The price to ship goods out of Asia is on the rise in June, reminding importers across many industries of the skyrocketed shipping rates during 2021’s nightmare supply chain circumstances.

• The rate to send a 40-foot container from China to the U.S. East Coast is at approximately $6,000 and rising. That is up nearly 200% from May 1 when the rate was $2,772.
• The same shipment from China to Northern Europe is currently $4,600, up more than three times its May 1 rate.
• Separate from these rates carriers are offering premium/priority rates to Northern Europe for as much as $10,000.
  
  

“Anytime you see ocean freight increasing this quickly it’s a concern given impact to the product cost,” says Bruce Barnet, chief operating & financial officer at Charles River Apparel. “It’s important to monitor this situation over the next few months to see if it’s going to be a short- or long-term impact to the industry in 2024 and 2025.”

Chaos in the Red Sea causing disruption to global supply chain logistics is a primary cause of the rising prices. Additionally, tariff exclusions on certain Chinese imports expire in the middle of June. This is also increasing short term demand for shipping as importers race to get goods in under the wire.

Chart provided by Bloomberg

According to Bloomberg, carrier rates from China to the U.S. peaked around $20,000 in September 2021.

Barnet notes that the current confluence of global conditions means that importers should temper their short term expectation for shipping prices.

“While overseas freight demand is still down, it’s certain in the short term you will see price increases through GRI (General Rate Increases) due to container shortages, longer transit times, weather issues and less sailings out of key ports in Asia,” Barnet says.

The Red Sea Crisis Continues

The current political conflict at the Red Sea has had an effect on the global supply chain similar to that of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Since late 2023, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have been attacking ships in the maritime trade route between the Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.
• Roughly 12% of world trade goes through the Suez Canal, according to the New York Times.
  
  

As a result, many container shipping lines and tanker owners have stopped transiting the Red Sea and are rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope, adding an additional two weeks to the supply chain and reducing global container capacity, according to Reuters.  

“We have experienced cost increases related to the Red Seas but have also worked around other issues with our freight forward partner through different sailing routes,” Barnet says.

The ripple effect of not only the longer route but also the ships that have circled back to ports due to the dangers of the Red Sea cannot be overstated. It has led to congestion in ports in Singapore and Shanghai. Without improvement in the viability of transportation through the Suez Canal, shipping conditions and rates are liable to worsen before they get better.

Frank Carpenito, CEO and president of Gemline says that a very preliminary look at June shipping prices has shown that moderate increases are being felt and port pressure has seemed to mostly be concentrated in Northern China, where Gemline has limited traffic. 

Chinese Tariff Exclusions Increasing Demand

To make matters more complicated, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced the expiration of 233 exclusions to the 301 tariffs on Chinese imports as of June 1. However, the USTR has allowed a grace period through June 14 before tariffs on the affected products go into effect.

• To read the full USTR report, including an exhaustive list of the affected products, click here.
  
  

With many businesses having relied upon importing these products out of China, industry observers have speculated that there might be a huge surge of demand to ship goods out one final time before the transition period ends.

The degree to which businesses scramble to import out of China during the grace period will be difficult to measure, but surging shipping rates are a possible indicator. Unlike the Red Sea crisis, this is a phenomenon that will manifest in the short-term, but both the congestion and rate increase, as well increased cost of these products, could have an ongoing effect into 2024.

Written by: Jonny Auping

Published with Permission from PPAI

The United States Trade Representative (USTR) has announced the expiration of 233 exclusions to the 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. The exclusions expired on May 31, but a grace period will be in place until June 14, at which point products in these categories imported from China will be subject to tariffs.

• To read the USTR’s notice on the expirations, click here (the full list of exclusions that have expired can be found in Annex D)
• In late 2023, PPAI called for an extension of exclusions to these tariffs allowing promo companies to continue to import from China.
  
  

“Who’s really punished by tariffs?” commented Ben Zhang, president and CEO of Greater Pacific, PPAI 100’s No. 68 supplier. “American companies, not Chinese manufacturers.”

