Heavy rains this month in Louisiana, in some parts nearly 30 inches, have damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes, taken at least 13 lives and left a multibillion-dollar cleanup bill. According to the National Weather Service, the storm dropped more than three times as much water on the state as Hurricane Katrina. For industry businesses affected by the rain and flooding, the Business Recovery Fund (BRF), supported by PPAI and the Regional Association Council (RAC), stands ready to help companies in need.

Supplier Carhartt Workwear (UPIC: haws) has announced a voluntary recall of its flame-resistant (FR) sweatshirts. Carhartt has not received any reports of injuries or product failures.

Promotional products businesses made a strong showing on Inc. magazine’s 2016 Inc. 5000 ranking of the country’s fastest growing private companies. PPB Newslink’s report on the news highlighted industry companies from every part of the field and from across the country. However, a few companies were missed in the original article. Henrico, Virginia, distributor Brandito (UPIC: Brandito) is No. 1517 with a three-year growth rate of 250 percent, while Costa Mesa, California, supplier OrigAudio made the list for the third time in a row, this year at No. 2814.

Industry companies are advised to be on the lookout for a known fraudulent entity. Identifying itself as “Mark Jeffrey with Access Company,” the fraudulent entity reportedly uses stolen credit cards to place orders for flash drives, power banks and other items, and then redirects the shipment to different addresses, according to supplier companies.

Voting begins August 29 for the 2017 PPAI Board of Directors Class of 2021. Distributor candidates are Mitch Rhodus, CAS, of HALO Branded Solutions (UPIC: HBS), and Danny Rosin, co-owner of Brand Fuel, Inc. (UPIC: bfuel001). Supplier candidates are Andrew Spellman, vice president of corporate channels at Victorinox Swiss Army, Inc. (UPIC: swisarmy), and Sharon Willochell, president of Trimark (UPIC: TRIMARK). The election period runs through September 19, with the results announced in early October.

The election will be administered electronically by a third-party election administrator and by paper ballot as required. To vote, each PPAI member company’s designated voter can visit the PPAI voter site at www.ppai.org/election2016 to learn more about the candidates and cast their ballots. All members can learn more about the distributor and supplier candidates through the Association’s on-demand webinars.

The PPAI Supplier Star competition recognizes supplier member companies who have excelled in communication, service and quality, as voted on by member distributors. One of the most sought-after and prestigious awards for supplier members, the PPAI Supplier Star Award is the mark of a professional that delivers excellence in product, decoration and customer service. All distributor members and their staff are eligible to vote for their favorite suppliers. For questions, contact awards@ppai.org or call 972-258-3070.

PPAI’s summer webinars explore best practices in running a business, product liability and other issues important to industry professionals. The Association’s education schedule features a wide range of ideas, updates and other topics important to promotional products industry practitioners.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is partnering with Australian and Canadian regulators on product safety training in China and Vietnam.

PPAI and the promotional products industry have established strong relationships with industry regulators, including the Consumer Product Responsibility Commission (CPSC). CPSC commissioners have been an active presence at the PPAI Product Responsibility Summit for a number of years, and 2016 is no exception. Commissioners Robert Adler and Joseph P. Mohorovic are the luncheon speakers on September 19 and 20, respectively.

Distributor 4imprint, Inc. (UPIC: 4imprint) has been named one of the 10 Best Workplaces in advertising and marketing by Great Place to Work® and Fortune. This is 4imprint’s second year on that list, which was published on the Fortune website August 22.

We know you’re always looking for ways to better serve your clients. We just released the update to our web-based platform, SAGE Web, and it now features complete order management capabilities so you can do just that! The new order management feature includes the ability to create new forms and edit existing orders. Best of all, SAGE Web 2.0 runs seamlessly on any device with internet access including Mac computers and Windows smartphones and tablets. So the next time you’re away from home base, you have complete access to the tools you need to successfully run your business.

SAGE Total Access subscribers can log in now to use SAGE Web 2.0. If you want an in-depth look at the new features before getting started, you can sign up to access the recorded webinar with SAGE CEO, Eric Natinsky, here.

PPAI distributor members can join SAGE at no additional cost through the Power of Two relationship. Contact SAGE today at 800-925-7243 or visit www.sageworld.com to get started.

 Made For Moving  
In November, PPB‘s Eye on Apparel shines a spotlight on activewear. Suppliers, please submit high-resolution product images and product descriptions. Distributors, please send marketing case studies or other relevant information. Submissions are due by August 29  .

What’s Cooking?  
Editor’s Picks in November’s PPB features promotional products that belong in the kitchen. Suppliers, please submit high-resolution product images along with a product description. Distributors, please send marketing case studies or other relevant information. Submissions are due by  August 29 .

 Planting Seeds Of Promotional Success  
Market to Market examines the agriculture industry in November PPB. Distributors, if you have clients in the agricultural field—farmers, equipment suppliers, product distributors and more—send in your case studies for inclusion by  August 29 . Suppliers, submit images and descriptions of products that would be a good fit for ag clients by August 29. 

A Distributor Asks: We have a client that hosts numerous C-suite events annually. They have asked for some input on gift ideas for the high-level executives and have given the feedback that they don’t need another speaker, camera or more headphones. Please share suggestions on gift ideas [generic rather than supplier-specific products] for high-level clients that already have it all. The budget is up to several hundred dollars per item.

Email your answer along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by October 17 for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of PPB magazine.

Need peer advice? Send your question to Question@ppai.org.

Read the answers to each month’s question here.