade point average, extracurricular activities, awards and accomplishments, outside jobs and projects, letters of recommendation and a 1,000-word essay. 

Since implementing The SAAGNY Foundation Scholarship program in 1999, The SAAGNY Foundation has awarded 46 scholarships worth in excess of $160,000 to the children of employees of SAAGNY member companies.

Congratulations!

SAAGNY members enjoyed many SAAGNY sponsored events at Expo East this past week.  On Monday, June 12, The SAAGNY Foundation sponsored its annual Lenore Goldberg Memorial Golf Outing at Linwood Country Club, Linwood, NJ.  Although it was a scorcher of a day, the cool breeze off the water was refreshing for the more than 50 golfers who played           . 

The day included a buffet lunch, raffles, and prize winners for the longest drive and closest to the pin. 

On Tuesday, June 13, over 180 people were in attendance at the Regional Meet N' Greet at Tun Tavern across from the Convention Center.  The food and drinks were plentiful as well as the conversation between old friends catching up and new ones getting acquainted.  It was nice to spend some time with our District 1 Regional partners as well.                         

The SAAGNY Member Breakfast held on Wednesday, July 14, featured Bill Petrie, Promo Corner as our educational speaker.  Bill's presentation of "Finding  Your Voice" in the promotional products industry was on-point for the 65 plus attendees.  The breakfast included an omelette station, full buffet of waffles, bacon, oatmeal, and more.  Pre-registered attendees even received a $15 gas card.

Many SAAGNY members stopped by the Regional Member Lounge for a snack including - hot pretzels, ice cream treats,  and coffee.  Other members stopped by the booth for their daily concession voucher.