In 2023, the U.S. imported more than $427 billion in goods from China and exported nearly $148 billion to the world's second largest economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Why Did These Exclusions Expire?

In 2017, the USTR conducted an investigation concerning China’s trade practices, concluding that the country was guilty of several practices deemed suspicious or unfairly burden the U.S. This type of investigation and subsequent action is allowed under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

• As a result, tariffs were placed on products imported into the U.S. from China. The move raised the costs for U.S. businesses to bring these products into the country.
  
  

When the Section 301 tariffs were placed, businesses had a window in which they could request specific products be excluded from the tariffs. Assuming valid evidence was provided, those product categories were exempt from the tariffs.  Regardless of evidence, such exclusions are not meant to be permanent.

“The pattern of making last-minute announcements regarding the tariff exclusions exacerbates uncertainty for U.S. companies who need to make business decisions months in advance,” a letter by Americans for Free Trade said at the end of 2023.

Exclusions have officially expired on 233 of 429 of the products with Chinese import tariffs with no extension granted. 

• Of those 233 expired exclusions, 102 of them expired due to nobody requesting an extension.
• The rest have expired because importers did not indicate intent or did not show sufficient effort to ship out of China or because of evidence of domestic or third country production of such products.
• For exclusions that were granted an extension, the extension will run through May 31, 2025.
  
  

Promo Perspective

The grace period before the tariffs kick in on the expired exclusions is a short window, so it is imperative that promo companies examine the USTR’s notice before June 14 to determine if it affects products they are currently importing from China.

The list of products that will now be subject to Chinese tariffs is long and diverse, but a few expired exclusions that may be relevant to promo companies include:

• Certain styles of bags
• Backpacks with hydration systems
• Specific types of robes
• Styles of blankets
• Grills composed of steel wire at certain dimensions

Written by: Jonny Auping

Published with Permission from PPAI

S&S Activewear (PPAI 256121, Platinum) has announced a deployment of hundreds of robots at its warehouses, a result of its growing partnership with German company Körber Supply Chain and Geekplus robotics. The robots are intended to increase efficiencies within the supplier’s processes and represent a big step toward automation within the promo industry.

• S&S Activewear was recently named the No. 5 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100.

• It has more than 4 million square feet of warehouse space.

• Earlier this month, S&S named Josh Clark its new chief operating officer.

The announcement includes plans for robots to be implemented in three separate S&S warehouses, one of which – in Lockport, Illinois – has already commenced. The 750,000 square foot Lockport facility saw the deployment of 340 robots from Geekplus.

“Our customers deserve a seamless experience from order to fulfillment, and we’re excited about the increased efficiencies we’re already seeing through our collaboration with Körber,” says Brian Beale, chief technology officer at S&S.

Warehouse Process Optimization

The Geekplus robotic solutions are intended to create optimized processes within warehouses like ones that S&S operate out of. Geekplus’s PopPick machines facilitate inventory management by moving goods stored in totes to pick stations. The autonomous devices move and slot inventory, creating a streamlined flow to get products to their destinations.

This technology reduces the amount of near-constant walking by warehouse employees who otherwise would have to do this work manually.

“Our longstanding partnership with Körber has been crucial in bringing our revolutionary solutions to a wider audience,” says Randy Randolph, director of channel partner sales at Geekplus. “This deployment with S&S highlights the huge impact of our mobile robots in helping retailers meet the crush of e-commerce orders while improving quality and efficiency.”

S&S has already cited success and increased efficiency in the use of the robots, which are designed to support more than 4,500 lines per hour through 24 picking stations. The supplier is pleased with the order fulfillment and quality assurance capabilities of the systems in place through the partnership with Körber.

“Innovation is a core tenet of S&S’s decades-long history in the apparel industry,” says Beale. “Advancing our warehouse operations with Körber and Geekplus’s robotics and automation expertise has been a natural and impactful evolution in our technology journey.”

