Implementation of California’s plastic bag ban, signed into law last fall by Gov. Jerry Brown, is suspended until a November 2016 vote. American Progressive Bag Alliance, a plastic bag manufacturing trade group, turned in more than 800,000 signatures, qualifying the law for a referendum.

HanesBrands (UPIC: HBIINC), headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, has entered into an agreement to acquire Knights Apparel, a seller of licensed collegiate logo apparel in the mass retail channel. Knights Apparel sells t-shirts, sweatshirts and other sports apparel with college logos and graphics representing 400 U.S. colleges and universities. The acquisition is expected to close early in the second quarter 2015.

The St Regis Group (UPIC: stregis) has completed the first phase of expansion of its Canadian manufacturing facility in Markham, Ontario.

While credit remains an issue, entrepreneurs are finding the business environment an increasingly favorable one, report The Kauffman Foundation and online legal solutions provider LegalZoom in their survey, “Challenges Facing New Entrepreneurs in 2014.”

Accurate data on the audiences targeted by advertisers has grown increasingly valuable, and third-party suppliers of that data are in high demand by digital marketing firms and advertisers. However, data users have expressed growing doubts about the accuracy behind the targeting information, and many marketers question whether the data’s value justifies the expense. The Wall Street Journal recently reported on a study by media-buying firm Mediasmith measuring third-party vendors’ effectiveness and their findings.

PPAI is seeking nominations for the PPAI Woman of Achievement Award. Recipients of this prestigious, annual award are chosen based on their long-term positive contributions to the industry as well as their invaluable leadership style and commitment to mentoring others.

Recipients of the Woman of Achievement award will be recognized this summer during the 2015 Women’s Leadership Conference in New Orleans. Take time to nominate the inspiring woman who you think has made a significant contribution to your organization and the industry. The nomination period ends March 6. For questions, contact PPAI Awards & Recognition at awards@ppai.org or 972-258-3070.

PPAI has developed its Promotional Products TurboTest^TM program to clarify confusing product safety regulations by providing a product safety roadmap, asking users simple questions about a particular product or product line and then breaking down the relevant product safety regulations into easy-to-understand, easy-to-implement steps. Fast, effective and free to members, TurboTest is the first tool of its kind for the industry.

PPAI created TurboTest in response to confusion about Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) regulations and their affect on the promotional products industry. It is essential that industry members take the time to become familiar with these regulations and that they ask the right questions of everyone in the supply chain. TurboTest addresses this need for clarity. Click here to learn more.

The Three Rivers Advertising Specialty Association (TRASA) is hosting education sessions at its Spring Expo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for industry companies pursuing Product Safety Aware status. On March 2, PPAI Product Responsibility Manager Tim Brown, MAS, will host the full four-part education series that all suppliers must complete by Expo East 2015 if they wish to gain access to the marketplace through PPAI. On the following day, Brown will lead a bonus session, Product Responsibility: Best Practice By Product Category, which qualifies as an elective component of PPAI’s Product Safety Aware program. All sessions are available free and open to suppliers and distributors. Click here to learn more.

Registration is now open for the 2015 PPAI Product Safety Summit, September 28-30 in Bethesda, Maryland. The Summit brings business and compliance leaders from across the industry to discuss product safety issues and the business implications and challenges they face.

The Summit offers two days of education featuring distinguished speakers, industry thought leaders and representatives from product safety labs and product certification groups. All Summit attendees will also receive a binder containing best practices, testing protocols and recall resource materials.

Click here for more information and to register.

St. Vincent’s Medical Center Foundation has named distributor AD-MERICA Corp. (UPIC: ADMERICA), headquartered in Shelton, Connecticut, as its 2014 Corporate Volunteer of the Year. The honor recognizes the 10 years of support AD-MERICA has shown the Bridgeport-based organization.

During Expo East, SAGE will be providing various education sessions. In addition to giving you useful information on how to improve your business, you can also earn CAS credit for each of the sessions. And for more personalized training, you can schedule a one-on-one session with a SAGE account executive. Click here for the full session descriptions, schedule, and to register.

PPAI 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.

Carry Away Clients
Editor’s Picks in May focuses on bags of all forms and functions. Send high-res images and descriptions of your top sellers and fan favorites, including classic styles and of-the-moment designs, to Jen Alexander by March 12.

Creative Collaboration
Artists, designers, photographers and writers need promotions as creative and visionary as the works they produce. Market to Market in May examines the creative services industry; if you have clients in this field and case studies showing how promotional products boosted their business, contact Jen Alexander by March 12. Suppliers, send high-res images and descriptions of products that complement creative services business programs and campaigns.

Who Wants Hoodies And Sweatshirts?
Answer: Everyone. PPB is exploring these promo staples in the May issue. Suppliers: Please submit high-res images and product descriptions of sweatshirts and hoodies for possible inclusion. Distributors: Please submit decoration tips, case studies and questions or tips about this category. Send all materials to Tama Underwood by March 13.

A Distributor Asks: One of our distributor salespeople was previously with one of our competitors. While with our competitor, they submitted artwork to a supplier for an order. After joining our company, they received another order with the same artwork. Who owns the artwork after an order has been placed and paid for, the end customer or the distributor?

What’s Your Answer? Email answers along with your name, title and company name to Question@ppai.org by March 13 for possible inclusion in an upcoming issue of PPB magazine.

Need peer advice on a sticky situation? Send your question to Question@ppai.org.

Read the answers to each month’s question here.