Every year at this time, I write distributors to thank them for their business and to let them know what ASI accomplished in the past year on their behalf. As a whole, the promotional products industry enjoyed another record-breaking year, and it's my sincere wish that every one of the small-business owners and entrepreneurs in this industry reached or exceeded their personal and financial goals in 2014.

As ASI's president and chief executive officer, the best part of my job is doing all I can to help our clients achieve success. This year, we took the best resources in the industry and made them stronger and more accessible than ever.

We rebuilt our website (www.asicentral.com) and Web store from the ground up, making it simpler and easier for members to quickly get the latest industry news, sales-building strategies and education they need.

We also delivered 150 new features in ESP and launched a continuing effort to partner with other technology providers to further integrate ESP data into their platforms, with more to come in 2015. This effort will help distributors better communicate with clients, process more orders and grow their business.

In a nod to our at-a-glance world, here's a snapshot of 2014, by the numbers:

   
• 19: Consecutive quarters of sales growth for suppliers and distributors, with 2014 on track to surpass previous record of $20.5 billion.
   
• 72,640,453: Product, supplier and decorator searches across all platforms and products in ESP and ESP Mobile.
   
• 17,000: Qualified distributors nationwide who attend ASI Shows.
   
• 27: Countries represented by ASI Show attendees.
   
• 1,296: Industry professionals certified through the free ASI Education Certification Program, making ASI the largest educator in the industry.
   
• 103,430: Total circulation of ASI's five magazines.
   
• 26: Editorial and design awards and finalist nominations won by ASI magazines, including two national Jesse H. Neal awards (ASI's publications remain the only ones in the industry to ever win a prestigious Neal award).
   
• 625,000: Circulation of ASI's Spectrum, the industry's No. 1 catalog.
        140,000: Circulation of the debut issue of ASI's Apparel Catalog.
   
• 1,538: Miles traveled to date by the #ASIPromocar, the industry's first moving billboard that promotes the industry.
   
• 273: Number of informative videos posted to www.asicentral.com and across social media to help members build their business.
   
• 1,306.5: Pounds of food donated by ASI employees to benefit Philabundance food pantry, one of nearly a dozen charitable initiatives undertaken, involving countless volunteer hours, cash contributions and donated items.
        ASI's promise to members and to the industry is to provide the world's best available tools – in print, digital, online and in-person at live events – to achieve maximum success.
        If there's anything more ASI can do for you, please don't hesitate to email me at tim.andrews@asicentral.com. Happy New Year!
 

    Regards,
Timothy M. Andrews