The robotics system is designed to scale with the business of the warehouse they are implemented within in order for the company to avoid being constrained by the investment in the technology.

Written by: Jonny Auping

Published with Oermission from PPAI

Citing "clear" shareholder preference, the entire board of directors of Gildan Activewear (PPAI 250187, Platinum) resigned Thursday evening along with sitting president and CEO Vince Tyra, the company said in a statement.

The mass resignations will remove all drama from the company's annual shareholder meeting on May 28, when the six-month leadership tug-of-war at PPAI 100's No. 10 leading supplier was expected to be resolved.

Glenn Chamandy, who was ousted as CEO late last year, will be reappointed as CEO of the company he co-founded in 1984.

• Effective immediately, the outgoing board has appointed a new slate of board members proposed by activist investor Browning West, which owns just under 6% of Gildan shares.

• Browning West's eight-person slate will comprise the entirety of the new board.

• The outgoing board has also ceased discussions regarding a previously announced sale process, the statement said.

• Tyra, previously the chief executive of alphabroder predecessor Broder Bros. and Fruit of the Loom, took over at the beginning of 2024. Meanwhile, the company's board continued its war of words with Chamandy.

• Gildan also pushed back on Browning West, alleging that a large purchase of company stock by the company violated antitrust laws.

• In March, Browning West sued Gildan and its board in Quebec to ensure that the May 28 shareholder meeting continue as scheduled and with the oversight of an independent chair.

"Our directors are eager to begin working toward their common goal of delivering enhanced shareholder value, which begins with reinstating Glenn Chamandy as CEO," a statement from Browning West said. "Glenn is a visionary leader with a track record of value creation, an unparalleled knowledge of Gildan’s manufacturing business, a deep connection with the Company’s employees and shareholders, and an impressive ability to foresee key industry shifts to keep Gildan one step ahead of competitors. He knows exactly what it will take to expand the Company’s already strong position alongside the newly reconstituted Board, including proven value creator Michael Kneeland, who the new Board intends to appoint as Chair."

The Browning West statement said preliminary voting results indicated that an overwhelming majority of shares had sided with its slate for the Montreal, Canada-based supplier.

“I’m extremely excited to return as Gildan’s CEO and am gratified for the incredible support I have received from both shareholders and employees over the past six months," Chamandy said. "I’m proud of our dedicated employees for their hard work and focus through a tumultuous period. The resilience of the team and the high quality of our newly seated Board give me great confidence that Gildan’s best days are yet to come.”

Gildan's Leadership Struggle

Resembling a Succession story arc at times, the battle over leadership of Gildan has been raging since Chamandy was ousted on Dec. 10 and immediately went public with his disagreement with the decision, claiming a misaligned vision with other board members, and describing his termination as without cause.

A revolt led by five institutional investment firms, including Browning West, began almost immediately.

The spat took a tabloid turn when Gildan’s board was accused of failing to perform its due diligence before naming Tyra to replace Chamandy. The New York Post reported that Tyra had recently hired to Gildan a senior leader with whom he held a romantic relationship while she was his direct report at at Broder Bros. more than two decades ago.

Bolingbrook, Illinois-based S&S Activewear (PPAI 256121, Platinum) has announced the hiring of Josh Clark to the role of chief operating officer. Clark has worked in operational and supply chain leadership roles for over 20 years.

• Last week, S&S Activewear was named the No. 5 supplier in PPAI 100’s rankings.

• In late 2023, the supplier hired Alaina Brooks as chief legal officer.

• S&S and the promo industry are still regrouping from the tragic and unexpected loss of Stephan Baere, the company’s director of business development, who passed away suddenly earlier this year.

• Clark will report directly to Frank Myers, CEO of S&S.

• Vice president of operations at Keystone Automotive Industries.

• Senior director of services and procurement at retail office equipment provider Grainger.

• Senior vice president of operations at Integrated Supply Network.

