Briefly
By Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 12/1/2005
Flowers Inc. Balloons, Bogart, GA, merged with its other division, Burton & Burton, under the new name, burton + BURTON.
Eugene Friedman purchased an ownership position and joined the board of directors of Starlite Originals LLC, Studio City, CA, manufacturers of limited-edition sculpted figurines. Separately, the company named Gloria Ratliff to the new positon of director of sales.
Vera Bradley, Fort Wayne, IN, continues its foray into the licensing world with fashion eyewear and accessories from The Mcgee Group.
Franz Collection artist Chih-Kun (James) Tsai will visit 12 U.S. cities for consumer demonstrations in conjunction with Franz's nomination for the 17th annual ARTS Awards, in the tabletop category.
Doug Wilson, star of the home improvement television show Trading Spaces, will be the keynote speaker at the January Super Market at Dallas Market Center.
Interior Lifestyle USA, a Messe Frankfurt show, will hold its second edition in conjunction with the Las Vegas Market, January 31–February 3, 2006, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
OneCoast, the nationwide rep agency, will complete the rebranding of its regional agencies under the OneCoast name by January 1.
Charles Sadek Import Co., along with its Andrea by Sadek and J. Willfred divisions, closed its Manhattan showroom at 19 E. 26 St. The company opened a new showroom at its headquarters in New Rochelle, NY., and will expand its showroom in AmericasMart Atlanta as well as take more space in the Javits Center during the New York International Gift Fair.
Chicago-based sales rep agency Company of Kings hired Debbie Kaczar as director of sales.
Rep firms Firestone Marketing Group, Los Angeles, and Nelsen-Allan Inc., Phoenix, formed an alliance to expand territories covered and accounts served by both groups. Marc Firestone and Alison Hess are principals of Firestone; Katherine Nelsen-Allan and Barry Allan are Nelsen-Allan principals.
