KAREN GUZMAN, CRS; IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

 

GET AHEAD FOR THE NEW YEAR

(January 2020) The Awards and Personalization Association exists to help your business thrive. Everything we do ties back into that one goal. We’re always thinking of ways to provide you with the education, connections, products, equipment, and information you need to be successful, no matter what your business goals are.

BY KAREN GUZMAN, CRS; IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

(December 2019) Have you finalized your plans to attend the 2020 International Awards & Personalization Expo? To join us February 18–21 in Las Vegas, NV, you’ll want to start preparing now!

KAREN GUZMAN, CRS; IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

 

USE YOUR 2019 DISCOUNTS NOW; USE YOUR 2020 COUPON BOOK AT THE EXPO

(November 2019) Stay tuned for an important industry service announcement: Retailers have just 2 months to save more than $10,000.

That’s right. Your Awards and Personalization Association 2019 Coupon Book offers expire December 31. The discounts it contains are worth more than $10,000, which is a decent chunk of change.

(October 24, 2019) Through many years the Funk and Calcote families have worked together to serve the awards and personalization industry. Over time this relationship has evolved from vendor/customer, to supplier/distributor, to strategically aligned co-distributors, and most recently, partners.

KAREN GUZMAN, CRS; IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

 

DON’T MISS THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE AND CELEBRATE

(October 2019) Are you ready to recognize?

The Awards and Personalization Association is dedicated to serving the people and companies that personalize a wide variety of products. When our association was founded in California in 1964, the focus was limited to companies that worked specifically with awards.

BY KAREN GUZMAN, CRS, IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

 

THE EXPO IS ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP FOR 2020; BOOK YOUR HOTEL ROOM!

(September 2019) As president of the Awards and Personalization Association, I have the inside scoop on our plans for the 2020 International Awards & Personalization Expo.

I have to tell you, I’m pretty excited.

BY JIM O’NEILL, PACESETTER AWARDS

DEBUNKING MYTHS THAT DEVALUE YOUNG ATHLETES' ACHIEVEMENTS

In recent years, we’ve all seen the occasional comedian, blogger, or writer mention participation awards in a negative light. The gist of the negative comments relate to getting something for nothing or rewarding mediocrity, resulting in a “trophy culture.”

KAREN GUZMAN, CRS; IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

 

LOYALTY MATTERS IN CUSTOMER RELATIONS

(August 2019) Dance with the one who brung ya’.

It’s not modern. It’s not grammatically correct. And the 1920's song that it was pulled from largely has been forgotten. But variations on this phrase often have been repeated—including by the likes of former University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal and President Ronald Reagan—for a reason.

ITASCA -- (July 31, 2019) The Finer Line of Itasca was recently named the Awards and Personalization Association's (APA) 2018-2019 Large Business Retailer of the Year. The Awards and Personalization Association is an organization for retailers and suppliers of awards and personalized products. Started in 1964, APA has continued to grow for over 50 years, forming a global network that empowers businesses in the awards and personalization industry to grow, learn, and network. The award is given to a company that "exemplifies general business practices based on integrity," according to APA.

BY KAREN GUZMAN, CRS; IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

 

WE CAN HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS, NOT JUST CLIENT ORDERS

(July 2019) I bet you do a great job of filling orders and dazzling clients with your expertise, creativity, and customer service. But how much of your time is dedicated to building your business? It’s easy to get caught up in day-to-day orders and forget about the big picture: the health and future of your business. Satisfying customers matters, but you also need a strategy to take your business where it needs to be and keep it there.

BY KAREN GUZMAN, CRS; IDENTIFICATION PLATES
AWARDS AND PERSONALIZATION ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT

 

RELAX NOW, THEN PREPARE FOR LATER

(June 28, 2019) Phew. Busy season is winding down. By now, I hope your business’s bank account is as full as your energy reserves are empty.
Whether or not you’re actually taking one this month, know that you’ve earned yourself a vacation—or at least some quality time at home.
And remember that busy season—that hectic time each spring when orders come in faster than you can fill them—affects many of the retailers and suppliers in our industry.

Cannon Falls, MN—(April 22, 2019) Gemini, the leading supplier of Letters, Logo’s and Plaques announces the acquisition of Identification Plates Inc., located in Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Identification Plates is widely known for providing sheet metal stock and custom blanks to the Awards and Recognition Industries as well as OEM nameplates and Promotional Products. The partnership between Gemini and Identification Plates brings together two family owned businesses with long histories of customer focused business practices and products.

Looking for resources to help you navigate your interstate deals? Anne Stone of PPAI shared insights with Awards and Personalization Association members about the big changes coming to California Proposition 65 that could cost you and your business. The October session provided information about having strategies in place to manage them. Visit the Webinars page for handouts!

CHICAGO, IL (April 23, 2018)—The Awards and Personalization Association is pleased to announce that three of its members have achieved professional certification. Through the Awards and Personalization Association certification program, awards and personalization professionals can achieve Certified Recognition Specialist (CRS) or Certified Recognition Master (CRM) designations.

CHICAGO, IL—The Awards and Personalization Association is pleased to announce that the International Marking and Identification Association (IMIA) will host its annual membership meeting in conjunction with the 2018 International Awards & Personalization Expo on February 20-23 in Las Vegas, NV.

Congratulations to the winners of the Awards and Personalization Association's annual Retailer and Supplier Product Contests.

Whether it’s a buzzer beater, penalty kick, first place or consolation finish, youth sports coaches and parents are on the front lines with young athletes for their first taste of winning, losing and instilling a love of and respect for the game.

Members of the Awards and Personalization Association recognized the 2016-2017 Gold Obelisk Recipients at the International Awards & Personalization Expo held recently in Las Vegas. The Gold Obelisk awards were presented at the Awards Gala held February 9th at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

With the start of a new year, the Awards and Personalization Association is excited to unveil a new name and identity for its monthly magazine. Formerly Recognition Review, the publication has been renamed Insights! The new name reflects bringing insights into the industry, products, and trends needed for the readers to boldly move forward.

Whether you provide participation awards to your customers or not, we are all affected by the media's negative portrayal of our industry and the tradition of participation awards in youth sports programs.