Clark comes to the promo world most recently from WESCO Distribution, a B2B distribution logistics service and supply chain solutions company, where he was the senior vice president of supply chain-category management.

“I am thrilled to join S&S and excited to contribute to its reputable legacy of market leadership,” Clark says. “I look forward to working with the talented team here to further enhance our operational capabilities and drive significant growth.” 

Operational Expertise

Clark’s operational experience goes all the way back to 2002 when he worked at Target in distribution operations for three years. He has also served leadership roles such as:

“Josh’s leadership qualities and proven track record make him the right choice to lead our operations,” says Frank Myers, CEO of S&S Activewear.

In his new role, Clark will be tasked with oversight of S&S’s operational departments, ensuring that processes are in place to fulfill orders, meet safety standards and collaborate with the other members of the supplier’s leadership team.

“We are confident that Josh’s strategic vision will significantly contribute to our ongoing growth and that his leadership will shape our operations to help us deliver even more value to our customers,” says Myers.

Written by Jonny Auping

Published with Permission from PPAI

Robert W. Humphreys has resigned as CEO and chairman of Delta Apparel (PPAI 188431, Gold) – ranked the No. 69 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100 – at the request of the board of directors, according to a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Humphreys, who joined the Duluth, Georgia-based company in 1998 as CEO and became chairman in 2009, submitted his resignation on May 16.

• His final day with the firm will be June 29.

Delta Apparel has appointed Tim Pruban as its chief restructuring officer, according to the filing.

• Pruban is the founder of Focus Management Group, a national financial advisory and management consulting group.

• His role at Delta Apparel will be to advise the board on succession planning.

Financial Struggles

• Net sales from its retail stores segment – Salt Life Group – were $15.5 million in Q2, down about 22% from Q2 2023.

• In the 2023 fiscal year, which ended September 30, 2023, Delta Apparel reported a loss of $33.2 million.

“Fiscal 2023 was undoubtedly a challenging year for our company and the industry given the reduced demand environment following last year’s post-pandemic seller’s market,” Humphreys said at the time. “However, it was also a transformative year for our company where we implemented a number of needle-moving initiatives across our business that set the stage for significant operational improvement.”

• According to the company, its lenders have elected not to declare the principal and all other amounts owed to be immediately due and payable.

However, if the lenders do call such debt during the next 12 months, Delta Apparel says it won’t have readily available funds to repay the debt, raising “substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” If the firm can’t address such concerns, it may seek relief under applicable bankruptcy laws, according to the quarterly report.

• Additionally, the company says it was notified by certain suppliers in January that they would no longer extend credit in amounts or terms to the extent previously allowed, limiting Delta Apparel’s ability to obtain raw materials.

Furthermore, its DTG2Go digital-print business recently received notice that its largest customer no longer intends to source production from the platform. As a result, the company expects to receive an impairment charge in the third quarter of fiscal 2024.

Two weeks ago, the apparel maker reported that its net sales for the fiscal second quarter were $78.9 million, down nearly 40% from the same period last year.

Delta Apparel also reported it’s been non-compliant with a financial covenant contained in its U.S. revolving credit facility that required its financial results to “improve at a rate faster than we experienced during the second quarter and at a faster rate than we expect to experience over the next 12 months.”

Written by: John Corrigan

Published with Permission from PPAI

SAGE, the leading provider of software and solutions to the promotional products industry, is proud to announce the industry’s first real-time custom image generation tool as part of its popular website platform. The new image generation tool utilizes cutting edge artificial intelligence, further enhancing SAGE’s groundbreaking AI features aimed at transforming content creation and optimization.

Distributors and suppliers using SAGE to power their websites and company stores can now easily create completely custom and unique images on their website. All areas of the website that allow for custom rich text support the new feature. Creating an image is as easy as typing in a description and hitting the Generate Image button. In just a few seconds, the powerful AI engine will create an image that fits the exact description.

Additionally, SAGE provides a full detailed description of the created image. Users can use this description to further hone the image by adjusting the prompt text and resubmitting it to the AI engine to create a new image.

The new image creation tool not only allows users to visually enhance their website, but it also eliminates potential copyright concerns that can arise with using images found online.

One popular area for using this new image creation tool is the blogs area of the website platform. Earlier this year, SAGE introduced technology that will instantly create an entire blog article based on a given prompt. Now, with the image creation tool, users can easily add images to their blog articles as well.

"It used to take hours or days to create a blog article and find or create images for it that you had the proper rights to use. Now, with these new tools we’ve reduced that time to mere seconds, drastically improving the ability to easily create quality content on our customers’ websites” said Brian Pritchard, Vice President of Information Technology. “As the technology leader in the industry, our goal is to utilize all of these amazing new technologies to create tools that are actually useful to our customers. By doing so, we’re allowing our customers to not just stay competitive but also to be more efficient. It’s a complete win-win.”

4imprint (PPAI 107200, Platinum) – ranked the No. 1 distributor in the 2024 PPAI 100 – has announced that David Seekings, chief financial officer at the Oshkosh, Wisconsin-based firm, is retiring.

Seekings, who joined the 4imprint Group in 1996 and was appointed CFO in 2015, plans to retire from his role and from the board of directors before the end of 2025, the company announced during its annual general meeting on Wednesday.

“David has served 4imprint Group plc loyally since joining in 1996,” says 4imprint CEO Kevin Lyons-Tarr. “Over the years he has played an important role in shaping many different aspects of the development of the company, in particular driving the growth of the direct marketing business. I see every day how much he cares about the company and all of its stakeholders, so it comes as no surprise to me that he is allowing ample time and making a full commitment to a successful transition.”

Seekings will “actively participate” in a recruitment process to determine his successor, the company added.

“In due course, I will have plenty of time to reflect on my 27-year career with the company and the amazing people that I have had the privilege to work with along the way,” Seekings says. “Right now, however, I remain completely focused on the business and doing all I can to ensure a smooth succession and to help 4imprint to continue its success for many years to come.”

Revenue Growth

In addition to Seekings’ retirement announcement, 4imprint also reported during the meeting that it achieved 6% revenue growth in the first four months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Paul Moody, chairman of 4imprint, says the increase was driven by a 4% rise in order intake and a 2% increase in average order values.

RELATED: 4imprint Repeats As Top Distributor In PPAI 100 Rankings

“Gross margins have remained strong, and the reshaped marketing mix has demonstrated the efficiency and flexibility that we expected,” Moody says. “As a result of these factors, the board expects a financial performance for the year within the current range of analysts' forecasts. The board remains confident in the group's ability to blend good near-term financial results with attractive prospects for significant further organic growth over the medium term.”

• In 2023, 4imprint extended its lead over all other promo distributors after posting earnings just north of $1.3 billion – both a company and industry record.
• The e-commerce giant’s digital-first approach and unprecedented advertising campaign has paid dividends: 4imprint received more than two million total orders in 2023, up 12% from 2022, and acquired 311,000 new customers, up 1.3% from 2022.

4imprint says it will announce its half-year results for the 26 weeks ending June 29 on August 7.

Written by: John Corrigan

Published with Permission from PPAI

Industry leaders anticipating relief from Trump-era tariffs had their hopes dashed on Tuesday, as the Biden administration announced tariff increases on $18 billion worth of imports from China, which is where most promotional products in the United States and Canada come from.

Additionally, Biden is maintaining the levies enacted by his predecessor on more than $300 billion worth of imports.

• China’s commerce ministry responded by saying that Beijing opposed the tariff hikes and would take measures to defend its interests, Reuters reported.

Although the Biden administration claims that the tariff increases will ensure that American job creation isn’t “undercut by a flood of unfairly underpriced exports from China,” Ben Zhang, president and CEO of Greater Pacific – ranked the No. 68 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100 – argues that “tariffs just increase prices, create inflation and harm the U.S. consumer.”

“Who’s really punished by tariffs? American companies, not Chinese manufacturers,” Zhang says.

• In 2023, the U.S. imported more than $427 billion in goods from China and exported nearly $148 billion to the world's second largest economy, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“This industry relies on significant manufacturing in China,” adds Thomas Goos, MAS, president of Image Source – ranked the No. 48 distributor in the inaugural PPAI 100. “There will be increased costs from these new tariffs, and we could lose sales. It’s not good for our industry.”

What Items Are Impacted By The Tariffs?

The Biden administration said that the increased tariff rates will apply to:

• steel and aluminum products (rising from 7.5% to 25% this year)
• battery parts (from 7.5% to 25% this year)
• electric vehicles (from 25% to 100% this year)
• solar cells (from 25% to 50% this year)
• ship-to-shore cranes (from 0% to 25% this year)
• semiconductors (from 25% to 50% by 2025)
• natural graphite (from zero to 25% in 2026)
• other critical minerals (from 0% to 25% this year)
• permanent magnets (from zero to 25% in 2026)
• syringes and needles (from 0% to 50% this year)
• personal protective equipment (PPE) like respirators and face masks (from 7.5% to 25% this year)
• rubber medical and surgical gloves (from 7.5% to 25% in 2026)

For the promo industry, the most notable tariff increase is for steel and aluminum products, which will climb from 7.5% to 25% this year. Those items are often used in industry staples, such as reusable drinkware and pens.

Cheron Coleman, vice president of private brand product development and global supply chain at alphabroder – ranked the No. 2 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100 – says the tariffs’ impact on promotional products will vary depending on specific product categories.

“Suppliers and distributors of multi-tools, drinkware (such as tumblers and travel mugs) and tech gadgets (such as USB drives and phone stands) made of Chinese aluminum or steel should closely monitor developments and make necessary adjustments, if needed,” Coleman says.

Although Trump-era tariffs had already played a significant role in several promo firms moving their production out of China, Zhang estimates that 90% of the industry’s drinkware still comes from the country. As an importer, Zhang says that tariff increases ultimately get passed onto the consumer.

“We have to build the tariff cost into our price and pass it onto our customers,” he says. “Suppliers pass it onto distributors, who then pass it onto end users.”

• As of March 2024, $230 billion has been paid – half by American consumers and half by American businesses – in Section 301 tariffs since they have been implemented by the Trump administration, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
• The “Section 301” tariff exclusions on 352 Chinese import and 77 COVID-19-related categories are set to expire on May 31, 2024.

Matt Wagner, vice president of sales at Fields Manufacturing – ranked the No. 80 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100 – anticipates periodic price increases over the next 12 to 18 months.

“The bigger impact I see this having – and it’s nothing new – is that it forces suppliers to look at other areas to import from,” Wagner says. “Suppliers will continue to keep looking at other parts of the world to produce goods and at different types of materials to produce the same product. My guess is that all these changes will have some sort of increase on price, and it’s just how well certain suppliers are able to mitigate that.”

Despite the potential challenges brought on by the tariffs, Mark Gardyn, executive vice president at New York-based supplier Gordon Sinclair, considers it an opportunity to innovate and adapt.

“In the promotional products industry, particularly with drinkware, we'll continue to focus on delivering high-quality products while exploring alternative sourcing and materials to mitigate cost impacts,” Gardyn says. “This shift encourages us to be more resilient and creative in our solutions.”

Conflicting Views

Members of the Product Responsibility Action Group (PRAG) – a PPAI volunteer group – have different perspectives on the new tariffs.

“While both the Trump and Biden administrations have supported these tariffs, their political messaging is anathema to the economic reality that these tariffs are not only counterproductive, but worse, one of the primary factors in our ever-increasing inflation and a motivator of job loss,” says Angie Morelli, owner of Las Vegas-based distributor Customistic and a member of PPAI’s Government Relations Advisory Council.

“When domestic availability of ‘like’ products exists in the quantities needed, subverting cheaper Chinese competition, in theory, makes sense,” Morelli says. “The issue with the sweeping Section 301 tariffs is that much of what this is applying costs to can't be purchased U.S. made at all, or certainly not in the quantities that we’ve been importing them from China for decades.”

Rick Brenner, MAS+, president of business services provider Product Safety Advisors, notes that The White House claims that the Chinese government is undermining low carbon emission U.S. steel and aluminum efforts by subsidizing high carbon emission Chinese steel and aluminum at unrealistically low prices. 

“If this is true, and it appears to be backed up by a four-year review by U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tail,” Brenner says, “I would hate to see our industry complaining that we should be able to continue to buy cheap aluminum and steel that generates high carbon and is subsidized by the Chinese government to the detriment of American industries, just because we want to keep our costs low. It would also undercut our sustainability message – that we care about carbon emissions.”

Meanwhile, Brian Deissroth, director of national accounts at Edwards Garment – ranked the No. 19 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100 – argues that tariffs are “simply a tax on American companies and the American people.”

“We can pretty much guarantee that tariffs are here to stay,” says Deissroth, adding that the best business leaders can hope for is a “retroactive renewal” of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).

• GSP is the largest U.S. trade preference program that provides nonreciprocal, duty-free treatment enabling many of the world’s developing countries to spur diversity and economic growth through trade, according to CBP.

GSP expired on December 31, 2020, and is pending Congressional renewal under H.R. 7986.

“When Congress reasserts themselves and renews H.R. 7986, it will provide relief for small businesses by creating competition within the supply chain,” Deissroth says. “Reach out to your representative and ask them to support H.R. 7986.”

Written by: John Corrigan

Published with Permission from PPAI

iClick (PPAI 254537, Platinum) has announced the retirement of Jeff Hall, who joined the supplier in 2010 as its president and took on the role of CEO in 2019. In the wake of his departure, Jeff Roberts, who had been serving as CFO, has been appointed CEO.

• Last week, iClick was named the No.41 supplier in the 2024 PPAI 100.
• Hall had served in leadership roles with iClick, which launched in 2001, for more than half of its existence.
  
  

“It has been a privilege to be a part of this industry with so many great individuals and especially to work with the great team of people at iClick,” Hall says. “The last 14 years have been the most fun of my career, and I am grateful to all those who have helped to make it so.”

As noted in the Seattle-based company’s PPAI 100 ranking, the iClick recently strengthened its employee relations with monthly offsite, in-person company events paired with Friday morning meetings to recognize employee accomplishments.

• Last year, under Hall’s leadership, iClick partnered with retail tech accessories brand Casely to bring an on-phone battery backpack to the promotional products industry.
  

Moving Forward

Roberts will step into the CEO role 11 years after joining iClick as VP of finance, eventually being promoted to chief financial officer in 2019. Having spent five years at Microsoft before transitioning to the promo world, his expertise is in sales operations and mobile technology products.

• Roberts will lead the company as it prepares to launch a new suite of MagSafe-enabled products for smartphones.
  
  

“As I step into the role of CEO, I am deeply honored to build upon the incredible foundation laid by Jeff Hall,” Roberts says. “His leadership has propelled iClick to the forefront of innovation and set a high bar for service excellence. I am excited to lead our talented team as we continue to push the boundaries of mobile technology and create products that empower our customers and redefine the industry.

“Together, we will write the next chapter in iClick's story, one that is driven by passion, innovation, and an unwavering commitment to our customers.”

With much of their iClick careers having overlapped in positions of leadership, Hall is confident that the supplier will be in good hands.

“I am excited for Jeff Roberts to have the opportunity to lead iClick,” Hall says. “In our many years working together, he has proven himself to be exceptional and I have great confidence in his ability to continue to foster the care and support that iClick has for our distributors and our team.”